Grey's Anatomy season 16

Grey's Anatomy
Season 16
DVD cover art for the sixteenth season of Grey's Anatomy
Showrunners
Starring
No. of episodes21
Release
Original networkABC
Original releaseSeptember 26, 2019 (2019-09-26) –
April 9, 2020 (2020-04-09)
Season chronology
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Season 15
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Season 17
List of episodes

The sixteenth season of the American television medical drama Grey's Anatomy was ordered on May 10, 2019, by American Broadcasting Company (ABC).[1][2] The season premiered on September 26, 2019.[3] The season is produced by ABC Studios, in association with Shondaland Production Company and Entertainment One Television; the showrunner being Krista Vernoff.

The season's main storylines include the recently fired Dr. Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo)'s impending trial to fight for her medical license and her on-off again love-life with surgical resident, Andrew DeLuca (Giacomo Gianniotti), who begins to spiral into bipolar mania. Alex Karev (Justin Chambers) and Richard Webber (James Pickens Jr.) also begin working at Pac-North after being fired by Chief Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson). Other storylines include Teddy Altman (Kim Raver)'s affair with Tom Koracick (Greg Germann) in the wake of her engagement to Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd); Amelia Shepherd (Caterina Scorsone)'s surprise pregnancy, with the baby's paternity brought into question; Jackson Avery (Jesse Williams) and Maggie Pierce (Kelly McCreary)'s break up; Miranda Bailey's miscarriage; and Jo Karev (Camilla Luddington)'s emergence from the psychiatric ward after treatment.

This is the final season to feature Dr. Alex Karev, portrayed by Justin Chambers as a series-regular, whose announced departure was made in January 2020.[4] His final physical appearance was the milestone 350th episode "My Shot" in November 2019. Following this, he abruptly left the series. However, Vernoff was able to bring him back for voice-over in a farewell episode, explaining where the character ended up. This episode "Leave a Light On" became the season's most-discussed and analyzed episode, with Chambers' character's departure after 16 years receiving a polarizing response from audiences. However, it drew a ratings upswing, shooting up its best ratings in 6 weeks since its mid-season premiere. It also re-visited Katherine Heigl's character, Izzie Stevens who departed mid-way through the sixth season.

On March 12, 2020, the production of the sixteenth season was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.[5][6][7] 21 out of the original 25 episode order were completed before production was suspended.[8] On March 27, 2020, it was announced that the twenty-first episode would serve as the season finale.[9] The season finale, which aired on April 9, 2020, ended with 7.33 million viewers, an improvement from the previous season's 5.99 million viewership, and became the first season to not end in May in all of its 15 years.

The website Screen Rant ranked the season #16 on their 2023 ranking of the 19 Grey's Anatomy seasons.[10]

  1. ^ Ausiello, Michael (May 10, 2019). "Grey's Anatomy Renewed for Two More Seasons at ABC as Ellen Pompeo Extends Contract Until 2021". TVLine. Archived from the original on May 10, 2019. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
  2. ^ Ausiello, Michael (May 10, 2019). "Grey's Anatomy Promotes 3 Actors to Series Regular Ahead of Season 16". TVLine. Archived from the original on May 10, 2019. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
  3. ^ "ABC Fall Premiere Dates: Grey's, DWTS, The Conners, Good Doctor, The Rookie, Million Little Things and More". TVLine. July 2, 2019. Archived from the original on July 3, 2019. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
  4. ^ "Justin Chambers Leaving Grey's Anatomy After 15 Years". Deadline Hollywood. January 10, 2020. Archived from the original on January 10, 2020. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  5. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (March 12, 2020). "'Grey's Anatomy' Shuts Down Production Due To Coronavirus Pandemic". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 13, 2020. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
  6. ^ Lowe, Lindsay (March 13, 2020). "'Grey's Anatomy' shuts down production amid coronavirus concerns". Today. Archived from the original on March 15, 2020. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  7. ^ Gonzalez, Sandra (March 14, 2020). "'Grey's Anatomy' and more shows suspend production due to coronavirus". CNN. Archived from the original on March 13, 2020. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
  8. ^ Ausiello, Michael (March 17, 2020). "Coronavirus Interrupts TV: Which Seasons Will Be Shortened?". TV Line. Archived from the original on March 17, 2020. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  9. ^ Swift, Andy (March 27, 2020). "Grey's Anatomy Sets Early Finale, Scraps Remaining Season 16 Episodes". TV Line. Archived from the original on March 27, 2020. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
  10. ^ Norman, Dalton (May 15, 2020). "All 19 Grey's Anatomy Seasons Ranked". ScreenRant. Retrieved August 22, 2024.