‘Grey’s Anatomy’: ABC Boss Addresses Show’s Future After Season 21

Ellen Pompeo in 'Grey's Anatomy' Season 20
Disney / Anne Marie Fox

Big changes are ahead for Grey’s Anatomy. The long-running medical drama has been renewed for Season 21, but the show’s making some major moves next season. The ABC drama is moving to 10 p.m. on Thursdays and will reportedly be losing series regulars Jake Borelli and Midori Francis amid a budget cut.

Will Season 21 be the end of the road for Grey’s Anatomy? “Not at all,” Disney TV Group President Craig Erwich told Deadline. He explained that the timeslot move from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. is a “great opportunity for ABC to launch a new show [Doctor Odyssey], as well as to keep Grey’s on a night where it’s been extraordinarily successful for many years.”

The show is nearing the end of its milestone 20th season and remains the longest-running medical drama on TV. “I think the show is creatively firing on all cylinders and continues to be extraordinarily popular — if not the most popular show in terms of past seasons,” Erwich added. “We see new generations coming into the show on a monthly basis, so the show’s in great shape.”

Grey’s Anatomy Season 20 was shortened due to the double Hollywood strikes last year, so the finale is already upon us. The episode is expected to air on May 30. Kim Raver, a.k.a. Dr. Teddy Altman, told TV Insider that the episode will be a game-changer.

She teased that showrunner Meg Marinis did an “incredible job of weaving what she started in the premiere episode. A lot of those things, those strings come together. The interns are facing what they did with Sam Sutton [Sam Page], so that’s going to be explosive and exciting, stuff between me and Ellen [Pompeo] that is going to be really interesting with Amelia [Caterina Scorsone]. There’s so much that she was able to kind of come to that heightened finale cliffhanger moment.”

Grey’s Anatomy, Season 20, Thursdays, 9/8c, ABC