Shonda Rhimes: Grey’s Anatomy Will Be Around As Long ‘As Fans Want It to Be’

Creator Shonda Rhimes has spoken up on the future of Grey’s Anatomy, saying she is not done with the hit medical series anytime soon. It turns out the show’s fans get to have the last word on the long-running show’s future. It sounds like, despite the absence of Dr. Meredith Grey and Dr. Maggie Pierce, life will go on at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital.

Shonda Rhimes says Grey’s Anatomy isn’t going anywhere

What with Dr. Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) and Dr. Maggie Pierce (Kelly McCreary) leaving Grey’s Anatomy, fans are concerned. Meanwhile, viewers are getting used to the new first-year residents as they settle in at the hospital, pointing to a good future.

Speaking to E! News recently the show’s creator has hinted of a long future for the medical drama. Rhimes said:

I might be a very old lady by the time we reach its last season because it doesn’t seem to be stopping which is wonderful and I feel the world really belongs to the fans and the fans have been really clear about what they want.

ABC medical drama a hit with viewers

As season 19 of Grey’s Anatomy draws to a close, Rhimes also had other reassuring words for fans. She said it is such an “amazing show” and that it is doing so well as it moves forward. “I’m going to leave it alone and see where it goes,” she said, adding, “We’re going to stay a show as long as everybody wants to be there and as long as the fans want to be there.”

Shonda did admit that Ellen Pompeo’s exit from the series was “heartbreaking for everybody,” adding:

Knowing that she could come back anytime was also important for me.

She added that the door remains open to any cast member that leaves Grey’s Anatomy, saying:

Ellen’s an amazing person and she and I have been having conversations the whole time, discussing when it was time and what it was feeling like.

We’ve always been having those discussions because I’ve always wanted her to be excited and invested and enjoying herself as much as she was at the beginning.

Meanwhile, even though Pompeo isn’t going to physically appear in the series, she will still provide voiceover work as the narrator. Rhimes went on to say, “I don’t think of her as gone from the show, she’s still doing the voiceovers, she’s still there.”

Long-time fans of Grey’s Anatomy, are you said that both Ellen Pompeo and Kelly McCreary have left the show? Does this have a negative effect on watching the medical drama? Let us know by dropping a comment below.