only three of the original Grey's Anatomy cast remain, and the recent reappearances of several beloved fan-favorite characters have caused speculation that the show is likely coming to an end. Looking back at the series, it’s clear the perfect conclusion was in Grey’s Anatomy season 1 should it be coming soon.
Star Ellen Pompeo and series creator Shonda Rhimes have been frank about wrapping up the show. Rhimes has said that when Pompeo wants to leave, that is when the show will end. Current Showrunner Krista Vernoff (via The Hollywood Reporter) has remained elusive in recent interviews about the series' conclusion, saying that currently, she has planned both a season finale and series finale as its undetermined if ABC will order another season. Though the show has maintained a large audience, Ellen Pompeo has also echoed Vernoff's uncertainty but has asserted that she wants to go out while the show is on top.
Izzie’s and Alex’s kids. In her signature narration, Meredith Grey, possibly chief of surgery by then, could echo Richard Webber's “see one, do one, teach one," speech from the pilot, and Zola’s journey will begin.
As Meredith has been recovering in the hospital from Covid-19 in its current season, pre-teen Zola has been a pillar of strength for the family, indicating Zola’s potential to follow in her mother’s footsteps. Even Amelia and Maggie have been surprised at Zola’s maturity as she remains level-headed and logical about Meredith’s condition. Grey’s Anatomy, season 1 showed Meredith juggling her responsibilities at the hospital alongside her burgeoning affair with Patrick Dempsey's Dr. Derek Shepherd, and audiences learned of her troubled personal life, which included Ellis's declining mental capacity due to Alzheimer's. The series conclusion could show Zola reading Ellis’s journals to Meredith, whose greatest fears of inheriting the condition becomes real. This would perfectly place Meredith’s responsibilities in season 1 onto Zola at the series’ conclusion, indicating that Zola will be as brilliant, caring, and noble as her mother.
Grey’s Anatomy has always sustained its reflection of the current medical industry and the cyclical nature of the health care system. In that respect, it would be wrong for the show to simply end, even with all of its original characters gone, potentially. The show is big on the idea of the dependability of those who give care and how there will always be someone there to save people. The perfect ending to the series preserves that message as well as the curiosity and ambition that Meredith and her classmates showed when Seattle Grace Hospital. That Zola would continue in Meredith’s and Ellis’s footsteps would illustrates the show's understanding that there is always someone to help. And whatever happens to Meredith, a new batch of interns will start their training and they will learn from the greatest minds.