In a new interview with CBS This Morning, Pompeo went into more detail. “We honestly have not decided. We’re really trying to figure it out right now,” she told CBS correspondent Tracy Smith, who responded to clarify, “You’re in the middle of deciding whether it ends or it doesn’t end?” to which Pompeo assured her, “yes.” What?! “It’s, what story do we tell? To end a show this iconic, you know, how do we do it? I just want to make sure we do this character and this show and the fans–I want to make sure we do it right,” Pompeo continued. This possibility likely comes as a shock to long-time fans, who have spent the better part of two decades getting to revisit the televised halls of Grey-Sloan Memorial each season. It also seems to go against several signs earlier in the year that Grey’s Anatomy still had plenty of life ahead of it. Although the show has yet to be renewed beyond Season 17, ABC Entertainment President Karey Burke mentioned in June of 2020 that the network was interested in keeping the medical drama on its schedule “for as long as [Grey’s Anatomy producers] are interested in making more episodes.” Shortly thereafter, in July, series actors Kim Raver, Camilla Luddington and Kevin McKidd (who play doctors Teddy Altman, Jo Karev, and Owen Hunt, respectively) all closed deals to remain on Grey’s Anatomy through a possible Season 19. However, series star and producer Pompeo’s contract is up at the end of Season 17, and she hasn’t yet expressed any intent to renew, telling Variety, “This is the last year of my contract right now. I don’t know that this is the last year. But it could very well could be.” Ultimately, while Grey’s Anatomy is indisputably an ensemble show, the fate of the series has long been in Pompeo’s skilled hands. Back in 2017, series creator Shonda Rhimes told E! News, “Ellen and I have a pact that I’m going to do the show as long as she’s going to do the show. So the show will exist as long as both of us want to do it. If she wants to stop, we’re stopping. So I don’t know if we’ll see 600 [episodes], but I want to keep it feeling fresh. As long as there are fresh stories to tell and as long as we’re both excited about the stories being told, we’re in. So, we’ll see where that takes us.” Rhimes herself has taken a hands-off approach to Grey’s Anatomy ever since Krista Vernoff came aboard as showrunner ahead of Season 14, but remains involved with the series as executive producer. After departing Grey’s Anatomy’s creative team in 2017, Rhimes moved over to Netflix, where she inked a lucrative multiyear deal with the streamer. Chief among her concerns at her new creative home was that no one expected her to clone her previous hits. “You’re not going to get another Grey’s Anatomy — not Grey’s Anatomy in a cornfield, Grey’s Anatomy on a baseball field or Grey’s Anatomy at an airport, that’s just not happening,” Rhimes recalled telling Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos at their first meeting. “[Sarandos] was like, ‘That sounds great to me.’” But even though Rhimes cut ties with ABC, the network still holds true to the Grey’s Anatomy creator’s wishes, with Karey Burke reaffirming as recently as January of 2020, “Grey’s Anatomy will live as long as Ellen [Pompeo] is interested in playing Meredith Grey.” So is Pompeo still interested? The truth is, not even Meredith Grey herself knows for sure yet, but there are a lot of factors that will go into her ultimate decision beyond her own personal feelings. “You know, I’m just weighing out creatively, what can we do?” Pompeo told Variety. “I’m really, really, really excited about this season, and that’s all I can say about that. And it’s probably going to be one of our best seasons ever. And I know that sounds nuts to say, but it’s really true.” As for when to expect a concrete answer about Grey’s Anatomy’s fate beyond Season 17, it could still be a while. Pompeo hasn’t committed to a timeframe outside of “by the end of the season,” but remains adamant that she understands the significance of ending the series. “I don’t take the decision lightly,” Pompeo said. “We employ a lot of people, and we have a huge platform, and I’m very grateful for it. I put a lot of thought into these decisions, because they’re big ones.” Ready for the next season of Grey’s Anatomy? Us, too! These are the other TV shows scheduled to return in 2020.
