Meredith or no, Grey's Anatomy has been renewed for a 20th season
Ellen Pompeo's semi-departure from the ABC medical drama hasn't stopped the network from giving it yet another renewal notice

If every single person in this cast photo for Grey’s season 19 can name every other person in this photo, we’ll eat our scrubs. Photo: ABC/Nino Muñoz
Great news this weekend for anyone who’s ever wanted to buy long-running ABC medical drama Grey’s Anatomy a beer without getting hassled by the cops: You’re now just one scant season away, as Variety reports that the series has now been renewed for its gob-smacking 20th season on the air. That’s pretty amazing, considering that we’re talking about a medical drama that went to the “there’s a bomb stuck in the patient while we’re operating on him” well—generally considered a season 10 move, at the earliest—all the way back in its second year on the air. The show has burnt the “exploding surgery patient” candle at both ends, is all we’re saying, for a series that’s lasted this long.