‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Poised to Overtake ‘ER’ as Longest-Running Medical Drama

Fifteen seasons in, and Grey’s Anatomy is about to snatch a huge milestone.

Shonda Rhimes’ beloved ABC series is about to take ER’s record as the longest-running medical drama ever.

Grey’s Anatomy will pass ER’s record (331 total episodes over 15 seasons) on Thursday night with its 332 episode, entitled “We Didn’t Start the Fire.”

The ABC synopsis of the episode reads, “When Jackson throws a party to celebrate Catherine’s surgery and those who worked to save her, literally nothing goes as planned. Meanwhile, Helen pays Alex and Jo a surprise visit.”

According to TVLine, the production team has a cheeky surprise in mind for fans. The record-shattering episode will supposedly feature zero medical storylines.

Rhimes took the approaching milestone as an opportunity to reflect on what the show has accomplished in that time, calling it a “once in a lifetime experience.”

“I am still a little in shock to discover @GreysABC is about to become the longest running medical drama ever,” she wrote on Twitter in January. “Best crew, best fans, best cast — once in a lifetime experience. #GreysAnatomy”

The show’s beloved lead, Ellen Pompeo, seconded her opinion. “What she said,” Pompeo chimed in in a reply tweet.

This episode comes as ABC is shaking up the network’s TGIT (Thank God It’s Thursday) programming night, as new episodes of ABC series A Million Little Things will be taking over Station 19‘s post-Grey’s timeslot for the remainder of its first season run.

Grey’s Anatomy‘s firefighter spinoff Station 19 will return for the second half of Season 2 on March 7, returning to its 9 p.m. timeslot, followed by the Season 2 premiere of Shondaland drama, For The People at 10 p.m. That date will mark the return of the TGIT lineup.

There will be no shortage of Grey’s Anatomy episodes in the upcoming spring part of the season since the series was granted a three episode extension.

The 25-episode season will be its second longest of all time and its longest in a decade. Due to the extension and the continued strong ratings, it is likely Grey’s Anatomy will crush ER‘s record by more than just a few episodes. The series is expected to get a further season order.