After cancelling Shondaland drama For the People last night, ABC gave the production company good news by renewing its remaining three ABC shows – Grey’s Anatomy, Station 19, and How to Get Away with Murder.
Grey’s Anatomy remains one of the strongest shows on broadcast television even now that it’s barreling toward its second decade. The series has been given a two-season renewal to match star Ellen Pompeo’s recent two-year deal, bringing the show into its 17th season and in the conversation of longest-running dramas of all time. This is a show that will go on for as long as Pompeo and executive producer Shonda Rhimes want it to.
Station 19‘s renewal comes with news that Grey’s showrunner Krista Vernoff will add oversight of the firefighting drama to her list of duties. Series creator Stacy McKee is set to exit following this season, though it’s unclear how Vernoff will juggle both shows, whether another producer at Grey’s will assume more showrunning duties on that show, and how her role on both shows will impact the scheduling of Station 19.
How to Get Away with Murder has seen some big ratings declines this season, dropping about 30% in the demo and looking mortal for arguably the first time. However, Murder is still strong in non-linear measures and the clout of having star Viola Davis under the ABC umbrella isn’t lost on new president Karey Burke. A decision on whether season six will be the last season of Murder should be announced soon.
