Talks of a potential record-breaking 19th season of ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy are in the early stages, according to Deadline. The show’s star, Ellen Pompeo (Station 19), has been vocal over the past couple of years about her desire to conclude the medical drama.
Following the series’ COVID-themed seventeenth season, Grey’s Anatomy was renewed for an eighteenth season in May, but was not designated as its final season. The eighteenth season, which is currently airing on ABC, is set in a post-pandemic world, with the characters adjusting to the aftermath of COVID and Meredith considering a new job opportunity.
Pompeo’s contract ended with season 17, but she signed on for a one-year deal for season 18. The other two remaining original cast members, Chandra Wilson (Station 19) and James Pickens Jr. (Yellowstone), signed on for multiple years.
In a recent interview with Insider, Pompeo said she was ready for the show to end so that she could pursue other paths in her career. “I’ve been trying to focus on convincing everybody that it should end,” she said. “I feel like I’m the super naive one who keeps saying, ‘But what’s the story going to be, what story are we going to tell?’ And everyone’s like, ‘Who cares, Ellen? It makes a gazillion dollars.'”
If Pompeo decides to engage in negotiations on a new contract for the network’s highest-rated scripted series, followed by its spinoff, Station 19, a renewal would be a realistic possibility.