The renewal comes after three episodes of Grey's Anatomy's season twenty aired. It extends Grey's Anatomy's record as the longest-running primetime medical drama, which it initially set in 2019, and the longest-running ABC primetime scripted series.
Sources say that season 21 is expected to consist of eighteen episodes, instead of the twentieth season, which consisted of ten episodes and was affected by the strike.
The early renewal is a testament to the series' ability to reinvent itself and remain relevant, even as its lead actress, Ellen Pompeo, is not on screen full-time as a new group of interns was introduced last season. Pompeo continues to return as executive producer and provides the voiceover that opens and closes each episode.
The pickup is also a vote of confidence for Grey's Anatomy veteran Meg Marinis, who took the reins as the Shonda Rhimes-created series' new showrunner for season twenty.
“The loyalty and love of Grey’s Anatomy fans has propelled us into a historic 21st season, and I could not be more grateful,” Rhimes said. “Meg Marinis’ storytelling is a gift that continues to keep the show vibrant, compelling and alive, and I can’t wait to see what she has in store for next season.”
As is the case with any long-running series, the next step after the renewal is to sign new contracts for the former cast members. I heard that almost all the old Grey's Anatomy actors have their contracts up this season. The group consists of the two remaining original cast members, Chandra Wilson (Bailey), who is also a co-executive producer, and James Pickens Jr. (Richard), as well as Kevin McKidd (Owen), Kim Raver (Teddy), Camilla Luddington (Jo) and Caterina Scorsone (Amelia).
For twenty seasons, Grey's Anatomy, produced by Shondaland and ABC Signature, part of Disney Television Studios, has been the No. 1 most social scripted series to air to date. The medical drama is enjoying a streaming resurgence and regularly ranks in the top 5 of the weekly Nielsen ratings.
“I think the show is as creatively strong as it’s ever been,” Craig Erwich, President of Disney Television Group, said in February. “Not just the live [episodes] you are watching today, but it’s fueling growth for our streaming platform.”
Underscoring the importance of Grey's Anatomy to the Disney brand, the series' library became the focus of the company's recent launch of the one-app experience, with Hulu as the only streamer to offer the medical drama's entire run. , including exclusive next-day availability of all episodes of the current twentieth season in addition to the previous nineteen seasons, which will be shared with Netflix.
“We still have stories to tell,” Marinis told last month when asked whether Grey’s could go beyond Season 20. “We receive a tremendous amount of support from the studio and the network and from Shondaland. So I’m going to keep going until they tell me to put that pen down.”