'Grey's Anatomy' Season 19 Premiere Date Set at ABC This Fall

By Stephen Andrew

Grey's Anatomy is returning to ABC for its 19th season in the fall and we now have a premiere date for TV's longest-running primetime medical drama. The hit series will debut its new season on Thursday, Oct. 6. Grey's Anatomy will be joined by spinoff Station 19 — launching its sixth season — and Alaska Daily, a new drama starring two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank and created by Oscar-winning writer Tom McCarthy (Spotlight).

The Grey's Anatomy Season 18 finale aired on Thursday, May 26, and the big episode left the fate of several characters in limbo. One of the biggest questions that fans had beforehand was, would this episode find Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) leaving Seattle's Grey Sloan hospital for good, and we now know the answer. We can confidently say that the episode made it clear Meredith had no plans of going anywhere. For now, at least. Many other characters' futures are not so certain, though. After the teaching hospital was closed, Dr. Richard Webber (James Pickens Jr.) seems to have an unclear role at the medical facility, indicating that he could potentially move on.

Dr. Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd) and Dr. Teddy Altman (Kim Raver) are now on the run after Owen's physician-assisted suicide program was divulged. Finally, following a confrontation with Meredith, Dr. Nick Marsh (Scott Speedman) left the hospital, potentially heading back to his home state of Minnesota. At this time, no one from the cast has announced an exit, so fans will just have to tune in next season to see how all these storylines develop.

Ahead of the finale, Pompeo spoke with Entertainment Tonight and addressed speculation about the show going on without her. "Shonda and I, I think -- we'll see, we'll see," the actress said. "Trying to reinvent the show and continually trying to reinvent the show is the challenge at this point, and listen, the show speaks to a lot of people, and the young people love the show." 

Pompeo continued, "It's inspired so many generations of healthcare workers, so, I think for the young people, it's a really good piece of content and we're going to try to keep it going for the young people, not necessarily with me, but keep it going beyond me." Finally, slyly responding to whether or not the show would replace her, Pompeo said, "We'll find someone, maybe, or we won't."

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