Did ABC & Shonda Rhimes Reunite Just to Resuscitate the Grey’s Universe? God Help Us, They Did

Did anyone else anticipate a Grey’s Anatomy “spinoff” this late in the game?

Truthfully, I did not. While it feels like the primary series has been on life support for a while, diehard fans and the network have been clinging to it, unwilling to pull the plug.

And so much of the series lost its sparkle because Shonda Rhimes stopped penning for it ever since she killed off Derek and broke our hearts back in Grey’s Anatomy Season 11.

(Disney/Anne Marie Fox)

Yes, we haven’t had Shonda Rhimes tied to this mothership in over a decade, and we needn’t dive into the messiness of the Rhimes/Disney debacle that sent her into Netflix’s arms.

So, imagine my surprise when Deadline shared that ABC has put in a straight-to-series order for another medical drama spun off from Grey’s Anatomy that’s created by none other than the former reigning queen of ABC Thursdays?

You know what? Hats off to you, ABC. We’ve already been giving the network kudos for being the only one on broadcast to renew all of its scripted series, to the delight of fans everywhere.

They have a pretty steady and fun slate with the likes of RJ Decker, High Potential, and Will Trent, and The Rookie’s success has led them to another spinoff that will likely become a hit, too (mostly because it’s a carbon copy of the original, just in another state).

But now, we have ABC dabbling with a medical drama again, and it’ll be an offshoot of Grey’s Anatomy. My biggest beef with this is that it’s not a traditional spinoff.

(Disney/Anne Marie Fox)

They’re being generous with the use of the term, and it’s for name value only, a chance for the network to capitalize on the success of Grey’s Anatomy by tying a whole new show to it and a name like Rhimes, who carries weight.

Why am I saying this? Because this is not a traditional spinoff wherein we’re seeing a Grey’s character land their own series (as was the case with Private Practice).

Nor are we having a prominent crossover character like Ben Warren was for Grey’s Anatomy and Station 19.

Instead, this is an entirely new production and series with no concrete connection to Grey’s Anatomy beyond existing in the same universe and a loose prospect of having a character like Catherine Avery maybe appear or serve as some form of bridge.

(Disney/Anne Marie Fox)

The series doesn’t have a name yet, but it’s expected to debut in 2027, which likely means it’ll switch off with Grey’s Anatomy when the mothership, now with a smaller season order, signs off for the season.

It’s purely speculative, but chances are the spinoff will drop in the midseason.

And its premise is something that many medical series have hinted at for a while, but few have executed. It’ll be about a rural medical facility in West Texas, which is teased as the last medical facility people have access to for miles.

The idea is that it’ll focus on rural medicine, which, to its credit, has the potential to be interesting because it’s as underrepresented onscreen as it is a prominent obstacle folks overcome in many parts of the United States.

We’ve already seen on shows like The Pitt that Robby’s prized mentee, Whitaker, has frequently spoken about rural medicine because he comes from a state where it’s prominent, and communities are underserved.

Ironically, there’s another Texan, rural-medicine-based series in the works at CBS that will star Jared Padalecki. ABC will be beating CBS to it, from the looks of things.

(Disney/Anne Marie Fox)

The concept of a rural medicine series is promising.

I’d like to see them take bigger risks and set the show in a state where rural medicine is prominent, but doesn’t get much airplay.

Texas is a bit unoriginal. And at this rate, I’m already bracing myself for this series to be like Grey’s Anatomy and 9-1-1: Nashville had a Yee-Haw hybrid baby of its own.

They’re playing it safe with this one, and as much as the news underwhelmed me, I’ll probably watch it. But that’s what ABC is banking on in the first place, right?

They know that they can present us with a series like this, with a loose connection to an aging cultural juggernaut like Grey’s, and, knowing that it marks Shonda Rhimes’s first real return to the network, we’ll lock into it.

(Disney/Anne Marie Fox)

And we will.

I’ve been dying for Shonda Rhimes to hop back into the fray and give us more prominent content on screen, especially broadcast again.

Bridgerton is great, and all, but Ms. Rhimes has a mean pen, and network television has been missing what she brings to the table.

Personally, I was holding out for something akin to Scandal, The Catch, or How to Get Away with Murder. Not, you know, another medical drama.

In many ways, this Grey’s Anatomy offshoot seems like a possible rehash of the criminally underrated Off the Map Rhimes was behind, which focused more on jungle medicine and romantic entanglements.

But here we are.

After 23 seasons, Grey’s Anatomy is coming at us hot (or lukewarm) with another spinoff, and it just proves that I’ll probably die before this universe ever does.

Over to you, Grey’s Fanatics. How do you feel about a rural medical Grey’s spinoff? Let’s talk, y’all! I need to know.

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• With Kate Walsh’s recent words and the migration of viewers to streaming, it’s never been a better time for ABC to bring back Private Practice.

• Kerry Washington and Tony Goldwyn have mesmerized us with their chemistry since Scandal, and it’s beyond time for them to reunite onscreen.

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