ABC has locked its entire current Thursday lineup for next season, renewing veteran Grey’s Anatomy for a 23rd season. With the pickup for 2026-27, the Shonda Rhimes-created hit extends its record as the longest running primetime medical drama on TV.
As Deadline reported last week, Grey’s Anatomy will return next season without two of its longtime cast members, Kevin McKidd and Kim Raver, who will be leaving as series regulars after the Season 22 finale.
Producing studio 20th Television has until end of June to pick up the cast for next season. No extensive dealmaking would be needed as fellow Grey’s veterans Chandra Wilson who plays Bailey, James Pickens Jr. (Richard), Camilla Luddington (Jo), Caterina Scorsone (Amelia) and Chris Carmack (Link) are all believed to have another year on their current contracts. While that is never a guarantee — Raver and McKidd had one more year too — Grey’s historically has not parted ways with more than two high-profile cast members at a time, so the rest should come back.
The size of Grey’s Anatomy’s order for next season is TBD. As Deadline reported last month, a renewal was expected to be accompanied by a budget cut, with a slightly reduced order than the 18 episodes the show has produced the last two seasons a possibility.
While no longer the linear juggernaut it once was, 22 seasons in, Grey’s Anatomy continues to defy its age with string streaming following that has crossed multiple generations. The show finished last year as the #1 most streamed series globally across Disney+ and Hulu, per Disney estimates, and as the #2 most streamed show in the US across Hulu and Netflix, per Nielsen.
Grey’s titular star, Ellen Pompeo, continues to serve as narrator while reprising her role on a recurring basis. The series’ executive producing team includes Rhimes and Betsy Beers of Shondaland as well as current showrunner Meg Marinis, director and recurring cast member Debbie Allen and Pompeo.
With the renewal, Grey’s Anatomy joins fellow Thursday ABC dramas 9-1-1 and 9-1-1: Nashville, which also have been picked up for next season, as have High Potential and Abbott Elementary.
