Ellen Pompeo Is Grey's Anatomy's Only Hope to Survive Season 21

One of the big hopes for Grey's Anatomy's 20th anniversary season was to re-establish the show and make sure it could possibly survive without Ellen Pompeo's constant on-set presence. Even though the title suggested Meredith Grey's involvement in the storyline, the creators took a risk to see how it would pay off.

It's safe to say that the experiment didn't work out as planned. Though viewers were generally pleased with the season, much more troubling news hit the media at its conclusion. Grey's had lost two of its beloved cast members and its usual time slot on ABC, moving further into the night on the schedule.

Though the drama has been renewed, fans are now wondering if it can survive the blow.

Is Ellen Pompeo Coming Back to Grey’s Anatomy?

As the heart and soul of Grey's Anatomy, it seems that Ellen Pompeo is absolutely crucial for the show to survive another season. Although the gaps in the cast will likely be filled with Station 19's returning lead Jason George and some fresh faces that the show has yet to announce, there is only one character that everyone really wants back as a regular.

According to the latest reports from Deadline, the production must have figured that out as well, as Pompeo is set to return for at least 7 of Grey's 18 upcoming episodes, with that number potentially growing. With all the budget cuts the show is facing, it may be that Pompeo, who also serves as an executive producer, is taking one for the team.

Even if the number of episodes doesn't increase in the near future, the star's presence in season 21 will already be greater than her presence in season 20, as she only appeared in 5 episodes last time around. Perhaps this will bring some of the most nostalgic fans back to their screens, and if not, the show may face the threat of cancellation.

Both Ellen Pompeo and the series’ current showrunner Meg Marinis have yet to give any public comments in response to the news.

Unfortunately, there aren't too many details about the show's production or release date. All that is known so far is that Grey's Anatomy will return with season 21 with several cast changes and a new ABC time slot during the upcoming 2024/25 broadcast season.

If you want to keep up with all the updates on the longest-running medical procedural on US television, be sure to keep an eye out. Until then, you can always binge on Grey's Anatomy's best episodes by streaming the show on Netflix or Hulu.

Source: Deadline