Grey’s Anatomy recently received some very welcome news:
The long-running ABC drama has been renewed for Season 15.
But Ellen Pompeo is now here with a bit of less welcoming news.
The lead cast member says fans ought to enjoy each renewal as much as they can…
… because there might not be too many more in the show’s future.
“We’re getting there,” Pompeo tells Us Weekly of ending Grey’s Anatomy for good.
Referencing the series creator, Shonda Rhimes, the beloved actress continued:
” Shonda and I will make that decision together.
“I think that one of the biggest lessons that this show has taught me and being on this show for so long has taught me, is that relationships do change. And they do grow. They take work. Like any marriage, friendship. You gotta put in the work.
“You have to accept other people’s flaws, and accept your own flaws and try to change and be a better person. But I think everything is worth the time and effort.
“And things get better.”
There’s a lot to unpack in that sort of rambling response, isn’t there?
Overall, however, it shouldn’t come as a major shock that Grey’s Anatomy won’t be on the air for another decade or anything.
Our best guess is that the series wraps up following Season 16, considering Pompeo recently signed a new, massive two-year contract.
She did so not long before producers announced that veteran stars Jessica Capshaw and Sarah Drew will not return next season.
Fans reacted in dismay, although cast turnover as been a consistent aspect of Grey’s Anatomy for years now; from the departure of Katherine Heigl to the departures of Sandra Oh and Patrick Dempsey.
“There is an end and it’s nearing,” Pompeo admits here.
A major reason to this inevitable conclusion is that Pompeo needs a break.
She has a family at home with whom she’d love to spend more time.
“I want to be more involved in my kids’ lives as they get older. And they need me more, and this world is such a crazy place,” she said to the aforementioned tabloid.
What might Pompeo do when this amazing ride is over?
“I am really into producing, I love producing,” she said, “It’s like one problem after another, it’s problem-solving 101. It’s like a great experiment in problem-solving.
“Acting is … it’s a young girl’s game. You’ve gotta travel, you’ve gotta be away. [You’ve] gotta go here and work at night in the rain. I’m not saying I’ll never do it.
“If there’s an amazing opportunity I’m sure, of course I’ll do it.”
How will Grey’s Anatomy actually end?
Pompeo hinted in the interview that she does have an idea, but she won’t say.
Instead, she’ll conclude by talking about the recent cast changes and how hard they have been on everyone, cast and crew included.
“We are a family and it’s super awkward. It’s not like films where you work for three months, and you’re not going to see the people, or you’ll see them at the junket and that’s it.
“We really are together, through births, through deaths. Every day, sickness and health…
“[It’s] an odd family, that we’re thrown together with. So, when these things happen, there’s a lot of tumult.
“Inside, there’s chaos and feelings – sadness and anger, and it’s a lot to deal with.”
Grey’s Anatomy airs on ABC Thursdays at 8/7c.
