‘Grey’s Anatomy’ season 12: ABC definitely not looking at it like final season

Is it possible that season 12 of “Grey’s Anatomy” could be the final season of the show? In theory, the answer to this is “yes.” However, at the same time we are hearing more and more that this will probably not be the last season if the ratings stay good enough.

While at the Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour today, ABC head Paul Lee made it very clear that he has “seen the pitch for next season and the show reinvents itself again,” and that they “have no reason to expect that [the series] will not go on for many, many years to come.” At the moment, our guess is that they show will last, provided the ratings are there, as long as showrunner Shonda Rhimes and star Ellen Pompeo want to be they. There are from our vantage point really the two people who matter here the most; you may be able to change out the rest of the cast beyond Meredith.

Lee admitted that the decision to remove Patrick Dempsey from the equation last year was “difficult,” but it also seems like they did not have much other choice in the matter given everyone seemed ready to move on; Dempsey, for example, is very involved at the moment in the racing circuit.

The new season of “Grey’s Anatomy” will premiere in September, with Martin Henderson coming aboard as one of the latest series regulars. Yep, we’re already wondering if he could end up being the new Meredith love interest in the wake of Derek’s exit.

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