‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Renewed for 2 More Seasons

Grey’s Anatomy was renewed for two seasons (season 16 and season 17) on Friday, with series star Ellen Pompeo fully on board for both.

The medical drama’s official Twitter account announced the news Friday afternoon. “Book an OR! [Grey’s Anatomy] is coming back for 2 more seasons!” the tweet read.

TVLine reports that Pompeo inked another year onto her two-year, $20 million contract, which was set to expire in May 2020 at the end of season 16 — meaning she’s signed on until 2021.

Pompeo said the consistently good ratings on the drama keep her from bailing ship. “I keep saying, ‘I”m ready to move on and I want to stop the show before the ratings go down,’ but the ratings never go down!” she told TVLine in January. “They go down a little bit, but the fact that we are able to hold our [title as ABC‘s No. 1 series] is kind [incredible]. It’s very cool to have these kind of ratings and be on a hit network show in this landscape.”

Showrunner Krista Vernoff also extended her contract with Grey’s through season 17, and recently told the outlet that she’s always looking for more ways to extend the longevity of the show. “I find myself thinking forward,” she said. “It feels like the show could really go on. In the early years, we would pitch stories, and Shona [Rhimes] would go, ‘Uh, that a season 8 story. Let’s do that toward the end.’ Now we’ve doubled the expected lifespan of the show and told all the stories we talked about in the early years, so we have almost a blank slate. Where do you go from here? It’s exciting!”

Vernoff will also be taking over as showrunner at spinoff series Station 19 during its just-ordered third season.

Grey’s reached a major milestone in February when it surpassed ER to become the longest-running medical drama in TV history. The season also saw Meredith (Pompeo) open up her heart again to love with DeLuca (Giacomo Gianniotti).

Grey’s Anatomy wraps Season 15 on Thursday, May 16 at 8 p.m. ET, followed by Station 19 at 9 p.m. ET, on ABC.