It’s been a whirlwind of a week for Grey’s Anatomy fans. Patrick Dempsey, former series star and forever “McDreamy”, was voted People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive, and then the actors strike that led to the show being delayed was ended. It doesn’t even stop there…
Grey’s Anatomy is one of countless scripted dramas that was pushed back to 2024 due to the writers and actors’ decision to go on strike for better living wages. The former was resolved in October, and the latter was resolved on Wednesday, November 8, which means Grey’s Anatomy will be able to resume production as soon as the principal cast members are ready.
What is the shortest season of Grey’s Anatomy?
This is pretty fantastic news, given that Grey’s was looking as though it wouldn’t be able to start filming until after Christmas, which would have almost certainly pushed back the 2024 release date the network has in mind. If the medical drama is anything like Chicago Med, then it could resume production shortly after Thanksgiving, and get a head start on season 20.
As the headline of this article posits, though, there is a catch. It’s great that the actors were able to arrive at an agreement that guaranteed them better working conditions, and even better that they are going to be able to go back to work knowing their sacrifices haven’t been in vain, but the time lost is time lost. In other words, the cast and crew behind shows like Grey’s will be scrambling to get episodes done in time for a 2024 release.
There’s no getting around it: Grey’s Anatomy season 20 will be the shortest in the show’s history. Screen Rant is predicting that the season will have an estimated 10 episodes, which is half of the usual amount (as any long time fan would know).
Even when Grey’s has been shortened in the past, as it was during the 2020 pandemic, the show managed to churn out 17 episodes. The only time Grey’s has fallen under double digits was during its first season, but that was a mid-season pickup that wasn’t afforded the same luxury. As far as legitimate, full seasons of the medical drama are concerned, season 20 will be the shortest.
