Greys Anatomy season 16 is arriving next month, and the show also guaranteed season 17. Now, ABC Head Karey Burke has some hopes regarding the future of the series, saying she wanted to continue it for years to come.
Back in May, Grey's Anatomy season 16 and 17 were given a thumbs up by the network, with lead star Ellen Pompeo and the rest of the original cast signed up. Created by Shonda Rhimes, the series becomes the longest-running medical drama in TV history, most especially when it comes to numbers of episodes last season where it surpasses NBC's ER.
While she's relatively a new face fronting ABC, Burke hopes there will be more Grey's Anatomy seasons in the future until Pompeo and Rhimes no longer want to do it. The network's programming head said they love these to women as they've become a deep part of the fabric of ABC and it's up to them whether or not they want to continue doing the series. She added that she's hoping she could watch the show with her grandchildren.
During the TCA Summer Press Tour last Monday, Burke joked that the first thing her 15-year old daughter told her when she became the head of ABC was that they could now visit the set of Grey's Anatomy. The medical drama series has cemented its place last season in the network's history book as it becomes the longest-running primetime scripted program.
Grey's Anatomy also continued becoming a powerful rating performer for the network as its top scripted series. For now, there's no real reason to end the show since it continues attracting new viewers - thanks to Netflix. But then, the real question is how long does Pompeo want to do the series? One thing is for sure, she'll certainly be in Grey's Anatomy season 16 and 17 since she signed a contract extension earlier this year.
In another related report, there's reportedly a chance viewers will see a Grey's Anatomy season 16 and Station 19 cross-show romance. TVLine reported there's a potential subplot that would involve these two shows - yet there are no specific names when it comes to the possible romance. After all, the current showrunner of both shows is Krista Vernoff, so that cross-show romance is very likely.
Burke also said there will be "several Grey's Anatomy-Station 19 crossover events" throughout the coming seasons. Since the two programs were under Vernoff, Burke noted both shows feel "more blended." She revealed a new inter-show romance might blossom between characters from both shows, yet she didn't reveal the characters' identity.
Meanwhile, Greys Anatomy season 16 will premiere on Thursday, September 26, on ABC.
