It appears a major Grey’s Anatomy character has dodged a bullet — for the time being at least.
Sources confirm to TVLine that the ABC drama’s original Season 16 finale — one of four episodes scrapped as a result of the coronavirus pandemic — was to feature a cataclysmic event that would have likely claimed the life of a major character. One insider says the event in question was going to be an explosion, something Grey’s showrunner Krista Vernoff would neither confirm or deny in a recent interview with TVLine.
It remains unclear which cast member was headed for Grey Sloan’s legendary revolving door. Another unknown is whether the rumored departure will now be folded into Season 17 or delayed indefinitely.
As we previously reported, Grey’s fans may be able to glean clues about the ill-fated finale in this season’s final episodes of sister series Station 19. (It would stand to reason that an explosion would reverberate on Station 19, given its firefighter premise.)
“Ironically, when fans watch Episode 15 and 16 of Station 19, they will probably have a feeling of some of what we had planned for [the original Grey’s finale],” Vernoff previously told TVLine.
Production on Grey’s Anatomy’s 16th season was shut down before the show was able to complete production on the final four episodes. Luckily, Episode 21 — which ended up serving as a makeshift finale — functioned well as a season-ender. “From the minute we read the script for 21,” Vernoff noted, “it — coincidentally — felt like a season finale.”
With Grey’s off the air until (at least) fall, Station 19 this week shifts back to its old 9 pm timeslot with the first of its final four Season 3 episodes.
