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Is Grey's Anatomy Season 19 The Last One? Why It Probably Won't Be

Grey’s Anatomy is preparing to go into its 19th season, and while it has been rumored to be the last one, there will probably be more stories to tell from Meredith Grey and the crew at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. Medical dramas continue to be quite popular with the audience, and one that has been dominating TV for over a decade is Grey’s Anatomy. Created by Shonda Rhimes, Grey’s Anatomy premiered on ABC in 2005 and it has been unstoppable ever since, though its quality has been in decline for years now.

Still, Grey’s Anatomy has a variety of stories to tell from both patients and the staff at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital, and the series continues to be led by Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo). Viewers have followed Meredith’s journey from intern to Head of General Surgery, and have seen her overcome a variety of obstacles and tragedies, both in her professional and personal life. Over the course of 18 seasons, Grey’s Anatomy has seen most of its main characters leave, with Meredith being one of few characters from season 1 that continue to be active in the series, but not even her presence has saved the show from losing viewers and its quality lowering with each season.

Still, it would be unfair to say Grey’s Anatomy has outstayed its welcome as it continues to be very popular with the audience, so it’s not that surprising that it was renewed for a 19th season in January 2022. Now, it’s unclear if this will be the end of Meredith and company’s stories, but even though season 18 has implied that the following season could finally wrap everyone’s stories up, it seems unlikely that season 19 will be Grey’s Anatomy’s end.

Grey’s Anatomy Season 19 Has Been Teased & Rumored As The Last One

Grey’s Anatomy has had the chance to give its main characters a satisfying end many, many times, but the show has continued its course and so it’s now on its way to its nineteenth season. Rumors about Grey’s Anatomy season 19 being the last have been floating around since the renewal was announced, and they have only grown as season 18 develops. The current storylines have teased that season 19 could very well be Grey’s Anatomy’s final season, and it could give Meredith an ending that does justice to her and everything she has gone through, which is important in a show that’s infamous for not giving good endings to its characters.

The biggest tease of Grey’s Anatomy nearing its end can be found in season 18’s episode 16, where one decision made by Meredith could lead the show towards its end. Grey Sloan’s residency program is currently on probation, and Meredith accepted David Hamilton’s (Peter Gallagher) offer to work at the Grey Center in Minnesota, but episode 16 saw her changing her mind. Nick (Scott Speedman) convinced her to stay by offering to move to Seattle to be with her, and while Meredith was initially angry at his suggestion, claiming she should be able to move and not be stuck at Grey Sloan, she accepted. The agreement is that they will stay in Seattle until the program’s probation problem is solved, and then they will move to Minnesota. This gives Grey’s Anatomy enough time to wrap everyone’s stories up, as the probation issue can very well take a whole season to be solved, allowing the show to come to an end with season 19.

Grey’s Anatomy Actor Has Denied Season 19 Ending Rumors

Grey’s Anatomy season 18 might be paving the way for the show’s end, but the cast doesn’t support the idea of the show ending with its upcoming season 19. Speaking to People in May 2022, Kevin McKidd (Dr. Owen Hunt) said he doesn’t know how the show ends at this point and admitted that they thought season 18 was going to be the last, but “the audience just seems to want more still”. McKidd added that the advantage of medical dramas is that there’s “an endless amount of stories” to tell and that’s why “it’s hard to really see what the end can be”. Chandra Wilson (Dr. Miranda Bailey) also shared her thoughts about the possible end of Grey’s Anatomy, sharing they have thought of many endings over the years, so she doesn’t think about it anymore. Wilson later appeared on Good Morning America and shut down rumors about Grey’s Anatomy coming to an end with season 19, so fans of the series can at least rest assured knowing that the cast doesn’t really want it to end yet.

Why Grey’s Anatomy Season 19 Probably Won’t Be The End

Despite its decline in quality, Grey’s Anatomy has been regarded as one of the best TV shows in recent years, and it continues to be popular with the audience, which is why it isn’t that surprising that it keeps getting renewed and that the writers could find a way to keep extending the characters’ stories for a couple more seasons after season 19. Grey’s Anatomy was once among the overall top 10 shows in the US, and while its ratings have fallen over the years, it’s still one of the highest-rated shows among the 18-49 demographic, allowing it to continue for more seasons. With this in mind, it’s very likely that Grey’s Anatomy season 19 won’t be the last, even if Meredith isn’t around anymore.

Grey’s Anatomy season 18 has certainly paved the way for season 19 to be the last, with Meredith’s realization of Grey Sloan being like a prison to her, her decision to leave Seattle with Nick, and the residency program on probation, but as McKidd mentioned, there are a number of stories that can be told in medical dramas, so there’s no shortage of stories for the hospital. As for the main characters’ individual arcs, it would feel like a betrayal to Meredith to keep her in Seattle once the probation problem is solved, but the rest of the hospital’s staff can surely carry the show for a couple more seasons, especially Richard Webber and Miranda Bailey, the show’s last links to season 1, and there’s still a lot to explore in the relationship between Owen Hunt and Teddy Altman (Kim Raver).

When Will Grey’s Anatomy End?

There are already a number of theories on how Grey’s Anatomy will end, going from some truly dark and tragic ones to some that suggest happy endings for the main characters, but the truth is that it’s not that easy to predict what will bring the show to its end and when. For years, it has been speculated that Grey’s Anatomy will end when Ellen Pompeo decides to leave, but season 18 has shown that the hospital and the series can survive without Meredith Grey – and it’s only fair to her to let her go after everything she has gone through at Seattle Grace/Grey Sloan, which has seen more tragedies than good memories.

It’s also possible that Grey’s Anatomy will come to an end once the biggest problems in the hospital are solved, mostly those related to the residency program, as aside from being on probation, Grey Sloan’s program is too demanding, painful, exhausting, and borderline inhumane, as patients were seen as wins and losses. Solving these could then lead to Webber’s retirement, which would be a perfect opportunity to bring back characters that have left and give the show a satisfying ending. Grey’s Anatomy can still explore a couple more stories after season 19, but this upcoming season might be one that brings major changes to the main cast and the series’ storyline, so instead of being the end, it could be the beginning of the end.