Sorry, but this will probably be the last season of ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ after all

For years now, fans have wondered when Grey’s Anatomy might end. After all of the love triangles, shocking deaths, triggering cases and all-around drama, it really feels like Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) and co. have been through it all. And then some. And, then some more.

So it makes sense that the show might be wrapping up sooner rather than later. In fact, we’ve been thinking about it long and hard over this past summer, and as Grey’s makes its Season 18 debut on September 30, we have a few reasons to believe that this could, in fact, be it for our favourite medical drama.

The woman of the hour has only agreed to one more year… for now

Show creator Shonda Rhimes has been pretty clear in the past: there is no Grey’s Anatomy without Meredith Grey. So when Ellen Pompeo decides to walk away, that truly is it. The real question is, when will she know she’s done?

Pompeo has spoken out at length on the subject and been super clear that she’s very thankful for the show and the stability it’s given her as an actor and mother. But she’s also been pretty candid about the behind-the-scenes struggles to get her just due as the series star.

In 2018, that was rectified when she became the highest-paid actress on television, but now that contract is up. It was actually up at the end of last year, and for a while everyone wondered whether that was it. At the last minute, Pompeo agreed to stay, but we should all take note that she only agreed to do so for one more year… at least for now.

There are a lot of blasts from the past

Whether you loved or hated the COVID-beach storylines in Season 17 of the series, you have to admit that they really did bring out the welcome wagon in terms of getting former series regulars to come back in guest-starring roles.

Characters played by Patrick Dempsey, T.R. Knight and Chyler Leigh all came back from the dead to “visit” Meredith, and now this season we already know that Kate Burton (who played Mer’s mom), Kate Walsh (who played Addison Montgomery) and Abigail Spencer (who plays Megan Hunt) are all returning in some capacity.

Is this a swan song of guest stars, or just some nostalgia for fans who are into such throwbacks right now? You be the judge…

And then there’s the tell-all book

Something else to consider is that a pretty juicy tell-all book that reveals all of the behind-the-scenes drama on Grey’s Anatomy recently hit shelves, and usually, those kinds of books are published once a show has or is ending.

Whether author Lynette Rice has an inside scoop on the show wrapping up or not remains to be seen, but she did know McDreamy was being killed off before anyone else so…

The Grey’s Anatomy spinoff is really taking off

While we all love the medical crew at Grey Sloan Memorial, we’ve also grown quite fond of the firefighting crew at Station 19. Viewership on that series continues to climb, and multiple crossovers—including a major one in both show’s premieres on Thursday night—definitely don’t hurt.

Why does that matter? Well if you’re a network programming a hit series, you probably don’t want it to end. But if you know that a spinoff is on the table, especially one that has the potential to include beloved characters from the original, maybe you’re more amenable to ending the first show.

And if the new show also happens to have great ratings? Well, that’s just an extra layer of security.

Fans think they know the storylines

Let’s get back to that Season 17 beach storyline for a second here… oh, wait. No one really wants that. While it was fun to see some familiar faces, there were many fan complaints and people who just wanted the show to move on to greener pastures already. But where does the show go from here?

After all, this is a series that seems to have pulled out every single dramatic twist in the book. Can showrunner Krista Vernoff keep the ship going? Probably. But at what point do the storylines become diluted? Maybe they don’t, but it’s definitely a consideration for fans.

Fan favourites are leaving

Not everything about last season was beach-related. We also saw the exits of two fan favourites: Jesse Williams, who played Dr. Jackson Avery, and Giacomo Gianniotti, a.k.a. Dr. Andrew DeLuca. Will these exits be a good or a bad thing in terms of opening up the storylines for more characters?

No one knows, but we don’t have long to find out.

Whether it’s the final run or not, Grey’s Anatomy returns on Thursday, September 30 to CTV. And because deep down in our hearts we aren’t really ready for this thing to end, we actually can’t wait.

BEFORE YOU GO: Patrick Dempsey accused of "terrorizing" 'Grey's'

[video_embed id='2283687']Patrick Dempsey accused of "terrorizing" 'Grey's'[/video_embed]