Grey's Anatomy has been a staple on screens for more than 15 years and we couldn't imagine our TV schedules without it.
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However, speculation that the show will soon come to an end has been brewing for some time. In fact, Krista Vernoff, who has been head writer on the medical drama since 2007, recently discussed how she plans to wrap things up.
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Appearing on the At Home with the Creative Coalition podcast this week, the showrunner opened up about her ideas. Asked if she knows how the series, which kicked off its 18th season recently, will conclude, she said: "I have something percolating in my mind."
She continued: "And the percolating changes. I had some ideas percolating during the first seven seasons. I used to pitch things to Shonda [Rhimes], and she'd go, 'That's a season eight idea,' meaning, that's the final-season-of-the-show idea.
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"And now, we blew so far past season eight, we're in season 18. So your idea of where the characters are going to end changes each year. Every year, I never know if I'm writing the last season of the show, literally. I percolate new ideas every year. If we ended it this year, what would it be?"
© Photo: Getty ImagesGrey's showrunner Krista Vernoff has shared her thoughts about ending the show
The showrunner's comments come after Ellen Pompeo herself addressed speculation that season 18 could be the ABC show's last instalment. Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, she said: "They're not far off [ending it]. I mean, I've been trying to get away for years. I have been trying. It's not because I haven't been trying.
"I have strong relationships at the network, and they have been very, very good to me and have incentivised me to stay. Miraculously, we keep coming up with ways to have a reason to stay, and if there's a reason, that warrants it.
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The actress, who has been portraying fearless medical doctor Meredith Grey on the show since it began in 2005, has also admitted that she's "not super excited" about continuing her acting career once the long-running medical drama comes to an end.
Speaking on the Ladies First with Laura Brown podcast, the Golden Globe nominee said that instead, she wants to try her hand at something completely new. "I'm not saying I'll never act again, I very well may, but I'm not super excited about continuing my acting career. The acting, even though I haven't done a million different roles, I feel like I've done it," she said.
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