Grey’s Anatomy season 16 may not be the end for Ellen Pompeo
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Beyond that though, the future is a little bit unclear. While Pompeo has never explicitly said that she is going to leave the show after her contract is up, she has suggested in previous interviews that she could be ready for a change at some point in the future.
Yet, there’s also a pretty compelling reason to say — Grey’s Anatomy is still enormously successful and, beyond that it’s still a wonderful creative outlet for her. These are things she talked about in a new piece via TVLine, where she discussed once more the subject of her future on the franchise:
“I keep saying, ‘I’m ready to move on and I want to stop the show before the ratings go down,’ but the ratings never go down! …. They go down a little bit, but the fact that we are able to hold our [title as ABC’s top-rated series] is kind of [incredible]. It’s very cool to have these kind of ratings and be on a hit network show in this [competitive] landscape.
“It’s pretty nice place to work … I like my situation here. As much as the idea of something new appeals to me… the truth is I have three kids. I don’t really want to travel and leave [them]. I don’t want to be a circus traveler and live in hotels. And the network and studio continue to incentivize me and just make me offers that I can’t refuse.”
Pompeo also notes that she does think about the crew in her decision-making about the future — she’s aware that if she were to ever leave, Grey’s Anatomy would likely end and with that, the crew would have to get other jobs. This is a particularly stable job given that the show does 24-25 episodes a season and it stays in production for the vast majority of the year. There are very few jobs in network TV that offer this sort of stability.
Ultimately, consider these comments a reminder that the future of Grey’s Anatomy could still go either way. We definitely think there’s another year and a half or so left, but beyond that the ratings probably will still be good enough to justify a renewal.
How long do you want to see Grey’s Anatomy stick around? Be sure to share right now in the comments. (Photo: ABC.)