ABC is ending an era in the 2024 TV schedule thanks to a new cancellation. Station 19, the successful second spinoff of Grey's Anatomy that opened the door for crossovers galore, has been cancelled and will come to an end with the upcoming seventh season. That's not only surprising news in light of how much of a hit the first responder drama has been over nearly a decade, but also raises the question of how much of a future Grey's Anatomy still has beyond Season 20 in the new year.
The good news is that the cancellation has occurred early in production for Season 7, with Deadline reporting that writers, producers, and the new showrunner will be able to construct a conclusion that (hopefully) will deliver some closure... and/or send some fan-favorites over to Grey's Anatomy, assuming the medical drama continues. The entire seventh season is still ahead.
The news comes on the heels of a major death in the Season 6 finale, which aired back in the spring before the entertainment industry was shut down for months due to the WGA writers strike and SAG-AFTRA actors strike. The spring also delivered the news that showrunner Krista Vernoff was stepping away from both Station 19 and Grey's Anatomy. The new showrunner explained why he's a great fit for the gig, but ultimately only has one season to prove it.
The good news is that Station 19 was renewed ahead of the strikes, and returning for a seventh season will allow it to reach the 100-episode milestone. It will do so in a new time slot, airing at 10 p.m. ET on ABC after Grey's Anatomy instead of at 8 p.m. ET ahead of Grey's Anatomy. 9-1-1's first season on the network after spending six seasons on Fox takes over the 8 p.m. time slot.
And between the schedule tweaks and now the news of Station 19 getting the axe, I can't help but wonder if Grey's Anatomy could be next. Shonda Rhimes has already said that her original vision for the medical drama's ending had to change because of how long it has lasted, and the upcoming Season 20 will be the first without Ellen Pompeo as the leading lady.
Debbie Allen, who is an executive producer as well as director and actress portaying Catherine Fox, did recently share that Pompeo will be in at least two episodes of Season 20, and is still at the top of the call sheet, so the titular "Grey" of Grey's Anatomy isn't gone for good. Pompeo's exit wasn't the death knell of the series in the first season without her full-time, and the Station 19 cancellation news didn't come with any extra bad news for Grey's.
Still, with Ellen Pompeo not on board as a series regular and accounting for the departures of other regulars like Kelly McCreary and Jesse Williams in recent seasons, I find that episodes of Grey's Anatomy feel like they're full of new characters rather than many I'm particularly invested in. On the whole, we just can't say at this point if Season 20 will be the last for Grey's Anatomy, regardless of Station 19 getting the axe. It's hard not to wonder now, though!
For now, you can look forward to the returns of both Grey's Anatomy and Station 19 on Thursday, March 14 with the former at 9 p.m. and the latter at 10 p.m. on ABC. You can also revisit the first six seasons of Station 19 streaming with a Hulu subscription and the first nineteen seasons of Grey's Anatomy with a Netflix subscription.
