Ellen Pompeo discusses whether the long-running Grey's Anatomy can continue without her involvement. Created by Shonda Rhimes and first airing in 2005 on ABC, Grey's Anatomy is now on its season 18, following Pompeo's titular Doctor Meredith Grey as she navigates personal relationships, professional drama, and a variety of medical emergencies. Grey has remained a core focus of the show since the beginning, chronicling the character's journey from intern to the head of general surgery.
Although not officially confirmed, it has long been rumored that Grey's Anatomy's upcoming season 19 could be its last, although star Chandra Wilson recently denied that this is the case. In addition to Pompeo's Grey, the show also chronicles the lives of her fellow doctors, including Wilson's Miranda Bailey, James Pickens Jr.'s Richard Webber, and Kevin McKidd's Owen Hunt, among others. The show has seen many cast members come and go over the course of its 17-year run, including characters played by Sandra Oh, Patrick Dempsey, Katherine Heigl, and Justin Chambers.
In a new interview with ET, Pompeo weighs in on whether the show could continue without her, revealing that reinventing the show at this stage in its lifecycle is a "challenge." While Pompeo explains that she believes it's important to keep the show going due to how inspiring it is to younger generations of healthcare workers, the actor is less sure about whether they will be able to find anyone to replace her. Check out Pompeo's full comment below:
"Shonda and I, I think -- we'll see, we'll see. Trying to reinvent the show and continually trying to reinvent the show is the challenge at this point, and listen, the show speaks to a lot of people, and the young people love the show ... It's inspired so many generations of healthcare workers, so, I think for the young people, it's a really good piece of content and we're going to try to keep it going for the young people, not necessarily with me, but keep it going beyond me ... We'll find someone, maybe, or we won’t."
Grey's Anatomy has become a mainstay of the modern television landscape and, for many fans, it's hard to imagine the show without Dr. Meredith Grey – the hit series is named after her, after all. On the other hand, Pompeo's assertion that the show has been important in terms of inspiring young people to become healthcare workers certainly is a strong reason to keep it going as long as possible. If Pompeo does leave Grey's Anatomy and Rhimes is unable to find an appropriate replacement for the iconic lead, it seems like a spinoff or a reboot may be another path forward to allow the series to continue in some way.
It remains to be seen whether season 19 will be Grey's Anatomy's last, but it seems like Pompeo's involvement in the series is somewhat up in the air at this point. The show, which has continued to boast strong ratings for ABC, has featured a number of compelling lead characters who could more than likely carry the show if Pompeo decides to depart. Whether the move would sit well with fans, however, is another story entirely.
Source: ET