‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Renewed For It’s 18th Season

ABC announced on Monday that Grey’s Anatomy will return for its 18th season. Station 19, Grey’s sister show, was also renewed for a fifth season.

“Station 19 and Grey’s Anatomy have done an incredible job of honoring real-life heroes by giving audiences an unflinching look at one of the biggest medical stories of our time,” Craig Erwich, president of Hulu Originals and ABC Entertainment, said in a statement. “Krista [Vernoff] and her team of writers have continued to deliver the compelling and compassionate storytelling that is a hallmark of these shows, and created some of the year’s most-talked-about moments in television. We’re so grateful to our talented casts and crews for their extraordinary work that connects with viewers everywhere, and we look forward to sharing even more defining moments with our fans next season.”

“The writers, directors, casts and crews of Grey’s Anatomy and Station 19 worked so hard to bring these shows to life this past season,” showrunner of both shows, Krista Vernoff, said in a statement. “Keeping each other safe on set while paying tribute to the front-line heroes and first responders has been a challenge and a privilege. I’ve been truly blown away – particularly by our tireless crews – as they reinvented the TV-making wheel. Thank you to ABC and ABC Signature for the support and extraordinary partnership through this unprecedented season. We are so grateful for the opportunity to tell more stories.”

Grey’s Anatomy is TV’s longest running medical drama, premiering in March 2005. The show started by following five interns at Seattle Grace Hospital as they learned the ins and outs of the surgical world. Over the course of the last 18 years, Seattle Grace transformed into Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital and its doctors have faced bombs, shootings, a plane crash, a ferry crash and so much more.

The most recent season tackled the COVID-19 pandemic, with titular character Meredith Grey herself suffering from the virus. Many fans speculated that this season might be the last because of the return of so many fan favorite characters such as Derek Shepherd, George O’Malley and Lexie Grey.

Grey’s Anatomy ranked as the number one entertainment series among adults 18-49 during the 2020-2021 TV season, according to ABC. The show is also the network’s number 1 show in total viewers. When delayed viewing is accounted for, the show has an average of 15.7 million viewers so far this season.