The show has gone through many characters and plot changes, which included a plane crash, a shooting, several car accidents, many natural disasters, freak accidents, and even a pandemic.
Many of our favorite shows came to an end during the pandemic and many were not renewed for further seasons. One of the long-standing shows, Grey's Anatomy, which completes its 17th season soon might be headed that way as well. The show has gone through many characters and plot changes, which included a plane crash, a shooting, several car accidents, many natural disasters, freak accidents, and even a pandemic.
While the season 17 finale could easily be just that, the end of the season, it could also be the end of the series. The writers of the show are preparing for the worst. The show had a mid-season finale on December 17, 2020, and returned on March 11, 2021.
The showrunner Krista Vernoff said that she is preparing for the worst. "I'm planning a season and a finale that could function as either a season finale or a series finale," Vernoff told The Hollywood Reporter. "I'm planning for both contingencies and it's hard and it's not ideal. It's not where I wish we were," she added.
The medical drama starring Ellen Pompeo, 51, from creator Shonda Rhimes has been in talks with ABC parent Disney for a while. In late 2017, Pompeo had signed a new deal with them making her the highest-earning actress in a primetime drama series. The deal covered seasons 15 and 16 of the series, and ABC extended it to cover season 17 when it picked up the show for another two years in 2019.
Pompeo had revealed that she fought for her salary the last time and had hoped that it would inspire other women in the industry to do the same. Her salary increase might be a part of the renewal discussions. Grey's Anatomy is ABC’s top-rated show and Pompeo is currently the highest-paid actress because she fought for it.
The 51-year-old also considered the possibility of the end in an interview on CBS Sunday Morning last month. "To end a show this iconic … how do we do it?” the actress wondered. "I just wanna make sure we do this character and this show and the fans … I wanna make sure we do it right," she added.
The actress also spoke about seeing herself age over 16 seasons of the show. "To watch myself age from 33 to 50 now on screen, that's not so fun. Because you really see it, because I'm in the same clothes, I'm in the same character. So the way I see myself aging, that's a motherf---er," she was quoted as saying by Today.
The actress, who plays Dr. Meredith Grey, said that seeing her character's story go forward made her aware of getting older. "I think the overall goal of my life is to always keep my ego in check. I don't want to tell myself lies, I don't lie about my age, I don't put anything in my face," she said.
She considers herself lucky that she has had a stable gig all these years. "My commute is 6 minutes. At this point, I’m so blessed that the executive producers of the show make my life so fantastic, that I have a very set amount of hours. I know exactly where I’m gonna be. I know exactly what time I’m gonna come home. I’m home for dinner with my kids every night,” she said.
References:
https://www.today.com/style/grey-s-anatomy-star-ellen-pompeo-seeing-herself-age-over-t190177
Cover image source: Getty Images | Photo by Frederick M. Brown
