Grey's Anatomy and its spin-off Station 19 co-exist within blocks of each other in Seattle. Under the same production company, Shondaland, and showrunner, Krista Vernoff, the two series had the rare crossover event. However, when Station 19 began its third season, the behind the scenes crew decided to merge the two shows more often.
Starting in the first half of Grey's sixteenth season, Jackson Avery began a romantic relationship with Station 19's Vic Hughes. However, the merge also helps married couple Miranda Bailey and Ben Warren to spend more time together, as their storylines get more time split between the two shows. While the weekly crossovers may have helped ratings, fans viewed the crossovers to be a more controversial topic.
Work: Merges The Worlds
With Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital and the Station 19 Fire Department so close, it makes sense that they would run into each other sometimes. Rescuing characters from a dangerous fire or situation and bringing them directly to the hospital allows viewers to see a patient all the way through. It also shows that the fire station and hospital find ways to work together, not just professionally, but personally as well.
By the patients moving from one show to another, they can grow more as characters in different environments. Joey, an orphan, watching after his foster siblings in Station 19, continues his journey to recovery in Grey's Anatomy.
Doesn't: Not Everyone Likes Both
Although this has less to do with the storylines and more to do with the audience, it is still a valid concern. While the weekly merges may be a more fun event for fans of both Grey's Anatomy and Station 19, not both shows are for everyone. Long time fans of Grey's Anatomy that did not watch Station 19 were upset to find that to stay caught up with their favorite Grey Sloan doctors, and they had to tune in to Station 19.
Meanwhile, for those less interested in doctors but enjoy the firefighters, they have to remain watching to keep up with their favorite characters showing up at Grey Sloan.
Work: More Positivity For Station 19
When Station 19 premiered, it was not described in the best light. The spin-off did not have the same emotional impact that fans had been known to expect from Grey's Anatomy from as early as the pilot episode. Meanwhile, Station 19 did not have the same responses during the first two seasons.
However, after starting to combine with Grey's Anatomy, reviews for Station 19 improved, stating that the series had developed in a positive direction. The show was able to come out on its own, gaining more followers each week.
Doesn't: It's Too Constant
It makes sense that Grey's Anatomy and Station 19 would cross paths every once and a while. Especially during events such as a dense fog, massive wind, or blizzards. However, weekly crossovers remove some of the excitement that comes with a crossover event.
By making it so often, viewers may feel forced to watch both just to understand what is happening. Sometimes it may be better to keep the events more separate to allow it to feel more like a novelty. Separating the number of crossovers enables the audience to feel more invested in the individual shows.
Work: Stakes
During significant scale events, the crossovers affect everybody. There is a more substantial chance of a fan-favorite getting injured or killed in an incident during the weather storms or other problematic matters. Bailey had gotten scared of why Ben was not answering his phone during a terrifying weather problem.
By utilizing the events that way, the viewers understand that something may have been happening and are naturally curious to see if there is a development. For fans that know what to expect from Shondaland, they understand that there could be an unfortunate incident leading into the next hour.
Doesn't: The Shows May Lose Their Individuality
If Grey's Anatomy and Station 19 are continually interacting, does that accidentally causes each series to lose their identities? While this may be less of a struggle for the veteran Grey's Anatomy, Station 19 does not have the same background. The spin-off is still early in its run of the third season.
Not just one of their main characters is from the original series, but even their pilot could be considered a crossover event. If the two shows continue to consistently crossover, it may eventually just feel like one long two-hour episode rather than two individual shows.
Work: Relationships
Before Station 19, Miranda Bailey and Ben Warren met during the merge between Seattle Grace Memorial and Mercy West. They eventually got married, and Ben's character was utilized as the jump point to diverge into the spin-off. By making the two shows more involved with each other, the viewers are shown a more in-depth knowledge of each other's work lives and time at home.
It also gives the Grey's Anatomy characters a chance to branch outside the hospital for their romantic relationships. For so long, the doctors have mainly held their romantic advances with their colleagues, which caused a lot of in-house problems. However, by getting them connected to the firefighters, it has given some breathing space to hospital romances. Jackson and Vic are two of the members that have taken advantage of the connection.
Doesn't: Relationships
By separating romantic couples, even the brief time they spend together appearing on each other's shows may not be enough to prove the relationship convincing. Grey's Anatomy features a long line of great, devastating pairings that all stem from the hospital. Given that characters like Miranda Bailey and Ben Warren had spent years together on Grey's Anatomy before Ben joined the fire station, their relationship avoids some of these struggles.
However, others do not have that advantage. Following relationships between characters when fans have not watched both shows may make the relationship seem less significant than if it had been with a character that they were more familiar with.
Work: More Screen Time
With both shows having such massive casts, it can be challenging to manage so many characters at once. By introducing romances between characters from each show, they appear in both series. Not only does that give the relationships room to blossom, but they also allow audiences to become more accustomed to the characters.
Those who may not have had such significant roles beforehand are appearing more often in guest roles on the other show. Grey's Anatomy characters like Miranda Bailey, Jackson Avery, and Carina De Luca and Station 19's Barrett Doss have appeared more often due to the number of crossovers.
Doesn't: It's Not Necessary
Just because the creators and writers can merge the shows weekly doesn't mean they should. Each series was doing fine on its own without the need for a merge. While Station 19's ratings may have improved weekly, that is not a reason to continually mix the shows.
Often, it is not a full crossover anyway, just glorified cameos by a few members of each series. However, while it may be amusing, it does not always add something to either show. Sometimes, the cameos appear for continuity's sake with the guest stars not doing much of anything.