The decision, early in the season's production, would allow producers to create a happy ending for the drama, a spinoff of the network's flagship Grey's Anatomy.
Before Station 19 is canceled, it will reach its 100th episode in season seven, which was affected by the Hollywood double strike. The series has aired 95 episodes so far. The seventh season will consist of ten episodes.
Boosted by frequent Grey's Anatomy crossovers, Station 19 established itself as ABC's No. 2 drama series behind Grey's in recent seasons. The series has also been praised for tackling important – and sometimes difficult – topics and recently received a Sentinel Award from Hollywood, Health & Society for its portrayal of systemic racism in season six.
Station 19 has undergone significant changes ahead of its seventh season. It has new showrunners in Zoanne Clack and Peter Paige, who succeeded Krista Vernoff. Clack was named head writer in August 2022 amid an upheaval in the series' writers room, which exposed long-standing racial issues in the series.
In season seven, which kicks off Thursday, March 14, Station 19 will also move from 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM on Thursdays and will now follow Grey's Anatomy instead of as a lead-in. As reported last month, the change in schedule marks a new dynamic between the two dramas, with the spin-off being less reliant on the mothership series and standing on its own, with only one crossover currently planned for the upcoming shortened season.
In addition to Zoanne Clack and Peter Paige, Stacy McKee, Grey's Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes, Betsy Beers and Paris Barclay are also executive producers on the series, which is produced by ABC Signature, part of Disney TV Studios, and Shondaland.
“For seven seasons Station 19 has been a highlight of the ABC lineup thanks to Shonda and Betsy’s incredible vision, beloved characters and compelling storytelling,” said Craig Erwich, president, Disney Television Group. “With Zoanne and Peter at the helm of the upcoming farewell season, we have so much to look forward to, most notably the celebration of the show’s milestone 100th episode.”
Created by McKee, Station 19 is set in Seattle and focuses on the lives of the men and women of Seattle Fire Station 19. The film stars Jaina Lee Ortiz, Jason George, Gray Damon, Barrett Doss, Alberto Frezza, Jay Hayden, Okieriete Onaodowan, Danielle Savre, Miguel Sandoval, Boris Kodjoe, Stefania Spampinato, Carlos Miranda, Josh Randall, Merle Dandridge and Pat Healy.
As Station 19 plans its departure, ABC is adding a new drama, Fox's 9-1-1, which will take over Station 19's time slot on Thursdays at 8 p.m.