While Ellen Pompeo recently expressed her desire to end the series, “Grey’s Anatomy” could still be entitled to a season 19. Deadline reveals that discussions have started between the ABC channel, the production and the actress.
Despite recent statements by Ellen Pompeo, who has expressed her desire to end her character and the successful medical series, Grey’s Anatomy may not have said its last word and see her record longevity extended.
A few days ago, the interpreter of Meredith Gray confided to Insider for some time to seek to convince the production and the channel ABC to put an end to the adventures of the doctors of the Gray Sloan hospital: “I’ve been focusing for a while on convincing everyone that the show has to end.”.
“I feel like this super naive person who spends all his time saying ‘But what story are we going to be able to tell next?’, continues the star. “And everyone’s like ‘We don’t care, Ellen! The series makes so much money “”.
And if we believe the information from Deadline, ABC is indeed obviously not ready to lose its goose that lays the golden eggs.
According to the American site, discussions have started between the channel, the production, the creator Shonda Rhimes and the showrunneuse Krista Vernoff about a possible season 19. And Ellen Pompeo would have also been approached with the aim of seeing it re-stack for an additional season as a lead actress and executive producer.
A case somewhat similar to what happened last year when the contracts of Pompeo, Chandra Wilson (Bailey) and James Pickens Jr. (Webber) came to an end at the end of season 17.
The interpreter of Meredith had agreed to sign for one more year, while her two partners, who remain with her the only original cast members still in the series, have reportedly negotiated a new contract for several seasons. Which means they’re already on a potential nineteenth season.
ABC / Eric McCandless
Ellen Pompeo, who seems determined to turn the page soon, will she be persuaded that a season 19 of Gray’s Anatomy is justified? The future will tell. One thing is certain: these negotiations will have to be done fairly quickly.
Indeed, still according to Deadline, if the current season 18, which was not initially considered as the last, were to mark the end of the series, a decision would have to be taken by about a month to allow time for the creative team, led by Krista Vernoff, to imagine a conclusion worthy of the name.
Because Grey’s Anatomy, which has become one of the most powerful series in the history of American television, cannot end with an impromptu ending or decided at the last minute.
At a time when the successful medical series has managed to return effectively to its DNA in season 18, by focusing once again on medical cases and the romances of the heroes, after a seventeenth round lead by the Covid, the The desire of the ABC channel to continue the adventure is understandable in any case.
Despite a drop in audience from year to year, the series remains the channel’s number 1 fiction on target (among 18-49 year-olds) according to TVLine. And manages to rank second, all networks combined, just behind 9-1-1.
In France, the seventeenth season of Grey’s Anatomy, unpublished to date, should be broadcast during the first half of 2022 on TF1.
The teaser for season 18 of Grey’s Anatomy: