Grey’s Anatomy/Station 19 Showrunner Stepping Down at Season’s End
Charlie Mason
Editor
Get the defibrillator, stat! Grey’s Anatomy and Station 19’s Krista Vernoff will be leaving her posts as showrunner and executive producer of both ABC shows at the conclusion of their current seasons, TVLine has confirmed.
“It has been the privilege of a lifetime to be entrusted to run Grey’s Anatomy for the past six years and Station 19 for the last four,” Vernoff said in a statement. “The passion of the dedicated fandoms and the impact that these shows have on hearts and minds cannot be overstated. The amount of talent in these two extraordinary casts and these two brilliant writers rooms is beyond measure — and these crews work magic week after week.”
A replacement for Vernoff has not been named — deals for a succession plan are said to be being worked out, contingent on the shows’ likely renewals — but Deadline suggests that Grey’s Anatomy EP Meg Marinis is her likeliest successor at that series. Vernoff could also come back down the line. As she pointed out, “The last time I left Grey’s Anatomy, I was gone for seven seasons and the show was still going when [creator] Shonda [Rhimes] called me to run it. So I’m not saying goodbye because that would be too bittersweet. I’m saying ‘See you in seven seasons.’”
For her part, Rhimes said that “Krista’s creativity, vision and dedicated leadership have allowed Grey’s Anatomy and Station 19 to continue to flourish. I am incredibly grateful to her for all her hard work. She will always remain part of the Shondaland family.”
Vernoff’s last Grey’s Anatomy episode, at least for now, will be Season 19’s finale. As previously reported, original cast member Ellen Pompeo, whose last episode as a series regular will be the winter premiere on Thursday, Feb. 23 (at 9/8c), will be back for the season ender.
That’s a shocker! With Pompeo signalling she won’t return for season 20 other than, perhaps, for guest spots, that’s a sea of change. However, season 19 has been the strongest in years and the new interns are great. Grey’s Anatomy si ABC’s #1 show and one of the most streamed worldwide, surpassing buzzy titles like Stanger Things and House of the Dragon, with rich streaming ad syndication deals. I bet Disney won’t pass the opportunity to have a farewell season, specially being the 20th and I would like that. I hope they consider making Kate Walsh a regular.
Is this the last season for Grey’s Anatomy and Station 19
Well, it refers to her coming back down the line after she finishes her S19 finale, so …
I wonder if she is taking a break from working or she has a soon-to-announced content deal from a streaming service in the works.
With the recent re-focus happening with the newer cast members, it’s not necessarily a bad thing (unless they replace with a bad showrunner) if ABC wants to keep the show fresh and going for many more seasons.
Minus the cameo from the Charmed sisters and a handful of episodes, I’ve really disliked the creative decisions that Krista Vernoff has made. I hope we get somebody better.
Hope Station 19 will get back to great storylines like they had in the first season! Very disappointed with last season.
Depending on who they choose as her replacement, I am thrilled because I have hated the direction Krista has taken the show in.
Maybe former Grey’s Anatomy writers Jenna Bans (Good Girls, The Family, Desperate Housewives) or Marti Noxon (Buffy the Vampire Slater, Unreal, Code Black, Sharp Objects).
AMEN!
Just end Grey’s already. Ellen’s leaving, Shonda hand-picked Krista to run the show once she left for her Netflix deal. Just end it. Everyone knows it’s not as good as it used to be, there are now more newbies then vets, and just because it can go on doesn’t mean it should. It’s beyond “enough is enough”. Throw in the towel, Station 19 still has its legs to go on.
Just stop watching. Then it ends for you. There are a lot of us who don’t want it to end
Sorry you don’t like the show. You know you can stop watching it anytime you want. So, if you don’t want to watch the show, don’t read articles about it and then comment how you don’t like the show. For me, I love the show. All the new characters are great. I think the show gets better every year!
YEEEEESSSSSS
Isn’t ‘I’ll follow the sun’ the title of the midseason opener instead of the season finale?
I think she’s been pretty awful for the show, so I definitely won’t miss her. The storylines & writing under her have for the most part been terrible!! This season has been okay, but I can’t stand all of the politics on the show. Just let us enjoy the show without pushing so many agendas. She’s been the queen of that & not in a good way! Just bring Kate Walsh back full time, okay?
Good riddance. She literally destroyed everything that made the middle run of the show (seasons 6-12ish) interesting in some misguided attempt to recreate the magic of the early seasons … meanwhile the cast decisions and couplings were nonsensical and the writing became unbearable. Longtime fan favorite actors like Justin Chambers, Jessica Capshaw, Sarah Drew, and Giacamo Gianniotti (and their characters) were done dirty. And poor Richard Flood moved his family to Los Angeles, for what?! Ellen Pompeo decided at some point she was done working with her co-stars so the gymnastics to give her separate subplots far away from the main action became more and more outlandish. When a newcomer did pop, we haven’t gotten enough of them. (Why is Jaicy Elliot still not a season regular? What about Alex Landi?) Meanwhile we continue spending time with the most boring characters — some of whom, like Teddy and Owen at some point in the far distant past may have been interesting before Vernoff rewrote them into the most pathetic, awful versions of themselves. (What even was the *point* of that entire Teddy-Owen subplot last season only for her to toss it out as easily as Bobby Ewing getting out of the shower in the season premiere?) And she adds even more faces to the cast in season 19! They really just need to put the show out of its misery. She killed it. Can someone else just give us a Shepherd Sisters spin-off already?
And don’t even get me STARTED on the endless and needless “crossovers” with the terrible firefighter show
Agreed. It’s been better this season with less crossovers. I hope the replacements sees them as mainly 2 separate shows.
End this show all ready!
Maybe someone new can save Station 19 from the dumb direction she has taken it in. She ruined the show for us.
She RUINED Station 19. It’s absolutely unwatchable now. Jaina was a GREAT LEADans she took away her spark, what the hell happened?! Please get some new blood in there that understands Shondaland shows and respects the characters people love. Here here!!! Good riddance.
Andy as a character has never been a strong lead, that’s part of the problem with Station 19. But Krista has been an absolute trainwreck for the show in general. She’s made all the storylines so bash you over the head with the political hot point of the week that there’s absolutely no nuance to anything anymore. And most of the characters are self obsessed jerks with eroding likability. The last two seasons in particular have been almost unwatchable. To the point I’ve been waiting until the end of each one and then binge it so I can skip all the terribleness. The cast deserves so much better.
“all the storylines so bash you over the head with the political hot point of the week”
this this this this this – and applies to Greys as well.
and I’m a raging liberal who agrees with what they’re usually trying to get across — but the dialogue is so clumsy and the plots are so forced, nothing feels organic. i dont watch primetime soaps to be preached to even when i’m agreeing with the sermon! (and no one is converted with the clumsy sermons and over the top monologues, either.) too often in the last few seasons Grey’s has felt like an after-school special. and yes, the show has over-the-top monologues built into its DNA from the earliest seasons, but Shonda could (usually) pull them off and make them sound at least semi-natural. The current writing team has not been so successful at this.
This is excellent news. She and Ellen were really dragging the show down the last few years. I’m hopeful that with both of them out it can find its spark again.
THIS^^^^^
Ahh I’m thrilled. She did irreparable damage to the show, never thought she was right for it. Even back in season 14, when everyone was hailing her for “saving” the show. I’ll never forgive her for the firings & the terribly disrespectful exit she gave April only to be forced to undo all of it, making it pointless. I don’t watch the show anymore & don’t intend to unless someone interesting visits but good riddance regardless.
Good riddance.
Wonder if leaving was Krista’s idea or somebody’s higher up the ladder? I can easily imagine the latter.
A few days ago I watched a season 4 finale rerun, then, a few days later, a recent season 18 episode. Hard to believe it’s the same show. Then again, maybe it isn’t…
Shonda shouldn’t have been so trusting to turn Grey’s over to Krista Vernoff. In no time so many of the wonderful characters were gone and so were any story lines. BIG mistake putting Teddy and Owen together, not that I didn’t like them together, I liked Teddy and Tom together much more, there was a very strong chemistry there that just isn’t with Kevin McKidd; HE was best with Sandra Oh, their on-screen chemistry was off the charts.
I hope, whomever is chosen to take over does an about face with some of these story lines. Jaicy Elliott has proven to be just terrific in Hallmark movies, having filmed two of them, of which both of them I thoroughly enjoyed, maybe it’s best to write this character off. The show was not at all utilizing her to her potential of which I saw in the Hallmark movies.
I have read that Meg Marinis will step into the role of show-runner, she has been with Grey’s forever. Personally, I think this is a real shake-up more than it is Krista stepping down willingly.
And I won’t miss Ellen Pompeo either. SHE should have been written off during the Pandemic. Her character has been totally useless these last two years. I don’t care that her last name is Grey and the show is named after Meredith Grey. Like Ellis Grey, Meredith is just another doctor. Doctors come and doctors go … just as this show as proven these last few years.
Wish it happened sooner tbh. Its music to my ears. She has ruined so many things, the two major ones that are sticking points for me being Alex’s departure (won’t ever forgive her for that like are you for real?) and then she went and burnt Meredith’s house to the ground, that was the last straw for me. I know Ellen won’t be here for the rest of this season but i hold out hope she will return for the entirety of season 20 and you know, you just never know. I also think it might finally be time to say goodbye 🥺 yep i can’t believe i’m actually saying it but one last swansong done right and hey maybe just maybe Shonda comes back to the helm for its final run. I mean i don’t want the show to end but there is no Greys without Meredith Grey so it might be the right time.
Glad. I didn’t like Krista’s direction
Thank GOD! She almost ruined the show *for me* twice, so I’m excited to see what her successor does (hopefully k!lls off Owen)