Grey’s Anatomy is coming back with its 19th season, but it will feature a lot less Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo), which could be bad news for fans of the show. Medical drama is one of the most popular branches in the world of TV, and one of its most recent and successful titles is Grey’s Anatomy, created by Shonda Rhimes. Grey’s Anatomy has been going strong since its premiere in 2005, and as it waits for its 19th season, it might finally be nearing its end, especially after Ellen Pompeo’s news about this upcoming season.
Following the basic premise of medical dramas, Grey’s Anatomy focuses on the lives of surgical interns, residents, and attendings as they do their best to juggle their personal and professional lives, which often end up overlapping and making way for a lot of drama inside and outside the hospital. Grey’s Anatomy is led by Meredith Grey, who started as an intern at Seattle Grace Hospital alongside other fan-favorite characters, such as Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh) and Alex Karev (Justin Chambers), and has now become head of general surgery at the same hospital (now named Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital). Meredith is one of only three characters from season 1 who continue to be an active part of the show, but this might change soon.
While it’s unclear when Grey’s Anatomy will end, it has been speculated that season 19 will be the show’s final one, and Ellen Pompeo’s update on it and Meredith’s role in this new season could be confirming that or at least pointing at the show preparing to say goodbye soon. It has been revealed that Pompeo will only appear in eight episodes of Grey’s Anatomy season 19, which is a big shake-up for the series as Meredith has been the lead for almost two decades.
Can Grey's Anatomy Work Without Ellen Pompeo's Meredith?
The events of Grey’s Anatomy season 18 paved the way for Meredith to finally break free of Grey Sloan and Seattle and start a new life in Minnesota with Nick (Scott Speedman), but at the end of the season, she decided to stay in Seattle for a little while as interim Chief of Surgery until some of the hospital’s issues are solved. As mentioned above, Meredith has led Grey’s Anatomy since its first episode and has since seen many of her closest friends and loved ones leave, but the show has made Grey Sloan Meredith’s prison, and after all the tragedies she has gone through, it’s only fair that she gets a happy ending. It’s unclear when Grey’s Anatomy will come to an end, though it has been speculated that season 19 could be the last, and with Meredith’s limited appearances, this might be true.
Although there are some characters who could take over the lead of Grey’s Anatomy and it wouldn’t be the first TV show to change its lead, it’s too late for that. Meredith has served as the glue of the series and the hook that has kept the audience’s interest, as most of Grey’s Anatomy’s most popular characters have already left, and it’s unlikely the show could continue without Meredith Grey. Ellen Pompeo’s limited appearances in Grey’s Anatomy season 19 could be the beginning of the end for the show, giving it enough time to address loose ends and give proper closure to the stories of all its characters, especially Meredith, whose ending could go on different directions.