youtube.comAnyone else wanting to crawl in bed and spoon Cristina Yang, Meredith-style?
After news broke that Sandra Oh will be leaving Grey's Anatomy after the 10th season, fans are left wondering how much longer the series can survive.
Creator Shonda Rimes exclusively tells E! News that she believes ABC will keep the series going as long as she personally is engaged in the show, and possibly even after.
"I see the show going as long as I continue to be interested in the show," Rimes tells me. "And then I don't know about the network, because they might see it going after me. But as I see it, as long as I'm interested and have stories to tell, I'm excited about being there. And I feel like that is my thing. I don't want to be somebody who does something in a mediocre manner or sort of doesn't care. So as long as I'm really invested, I want to be there."
Sandra Oh, Patrick Dempsey and Ellen Pompeo signed two-year deals in 2010 to take them through the 10th season. We are told Kevin McKidd (Oh's longtime love interest, Owen) will stick around through season 10 as well, and possibly beyond. ABC does not comment on actor contracts.
Rimes tells us that Owen and Cristina, a fan-favorite couple who split in the ninth season finale, will be "grappling with what it means that that they broke up. And it will be emotional." And by season's end, Cristina will get "the exit she deserves."
Rimes speaks passionately about what's in store for season 10, telling us: "I'm really excited about all our stories. We've got some really big stories happening and the two-hour episode premiere is going to be amazing. Callie (Sara Ramirez) and Arizona (Jessica Capshaw), it's going to be emotionally, really strong. Owen and Cristina just broke up. Meredith (Pompeo) just had a baby. And then the overarching story of what's happening with the storm, because I think it's important to continually challenge our doctors in terms of what they are doing and what they can do."
Rimes adds that the two-hour premiere, slated for Sept. 26 on ABC, will "pick up right where we left off."
Of course, Grey's is no stranger to shocking cast departures. Over the years, T.R. Knight, Isaiah Washington, Katherine Heigl, Chyler Leigh and Eric Dane all have left the series for various reasons. This is the first time we have known so far in advance that a major character is leaving. From the first-season cast, Ellen Pompeo, Patrick Dempsey (who recently revealed his "one reason" for staying on the show), Chandra Wilson and James Pickering and Justin Chambers remain.