Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital is shutting down early. ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy is cutting season 16 short amid the coronavirus pandemic and will air its season finale on April 9.
This season of Grey’s was set to run for 25 episodes, but with production not resuming to film the remaining episodes, the show will now wrap up on episode 21, titled "Put on a Happy Face." Oh, the irony. Lucky for Grey’s fans though, it will apparently still be a “satisfying finale.”
“We are disappointed that we don’t get to complete our storytelling this season. The good news? 1621 plays like a satisfying finale,” Grey’s showrunner Krista Vernoff tweeted. “It’s not where we planned to end, but it’s beautiful and the questions that linger we will answer next year.”
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We are disappointed that we don’t get to complete our storytelling this season. The good news? 1621 plays like a satisfying finale! It’s not where we planned to end, but it’s beautiful & the questions that linger we will answer next year. #GreysAnatomy #StayHome pic.twitter.com/BsHV9vJUiJ
— Krista Vernoff (@KristaVernoff) March 28, 2020
For a season that already included saying goodbye to Alex Karev (Justin Chambers), one of the show’s few remaining original characters, fans may be wondering if “satisfying” still means full of tears.
While, we can’t guarantee that you won’t need tissues to get through the new finale — it is Grey’s, after all – we do have confirmation that any tears shed won’t be because of a character’s untimely death, according to Ellen Pompeo.
When a user tweeted Pompeo to ask if cutting season 16 short meant that the finale “isn’t going to be full of people dying,” Pompeo said that yes, “that’s what it means.”
That’s what it means https://t.co/hi9U2CnZWZ
— Ellen Pompeo (@EllenPompeo) March 28, 2020
So, your faves are safe for now, but there’s always season 17, as Grey’s has already been renewed. There’s no word yet on when the cast and crew will start working on the next season, but Pompeo does have the perfect show recommendation to tide fans over in the meantime.
“[Grey’s Anatomy not airing it’s remaining episodes] is okay because look what we get instead!! @IamSandraOh” Pompeo tweeted, in response to former co-star Sandra Oh’s announcement that Killing Eve is returning in April.
Well, if we can’t have Meredith, at least we get Cristina Yang.