ABCTen more seasons and a movie!
Yes, that seems to be a definite possibility for ABC's Grey's Anatomy, which is currently in its eighth season. ABC president Paul Lee hinted that this season will not be its last, but will creator Shonda Rhimes be sticking around should it continue on?
At ABC's winter press tour, we caught up with Rhimes to discuss the future of Grey's...and whether or not it could go on without her. Oh, and what's ahead for Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) and Derek (Patrick Dempsey)?
When asked about the future of Grey's Anatomy earlier today, ABC boss Lee said the medical drama is "creatively still at the top of the its form" and he's hoping to see Rhimes' vision for future seasons. "Shonda Rhimes has a vision like nobody else," he said. "We've heard her vision for this season and beyond, and I'm feeling really good about the show."
After hearing that ABC would be open to additional seasons of Grey's, we had to go straight to Rhimes, who was in attendance to promote her new ABC show Scandal starring Kerry Washington, and ask how she's feeling about the future of the show. "I honestly can say that I don't know that it matters what I want to do, because I feel like ABC has a plan," Rhimes said. "It's [ABC's] show, not mine. I don't own it. I think Paul Lee has said publicly that he wants it to show to go for 10 more years. So we'll see what happens."
Ten more years at Seattle Grace? Huzzah! However, would Rhimes continue with the show if it does go on to stay on the air for years to come? When asked if she'd like to see the show go on for another 10 years, Rhimes admitted she's hesitant. "I don't know how I feel about that concept, but I'm not going to say no to my employers at this moment in time," she said.
Rhimes hints that the show could go on without her at the helm if she decides she's run out of interesting ideas. "I think we are all interested in doing the show as long as the show is interesting to do," she said. "When I'm done having interesting ideas for the show, I will be done with the show. But that doesn't necessarily mean the show will be done."
Don't worry, MerDer fans. We didn't forget about you. When asked for some scoop on the fan favorite couple, Rhimes said, "They are going to get to be parents and we're going to see a lot of joy from them. I think that's a really great evolution for their characters. I think [the joy] is going to last for awhile. It's interesting for the characters and to see Meredith as a mother and see what that it is.
Rhimes adds that "we've been having a lot of fun with that, and Ellen is amazing with the twins that play Zola." All together now: Awww!
Would you continue to watch Grey's Anatomy if Shonda Rhimes left the show? Are you excited to see MerDer as parents? Sound off in the comments!