Check on your loved ones who are Grey’s Anatomy fans — we are not okay. Not only are we trying to process the loss of Alex Karev and a potentially devastating Richard Webber storyline, but ABC also just announced that Grey’s season 16 finale will come early due to the coronavirus crisis. And while sometimes it’s fun to get things sooner than you were expecting, this is decidedly not one of those times.
At the onset of the coronavirus outbreak, the medical drama was one of the first shows to halt production out of concern for the welfare of its cast and crew (and in accordance with guidelines set forth by health officials). And on Friday afternoon, ABC confirmed that due to the continuing world health crisis, production on season 16 will not resume. That means the hit series will no longer end its season with 25 episodes. Rather, the 21st episode, which is slated to air April 9, will be the last of season 16.
As fans took to social media to express their concerns (read: disappointment) over the abrupt ending, showrunner Krista Vernoff promised the new season’s end still works. “We are disappointed that we don’t get to complete our storytelling this season,” Vernoff tweeted. “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.”
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#StayHomepic.twitter.com/BsHV9vJUiJ
— Krista Vernoff (@KristaVernoff) March 28, 2020
So, hey, that’s a little reassuring, right? If that doesn’t make you feel any better, the response from Ellen Pompeo — a.k.a. Meredith Grey herself — surely will.
After ABC announced the early end date, Pompeo shared a throwback photo of her character eating a strawberry with a look of, well, pretty much the look we all have on our faces right now. “When you hear the full season of #GreysAnatomy is not going to air,” she captioned the photo, and we feel seen.
https://twitter.com/EllenPompeo/status/1243729319391670272
Pompeo then shared a little good news with fans to help buffer the sting, retweeting a post by former Grey’s co-star Sandra Oh. The happy update? Oh’s series Killing Eve is airing two weeks earlier than expected, making its way back to AMC/BBC America on April 12. So, if you watch both Grey’s and Killing Eve (and obviously true fans are fully supporting Cristina Yang in her new form), then at least Grey’s early ending comes with a trade-off.
Plus, Pompeo seemed to confirm the true silver lining of episode 21 winding up as the season 16 finale. “So does this mean the ‘season finale‘ isn’t going to be full of people dying?!” one fan tweeted in response to the news. To which Pompeo replied, “That’s what it means.”
Uh, score! We’re going to go ahead and take this as a positive sign for poor Dr. Webber.
Before you go, check out some of the most shocking moments from past Grey’s finales.
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