Warning: This post contains spoilers for Grey's Anatomy season 17.
After a tumultuous season changed massively by the Coronavirus pandemic, Grey's Anatomy season 17 ended with a hopeful note, on the back of the recent confirmation of another season to come. Meredith escaped the strange limbo of her beach, two relationships took major strides forward and one went backward, and while there was a sad death, the ending came with promise for the future.
Grey's Anatomy has cemented itself as the pinnacle of long-running weekly TV even as streaming shows threaten to reinvent how audiences consume their shows. In a bold move, arguably the show's biggest dramatic moment (aside from Meredith's near-death experience) was shown in a crossover event with Station 19 as Andrew DeLuca's time on the show came to an end with a sad but heroic note. Other characters left too, but with Ellen Pompeo still firmly in place as the titular star, Grey's Anatomy can continue to grow, particularly now that Mer has an almost concrete confirmation that she is allowed to move on from Derek.
With the cast depleted by departures and job changes, the season 18 of Grey's Anatomy promises to wade into new waters - not least because of its release into a post-Covid world - and there's a lot for fans to be excited about. Here's everything we know about Grey's Anatomy season 18.
Grey's Anatomy Renewal: Will Season 18 Be The Last?
The renewal of Grey's Anatomy season 18 came slowly, with the key trio of Ellen Pompeo, Chandra Wilson, and James Pickens Jr g on to return, the fate was set. This came after months of anxious speculation that Meredith's illness in season 17 would see her permanently exit the show and the credits finally roll on the long-running show. There's no word yet on whether the 18th season of Grey's Anatomy will end up being the final one, but with ratings still definitely in the Shondaland show's favor and spin-off show Station 19 still doing well, there's no reason to think it's all going to end. Showrunner Krista Vernoff has spoken of her excitement to tell more stories and Shonda Rhimes has previously revealed that Grey's Anatomy will endure as long as Ellen Pompeo wants to do it.
Grey's Anatomy Season 18 Story
With season 17's hopeful ending, there are some big implications for what comes next before Grey's Anatomy eventually ends. The show has been careful to explore the long-term impact of Coronavirus and Meredith Grey's arc cannot simply move on from her own medical fallout, even as she came back to work as the new Bailey, creating an army of mini Mer residents. On top of that, there's the inevitable fallout of Amelia's refusal to marry Link, Link's potential closeness to Jo developing, and the new role Tom Koracick will be playing, despite the earlier reveal he was leaving. Add to that the distinct suggestions of Meredith's blossoming romance with Cormac and there's already a lot on the table.
Grey's Anatomy Season 18 Cast
The key original cast of Pompeo, Pickens Jr, and Wilson aren't the only ones returning to Grey's Anatomy season 18. Kevin McKidd (Owen Hunt), Camilla Luddington (Jo Wilson), and Kim Raver (Teddy Altman) are all confirmed, while others should follow. Sadly, Jesse Williams retired his Jackson Avery, Giacomo Gianniotti's Andrew DeLuca has been killed off and Greg Germann's Tom Koracick followed Jackson to pastures new. Koracick will return as a guest star for season 18, however, as the newest board member for Grey Sloan, having picked up Jo's shares. While season 17 had lots of major returns — Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey), George O'Malley (T.R. Knight), Mark Sloan (Eric Dane), Lexie Grey (Chyler Leigh), and April Kepner (Sarah Drew) - it's unlikely that will happen again, but with only three doctors now on Grey Sloan's staff, it's inevitable the cast will grow with new arrivals.
Grey's Anatomy Season 18 Release Date
So far, a date for Grey's Anatomy season 18 is not set, it's likely that it will arrive around September of 2021 and end in the spring of 2022. This post will be updated as more information is announced.