Grey’s Anatomy returns for 17th season

Grey’s Anatomy is currently on season 17 and is one of the longest running shows on ABC. Millions of people tune in every Thursday to watch new episodes. What makes this show so popular? Why do people enjoy watching Grey’s Anatomy?

Junior Marianna De Jesus has seen every episode since the beginning. “It gives me an escape from my problems, and I get to immerse myself into a whole new world,” she said. 

Teacher aid Heather Anne Jenson-Wright has also watched Grey’s since the beginning.“I have always liked the medical aspect, and the story line that goes with it,” she said. 

Many people enjoy the earlier seasons more than the later ones. “I think it’s just overall really interesting, especially in the earlier episodes with McDreamy (Derek Shepherd) and McSteamy (Mark Sloan). They definitely made the show worth watching,” junior Alivia Peters said.

Season 17 is very different from all the other seasons. The show had to be cut short last year due to the pandemic, and Shonda Rhimes, the mastermind behind the show, was planning on carrying over some of her plans for the end of season 16 into the new season. 

The story line for this year is about the pandemic and how the doctors at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital are handling it. The season covers what health care workers experience during this time as well as the Black Lives Matter Movement. 

There are many mixed feelings about this year’s storyline. Some fans are upset about missing out on Shonda Rhimes’ big plans for the end of last season and find this season not as interesting. Others think that adding the pandemic to the storyline is helping raise awareness and are glad they are going through with it.

Special Education aide  Michelle Andresen is a fan of the show because she likes the medical cases and some of the personal stories of the characters. However this season has not been her favorite. “I like it much less this year than in previous years as it has gotten very political and liberal,” she said. “ I prefer the earlier seasons because it was more focused on the medicine and not so much the romantic relationships.”

Peters is also not the biggest fan of the new season. “I think it’s pretty good so far,” she said. “I would like it if it didn’t have to do with COVID just because that’s what I have been hearing for the past year. It would be nice to just have a break from it.”

On the other hand, sophomore Adaline Ritchie loves the new season. “I can’t get enough of it,” she said. “I love that they are showing how covid really does affect not just the families but the doctors that they are working with too and what they have to deal with when they are going in and out of work.” 

Will this be the final season of one of ABC’s longest running shoes? That is the question of the year. In an interview, Ellen Pompeo who stars as the infamous Meredith Grey, said she did not renew her contract with the show. She is one of the only actors on the set that didn’t, as everyone else signed another 2-year contract. 

Rhimes revealed that she would be done with the show if Pompeo was done. If Pompeo thought it was time to move on, so would Rhimes. Pompeo admitted that she isn’t sure about doing another season, but she has not made up her mind.

Junior Kylie Stuner thinks it’s time for the show to end, regardless of whether or not Pompeo renews her contract. “Whether I think it will be or not, it should be. They’ve over exhausted the show way too much. Most of the original cast is gone, and there’s only so much they can continue with. It just gets boring these days,” she said.

If the show ends, that doesn’t mean the storyline, the drama, and the medicine stops there. Fans have seen the possibilities of keeping Grey’s Anatomy and the story alive through spinoffs like Station 19.

So, will they continue the show with Maggie Pierce, Meredith’s half sister, as the new lead? Or perhaps Zola, her daughter, will be the new lead and the show will follow  Zola’s future surgical career. There are endless possibilities and theories of what will happen. 

Many are saying Meredith might die this season. Though Pompeo’s possible soon departure is worrying fans, she is still considering renewing her contract. She just isn’t sure if the show has anymore left to give. Fans will just have to wait and see what this year brings.