After almost 20 years, Shonda Rhimes still has no ending in mind for Grey’s Anatomy

As Season 21 of Grey's Anatomy continues to roll out new episodes, the total episode count for this series also continues to inch closer to the 500-episode mark. At 456 episodes and 21 seasons, with a high probability of getting Season 22 renewed, the show seems to have no end in sight. When the show premiered in 2005, none of the people in it had any idea that it would grow into the massive success it is now.

In a conversation with Entertainment Weekly, Shonda Rhimes, the show's creator, confessed that up until Season 8, she was still planning to write an ending, but its popularity made it impossible to give an organic end. Rhimes confessed that she doesn't have any plans about ABC's medical drama's end either. Here's everything we know about Shonda Rhimes' plans for the Grey's Anatomy end.

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Shonda Rhimes on Grey's Anatomy End

Shonda Rhimes recently sat down for an interview with Entertainment Weekly in honor of 20 years of Shondaland (her production company). Although Rhimes has stepped down as the showrunner of Grey's Anatomy and handed over the reins to Meg Marinis, she is still a producer and contributes to every major decision regarding the show. Rhimes stepped down from this hands-on position in 2015 so that the present showrunner could have actual ownership of the show.

When asked if she would ever write another episode for Grey's Anatomy, Shonda Rhimes replied that she would write the finale to the show, if that ever happened. But, she went on to add that there is also a possibility that Meg Marinis might earn the right to write the end by the point that a finale ever comes around. Shonda stated clearly that at this point in the show, the showrunners have no plans to end it.

"Yeah, I might want to write the series finale, if that ever comes. I keep waiting for it, but no. I might want to write the series finale. I might not. It might be that, by that point, Meg has really earned the right to end the show, so I don't know. I'm always excited to see what she comes up with."

When further questioned about probable endings that Rhimes wrote for Grey's Anatomy, she stated that she has no endings for the show. She also confesses that along the way, she even tried ending the show several times and wrote series finales. But, after a while, when the show's popularity showed no signs of decline, those ideas for series finales were just written into the show.

"I have zero endings for Grey's now. I mean, literally zero. Until season 8, I still had endings. And by the way, I felt like I ended the series several times. I was like, "This could be the finale, this could be it," but it wasn't. So after a while I just started writing those things that I thought would happen at the end into the show, because it wasn't ending."

The current cast members of the show are much different from when it started out, with most of the original cast having left, including Katherine Heigl, Patrick Dempsey, Sara Ramirez, etc. Even the titular character, Meredith (played by Ellen Pompeo), took a step back from the show and only appears in 7 episodes of Season 21. This number might vary by the end of the season, as there's always a possibility for more. She's rumored to be in a similar number of episodes in Season 22 of Grey's Anatomy if it gets renewed, along with the voiceovers. Very recently, Ellen Pompeo spoke about her role as Meredith Grey:

“I don’t know how long the show will go on. I know the network and the studio like to say they see no end in sight, but I think the audience will tell us when the show is no-longer a fan favorite. I think it’s quite arrogant to assume the show can go on forever — I don’t like that approach. Right now, we’re very lucky to have the fans still hanging on, and I think the fans will let us know when it’s time to stop the show.”

So, it appears even Pompeo agrees that Grey's Anatomy will run as long as it remains a fan favorite.

Grey's Anatomy is still one of the most popular ABC shows and was even the most-streamed drama series across all streaming platforms in 2024. Its entry into streaming platforms has given the show a much wider audience and a new life. Craig Erwich, president of Disney Television Group, also stated in early 2024 that the show "is as creatively strong as it's ever been," hinting that the show has a long road ahead of it.

New episodes of Grey's Anatomy stream on Thursdays!

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