Grey's Anatomy's future is undecided, says Ellen Pompeo

After 17 seasons, Grey’s Anatomy may finally be coming to an end.

Recently, lead character Dr Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) caught a severe case of COVID-19. Throughout the first half of season 17, Grey has been drifting in and out of dream sequences that have reunited her with her late husband. Viewers are desperate to know whether this means Meredith will wake up when the show returns. and viewers have been desperate to know when, or if, Meredith will wake up.

Since Grey’s Anatomy hasn’t yet been officially renewed for its 18th season and with the title character currently fighting for her life, could this finally the end of Grey’s Anatomy? Possibly.

Ellen Pompeo appeared on CBS Sunday Morning over the weekend, where she spoke to Tracey Smith about her life growing up and, pressingly, what we can expect from the future of Grey's Anatomy.

When pressed, Ellen Pompeo confirmed that the writing team were in the middle of deciding whether Grey’s Anatomy should end at all, and if so, how that ending might play out. She said: “We honestly have not decided...we’re really trying to figure it out right now.”

Pompeo added: “It’s what story do we tell? To end a show this iconic, how do we do it? I just wanna make sure we do this character, and this show, and the fans… I wanna make sure we do it right.”

Later on, Tracey returns to the question of what happens next, asking: “As we sit here, we don’t know whether Meredith is alive or dead, basically?”

Pompeo explained that she also doesn’t know her character’s fate, simply adding “Right, we don’t know, I’m in that we.” So, until Grey’s Anatomy returns, fans will just have to wait to find out whether we'll be seeing season 18 or not.

You can watch more from Ellen Pompeo's CBS Sunday Morning interview below: 

Grey’s Anatomy is the longest-running medical series on American television, having overtaken ER back in 2019. Despite viewing figures dropping somewhat, Grey’s Anatomy continues to be a very popular show in the 18-49 demographic.

Grey’s Anatomy has been on an extended winter hiatus for a couple of months now, but will return in a couple of weeks for a special cross-over event with spin-off series Station 19. ABC released a mid-season trailer for the upcoming special, which you can see below: 

Grey’s Anatomy returns to ABC on March 11, 2021, at 8pm ET.