Grey’s Anatomy Season 20 was the center of a release update as fans wait to return to Seattle Grace Hospital.
With an astonishing 420 episodes already under its belt since its debut in 2005, Grey’s Anatomy stands as the longest-running medical drama in TV history, and it was renewed for its 20th season in February 2023.
Despite only three original cast members remaining by Season 19 (Ellen Pompeo, Sandra Wilson, and James Pickens Jr.) and popularity slipping, the series is still one of ABC’s top-watched programs.
In fact, Variety reported that Season 19 was the network’s highest-ranked show amongst adults ages 18-49 before it was renewed for another year.
How Far Along is Grey’s Anatomy Season 20?
Deadline revealed that the writers’ room for Grey’s Anatomy Season 20 officially opened its doors on Monday, October 2 after the summer-long WGA strike came to an end.
Writers’ rooms also opened for Fire Country Season 2, Ghosts Season 3, NCIS Season 21, Abbott Elementary Season 3, and Yellowjackets Season 3 on the same day.
As of now, there is no official confirmation for who will be part of the cast for Season 20, although the show will move to more of an ensemble focus with Ellen Pompeo’s Meredith Grey leaving in Season 19.
Longtime crew member Meg Marinis will also take over as the showrunner for Season 20 with Krista Vernoff stepping down.
When Will Grey’s Anatomy Season 20 Begin?
Season 19 of Grey’s Anatomy began filming on August 3, 2022, before it premiered on ABC in early October 2022, giving the series a pretty short turnaround for its 20-episode season.
Taking that timeframe into account, things could get going quickly for Season 20 as well, although it all depends on when the still-running SAG-AFTRA strike comes to a conclusion.
Should Grey’s Anatomy begin filming in either late 2023 or early 2024, the expectation would be that the series comes back on air for a Spring 2024 premiere, which would be its first spring premiere since Season 1.
But with the writers’ room now underway for Season 20, things should be able to progress fairly quickly once the actors have the green light to return to their work.
Then, there’s also the question of just how much longer Grey’s Anatomy can continue its run, especially after the titular Meredith Grey left the story in Season 19.
Even so, considering the excellent viewing numbers and ratings the show continues to earn this late into its run, ABC appears to be holding off on that decision.
Season 20 of Grey’s Anatomy is currently being written, although it doesn’t have an official release date set yet.
