Grey’s Anatomy 300th episode: Shonda Rhimes sees no end in sight
Luckily, it doesn’t seem that there are any immediate plans to say farewell to the crew at the Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital at the moment — and for good reason. Two million new viewers are discovering the show on Netflix every year, and this is giving the series a whole new life. It’s the longest-running drama on ABC and at this point, it’s really only behind juggernauts like Law & Order: SVU and NCIS in terms of longevity. These are all factors in the show continuing.
Speaking in a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter showrunner Shonda Rhimes confirmed that this is a show that will have an end date in time — just not now:
When we realized that Netflix was reinfusing the show with a whole new audience and that it didn’t seem to be going anywhere — and the ratings were going up and not down — that’s when I had to get really Zen with myself and say, ‘What do we want? How do I feel about this?’ It’s been maddening and amazing to discover that you can reinvent it every year and it still works. I heard [Disney-ABC Television Group president] Ben Sherwood said something about [Grey’s running for 40 years like] General Hospital. That’s not the plan. But the idea that we are going to go until it feels like we’re done is great.
Rhimes also stated in the interview that she cannot imagine doing the show at this point without Ellen Pompeo, but declined to comment as to how long Pompeo was interested in staying on board. Our personal estimation is that a Grey’s Anatomy season 15 is a lock for many reasons, with the biggest one being that ABC would likely announce a final season in advance if they truly were interested in ending it.
For now, we do think that there’s a good five or six more years the show could easily run — think along the lines of a Grey’s Anatomy season 20! There are so many stories still to resolve, and they include finding happiness for characters like Owen, Arizona, and Meredith who haven’t been able to cement a happy ending for themselves just yet. We’d also love to see some more development for Jo and Alex and to see if there are any new interns on the show who eventually find a way to prosper. There’s also a firefighter spin-off coming up and we’d like to see some crossovers with between the two shows.
How long do you foresee Grey’s Anatomy lasting on the air? Share now in the attached comments section below and click here to see a preview for the 300th episode now!
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