Fans got an exciting update regarding when Season 20 of the hit drama Grey's Anatomy could debut on ABC.
With nearly two decades of stories under its belt already, fans are anxious to see what else Grey's Anatomy has in store, especially with only Ellen Pompeo, Chandra Wilson, and James Pickens Jr. remaining from the original cast as of Season 19.
Renewed for Season 20 in February 2023, Variety also revealed that Grey's Anatomy Season 19 was ABC's highest-ranked show amongst adults in the 18-49 range, indicating how popular it still is after hitting the air in 2005.
Grey's Anatomy Season 20 On the Way
According to Deadline, networks are aiming for returning series like Grey's Anatomy Season 20 to premiere in either mid-February or early March 2024.
This comes as a much earlier timeframe than most fans were expecting considering the SAG-AFTRA strike is still being resolved and it's unknown when it will end.
For perspective, 16 of Grey's Anatomy's first 19 seasons kickstarted their runs in late September for the Fall TV schedule. The only exceptions were Season 1 (March 2005), Season 17 (November 2020 due to COVID-19 delays), and Season 19 (October 2022).
Additionally, industry insiders are expecting that Season 20 will be a 10-episode season, which appears to be the case for many other shows returning to the air after the SAG-AFTRA strike ends.
Should the strike end within the next couple of weeks, filming for Season 20 could realistically begin in either late November or early December, allowing the established series to produce enough material for a 13-episode slate.
If the filming date is pushed into January, that slate would likely be shortened to 10 episodes that could air on ABC before the season ends in May, although there's a chance that filming could begin in the holiday season to get its release fast-tracked.
Networks have also been looking at mid-February for start dates in the aftermath of the Super Bowl, which is set to take place on February 11, 2024.
This comes after the writers' room for Grey's Anatomy Season 20 officially opened on October 2 following the conclusion of the WGA strike.
Will Grey's Anatomy Season 20 Premiere Soon?
Season 19 of Grey's Anatomy had only a two-month production-to-airing turnaround from August to October 2022, which would be comparable to what Season 20 will face when production is allowed to get started.
Additionally, as long as the SAG-AFTRA strike comes to an end within the next couple of weeks, as many are expecting it to, a shorter 10-episode schedule for Season 20 should make for a quick turnaround for the Grey's Anatomy crew.
With the writers' room now well underway developing the story for Season 20, once the strike ends, pre-production and shooting should be able to come together before too long as ABC pushes this long-standing series back into the spotlight.
Grey's Anatomy Season 20 is currently being written, but it doesn't have a release date set yet.
