Tuesday, October 8, 2024

ABC Burns Down “Station 19” in 7th Season, Is “Grey’s Anatomy” Next in Line for Wrapping Up with 20 Seasons?

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ABC is closing “Station 19” this spring after 7 seasons.

The “Grey’s Anatomy” spin off about a firehouse in Seattle will close its doors during May Sweeps after moving from 8pm to 10pm on Thursdays. Clearly, the time change, announced earlier, was a sign that ABC wasn’t interested in continuing anymore with the Shonda Rhimes show since the creator moved on to Netflix.

Now the big question is, What happens to “Grey’s?” This is its 20th season, and star Ellen Pompeo will not be around much. Showrunner Krista Vernoff has already left, too. “Grey’s” has pretty much done its job, and without a star central character, the end may be near, too.

Ironically, “Station 19″‘s ratings are better than “Grey’s.” The former show averaged 3.86 million viewers a week vs. the latter’s 3.5 million. Neither number is spectacular. You want to get 5 mil and up to stay on the air. A real hit is in the 6 to 7 million range, although those days may be over for good.

“Grey’s” might get one final full season after this, but the whole show is in the ER at this point and will soon be transferred to hospice. Two decades is a rare thing for TV. But remember the days when Shonda Rhimes ruled Thursdays on ABC with “Greys,” “Scandal,” and “How to Get Away with Murder.” It was a great run!

Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.

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