Is 'Grey's Anatomy' Season 17 the last season? Here's what Patrick Dempsey has to say

In a cryptic interview, Patrick Dempsey hinted that ABC's hugely popular medical drama could soon be coming to its end
UPDATED FEB 19, 2021
Patrick Dempsey, the former star of 'Grey's Anatomy', who is also appearing on the show's latest season hints that the show may soon be coming to an end (Getty Images)
Patrick Dempsey, the former star of 'Grey's Anatomy', who is also appearing on the show's latest season hints that the show may soon be coming to an end (Getty Images)

Patrick Dempsey just can't seem to stop surprising us. First with his surprise reappearance on 'Grey's Anatomy' and now with a rather cryptic interview, he recently gave to ET Canada. When asked about the show beyond Season 17, Patrick gave a mysterious answer, "It will be interesting to see what happens in the next few months."



 

RELATED ARTICLES 

Ellen Pompeo and Patrick Dempsey have not been in touch or spoken since his exit from 'Grey's Anatomy'

'Grey's Anatomy' Season 17 Episode 1: Is Meredith going to die? Derek's return leaves fans emotional

This has got fans in quite a flurry, especially coming on the heels of an interview that Ellen Pompeo who plays Meredith Grey on the show gave to 'Variety' earlier saying, "We don’t know when the show is really ending yet, But the truth is, this year could be it. I mean, this is the last year of my contract right now. I don’t know that this is the last year? But it very well could be."

But are the numbers are just too good for ABC to bring the show to an end? In delayed multiplatform viewing, Season 16 of 'Grey's Anatomy' averaged 15 million viewers.

Interestingly even though 'Grey's Anatomy' has so much more competition for the public imagination now than when it first started, 'Grey's Anatomy' still ranks as the No.1 drama among 18 to 34-year-olds and No. 2 among adults 18 to 49-year-olds. These numbers sound too good to bring to an end and it seems that ABC for the moment agrees. ABC Entertainment President Karey Burke in an interview to Deadline said "Grey’s Anatomy will live as long as Ellen is interested in playing Meredith Grey. We will let her lead the pace on that."

Ellen Pompeo star of 'Grey's Anatomy' had also earlier hinted that Season 17 could be the last (Getty Images)

But surely nothing that happens anywhere escapes Dr Bailey! Chandra Wilson, who plays the tough and all-seeing Dr Miranda Bailey on the show, doesn't think the end is near thankfully!

In an interview to Entertainment Tonight Wilson said, "I know from a creative standpoint there have been many 'This is how the season would end' conversations and then they all end up [not happening] because of a myriad of reasons. Because the network's not ready, the studio's not ready, the fanbase isn't ready, the numbers are too good, all of those things. Collectively, they've decided we're not going to put an end on it. We're just going to wait and see."

Chandra Wilson stars in 'Grey's Anatomy' (Getty Images)

Grey's Anatomy Season 17 returns to ABC on March 11, 2021 with a special crossover event with the show 'Station 19'. Check out the trailer below and see what is in store for characters Ben Warren, Andrew and Carina DeLuca, and of course, Meredith Grey as she battles Covid.



 

RELATED TOPICS GREY'S ANATOMY (2005)

GET THE BIGGEST ENTERTAINMENT STORIES
STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX.

MORE STORIES

Hulu has greenlit the series order for the drama based on Jack Jordan's 2023 book of the same name
14 hours ago
‘Suits LA’ and ‘Arrow’ star steps into the ‘Baywatch’ reboot as Hobie Buchannon, launching a new generation of lifeguards on Fox
1 day ago
Nicolas Cage’s ‘Spider-Noir’ teaser offers a gripping look at the hero’s dark powers, gritty world and high-stakes battles in 1930s New York.
1 day ago
Apple TV+’s ‘Off Weeks’ adds four notable actors in recurring roles, expanding an already star-studded lineup led by Ben Stiller and Jessica Chastain.
1 day ago
Andrew Bird debuts a new song in ‘The Pitt’ Season 2, adding emotional depth to the medical drama’s evolving soundtrack.
1 day ago
'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' showrunner Ira Parker admitted a pivotal Dunk moment from the source novella was unintentionally left out.
1 day ago
A high-profile romance, public pressure, and a final flight that changed everything now returns to the spotlight on Hulu
1 day ago
TV veteran lands the iconic detective role as NBC revives ‘The Rockford Files’ for a modern primetime comeback
1 day ago
The upcoming Prime Video series 'Off Campus' is a TV adaptation of Elle Kennedy's best-selling novels and will stream in May.
1 day ago
Season 51 of ‘Saturday Night Live’ returns post-Olympics with a fresh wave of hosts and musical surprises
1 day ago