Grey’s Anatomy continues to be in a league of its own, landing a renewal for a 21st season. The pickup, which comes three episodes into Grey’s Anatomy‘s landmark 20th season, extends its record as the longest-running primetime medical drama, which it initially set in 2019, and the longest-running ABC primetime scripted series. Season 21 is expected to consist of 18 episodes, up from the 10-episode strike-impacted 20th season.
The first 19 seasons of ABC’s venerable medical drama Grey’s Anatomy, all 420 episodes, are now available on Hulu ahead of the Season 20 premiere on ABC.
Presumably, Grey’s Anatomy intended for us to spend the summer worrying that Kim Raver was going to be killed off. In the last moments of the Season 19 finale Thursday her Teddy Altman collapsed before beginning what was supposed to be life-saving surgery on Sam Sutton (guest star Sam Page). But shortly before the two-parter kicked off, Deadline revealed the results of the cast’s Season 20 contract negotiations, and guess what: Raver has re-upped.
Grey’s Anatomy continues to write TV history with a renewal for a landmark 20th season, extending its record as the longest running primetime medical drama. Along with the pickup, which was fully expected, ABC also confirmed Deadline’s report that Meg Marinis will serve as showrunner for season 20. She replaces longtime Grey’s Anatomy and Station 19 showrunner Krista Vernoff, who is leaving both series at the end of this season.
The showrunner will exit at the end of the medical drama’s current 19th season and conclusion of the firefighter spinoff’s seventh season. There is no word on a new showrunner for both Shonda Rhimes-produced shows as ABC has yet to renew either. Sources say that Grey’s Anatomy, which is currently weathering the departure of leading lady Ellen Pompeo as a series regular, is likely to return for its landmark 20th season alongside spinoff Station 19.
The final Grey’s Anatomy episode of 2022 began the setup for Ellen Pompeo’s forthcoming break from the show — and drew the biggest audience for the long-running series since its season 19 premiere. After seven days of viewing across all platforms, the Nov. 10 episode, “Thunderstruck,” gathered 8.7 million viewers, according to Nielsen and internal ABC figures. That’s the best showing for the drama since its Oct. 6 season debut.
Exclusives
Pompeo will appear in eight episodes of the upcoming 19th season, which is now starting production. She will continue to narrate (but may not do voiceover in every episode) and will remain an executive producer on the hugely popular medical drama, which remains ABC’s top scripted series. The scale-back comes as Pompeo takes on her first role other than Meredith Grey in almost two decades — she is set to star in Hulu’s Orphan limited series.
Grey’s Anatomy consulting producer Elisabeth Finch (center, in scrubs) has been placed on administrative leave following an allegation that she may have fudged details about her medical and personal history while writing for the ABC drama. Finch’s claims are currently under review.
Ellen Pompeo and fellow original stars Chandra Wilson and James Pickens Jr. have all closed rich new pacts to return to the flagship drama, with spinoff Station 19 also scoring a Season 5 pickup for the 2021-22 broadcast season.
A beloved doctor is checking out of Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. Grey’s Anatomy star Jesse Williams is exiting the hit ABC medical drama after 12 seasons. His character Jackson Avery’s pending exit from the series was revealed in Thursday’s episode, “Look Up Child.” Williams’ last episode, titled “Tradition,” will air May 20.
Fifteen days ago, ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy became one of the first series to suspend production as the U.S. and Hollywood were just starting to grasp the scope of the coronavirus health crisis. The decision was made after the medical drama had wrapped production on Episode 21 of its 25-episode 16th season. At the time, the hiatus was going to be for at least two weeks. Now it has been made permanent for Season 16.
Justin Chambers is leaving Grey’s Anatomy after 15 years on the ABC series. Chambers plays Alex Karev in the series, who started off as a surgical intern at the fictional Seattle Grace Hospital before eventually rising to the position of resident, and later becoming a pediatric surgical fellow.
Grey’s Anatomy and Blue Bloods are also strong performers over the first quarter of the 2019-20 season.
Grey’s Anatomy is getting a new Thursday-night shift. ABC has unveiled its midseason schedule and the big news is that Shonda Rhimes’ enduring medical drama is moving from 8 p.m. back to its signature 9 p.m. perch beginning in late January to make way for the return of spinoff series Station 19, which will now lead off the night.
ABC is continuing its Thursday walks through Shondaland. The Alphabet has renewed Grey’s Anatomy for record 16th and 17th seasons, How to Get Away With Murder for a sixth season, and Station 19 for a third outing.
Friends — which last aired on broadcast TV 14 years ago — was the most binge-watched television show of 2018 thanks to the full run being on Netflix, according to a new study. The sitcom about twentysomething New Yorkers nabbed the highest share of binge sessions over the course of the year, according to TV Time, based on its analysis of the behavior of 12 million registered users worldwide of its app for tracking, commenting on and voting for television shows.
Two popular, long-time Grey’s Anatomy cast members, Jessica Capshaw and Sarah Drew, will be departing the hit ABC medical drama at the end of the current 14th season. Capshaw has been on the show for 10 seasons, nine of them as a regular, playing Dr. Arizona Robbins; Drew has been on Grey’s for nine seasons, eight of them as a regular, playing Dr. April Kepner.
The Grey’s Anatomy star recalls in her own words the personal struggles and advice from Shonda Rhimes that led to a milestone: highest-paid actress on a primetime drama.
ABC has gotten Grey’s Anatomy superfan Taylor Swift to help promote the return of its TGIT-branded lineup of Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal and How to Get Away With Murder. Timed with the release of Swift’s new single Look What You Made Me Do, the network on Thursday night rolled out the 30-second promo set to the catchy tune.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Surgeon Callie Torres is turning in her scalpel at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. Sara Ramirez, who plays Dr. Torres on “Grey’s Anatomy,” tweeted Thursday that she’s […]
Grey’s Anatomy is experiencing a second life. The Shondaland medical soap, now in its 12th season, is poised to become ABC’s top-rated drama this season among the coveted adults 18-49 demo and also ranks among the top five dramas on all of broadcast..
College Hoops No Match for ‘Scandal,’ ABC
Thursday night’s top two shows — Scandal and Grey’s Anatomy — lead ABC to win the ratings race. Ratings for CBS’s March Madness coverage were down by more than 30% from last year.
ABC on Sunday further clarified which of its programming would be broken up into two uninterrupted blocks of 12-episode runs, in addition to announcing its midseason schedule. Grey’s Anatomy, Nashville, Once Upon a Time, Revenge and Scandal will receive the split-run treatment.
Glee, The X Factor and Grey’s Anatomy were the big TV winners at the 39th annual awards show Wednesday night that was hosted by The Big Bang Theory star Kaley Cuoco.
ABC has renewed seven series, including comedies Modern Family and The Middle, as well as its popular dramas Grey’s Anatomy and Castle.
‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Hits A Sweet Ratings Note
The much-hyped musical episode of Grey’s Anatomy gave the long-running ABC show a ratings boost, even against a good premiere for the new Fox show Mobbed. Grey’s averaged a 4.8 adults 18-49 rating in the 9 p.m. timeslot last night, up 33% over last week’s rating, when the show faced NCAA basketball games.
ABC’s first effort to deploy a new Nielsen app that allows a real-time, two-screen experience with an iPad and TV went belly-up last fall. But a second go-round starting this week could actually be more beneficial for the network now that a sponsor is attached. The app allows a viewer watching the broadcast of a show to simultaneously interact with related content on the iPad.
ABC Picks Six Shows For Early Renewal
The network today that it has renewed Modern Family, Grey’s Anatomy, Castle, Cougar Town, The Middle and Private Practice for the 2011-12 TV season.
