Grey’s Anatomy won’t last forever, and now it faces an even more unstable future

Even ABC’s most successful drama series can’t live forever. Fans want to know if Grey’s Anatomy will stick around — and so do the people running it.

Television won’t look quite the same in the months to come. While some shows will be lucky enough to resume production and continue on despite its after-effects, it’s likely many won’t survive. Even the ones that have been on the air for years.

There’s a major divide within the Grey’s Anatomy fandom. Many can’t wait for it to end, while others can’t help but admit they’d miss their guilty pleasure if it suddenly disappeared. But no one wants to see a show that’s had this kind of long-running success fall apart like this.

Grey’s wasn’t the only television show forced into an early production shutdown due to COVID-19. But it was one of the first to make the call, quickly following up that decision by donating its masks and other supplies to real medical professionals who desperately needed it.

Even though early production on the show’s next season will reportedly begin soon, it’s uncertain whether the show’s 17th season will be its last. Not even the higher-ups at the show’s home network know the future of Grey’s Anatomy.

“I’m hopeful that Grey’s Anatomy stays a part of our schedule,” ABC Entertainment President Karey Burke said. “They certainly know that we’d like it to be part of our schedule for as long as they are interested in making more episodes.”

Because it will ultimately be up to series creator Shonda Rhimes and star Ellen Pompeo to decide when it’s time for Grey’s to end, it’s impossible to predict when fans will have to start preparing their final goodbyes.

“Ellen and I have a pact that I’m going to do the show as long as she’s going to do the show,” Rhimes told E! News in 2017. “So the show will exist as long as both of us want to do it. If she wants to stop, we’re stopping.”

Pompeo has spoken about considering a departure in years past, and it wouldn’t be surprising if a major global event — like, say, a pandemic — would be enough to convince the actress to leave her character of over 15 years behind in favor of something different.

At the same time, everyone is looking for a sense of control and purpose in these uncertain times. It’s unlikely fans would protest many more episodes of a show they’ve loved for years — and very possible that the actors involved wouldn’t mind returning to a job that’s familiar and reliable.

Whether or not your favorite TV show will survive the rapidly shifting entertainment landscape may not be the biggest of your worries right now. But it’s at times like these we find it a little easier to remember the little things in our everyday lives we don’t want to live without.

Will Grey’s make it to an 18th season? A 20th? Will the medical drama tackle topics surrounding COVID-19 or a similar but fictionalized pandemic in future episodes? At least for now, all we can do is wait to find out.

Do you want more seasons of Grey’s Anatomy? Is it time for the show to come to an end? Tell us how you feel!