Season 19, still unreleased in France of Grey’s Anatomy, arrives this Wednesday, April 19 from 9.10pm on TF1. Tagged as a renewal, this new burst of episodes offers a much-needed boost after 19 years of existence and over 400 episodes.
On the decline for several years, the longest-running medical series in the history of television is working this new season to return to its sources by introducing new characters that recall the first hours of this fantasy, now inevitable.
Even though a 20th season has already been ordered by ABC, is Grey’s Anatomy still worth watching?
Back to basics
The first episode of season 19 picks up 6 months after the events of the previous season. Meredith Gray (Ellen Pompeo) is now acting chief of surgery after Bailey (Chandra Wilson) steps down.
Thus, he revived the intern program, recruiting students who were not good enough to be admitted to other programs or who had been expelled from the previous program.
New elements that will certainly be difficult for the Gray Sloan doctors, but which above all allow us to offer a little face of the series … that it really needed. Because let’s be honest, since season 17, which offered us a very realistic – and a little anxiety-inducing – view of the Covid epidemic in the medical profession, Grey’s Anatomy has increasingly run out of intrigue.
For this 19th season, Krista Vernoff, showrunner of the medical series, went back to basics a bit, introducing a new generation of interns, played by Harry Shum Jr., Adelaide Kane, Alexis Floyd, Nico Terho and Midori Francis. It is more or less known to fans of TV series.
And while this isn’t the first generation of interns to join Gray Sloan’s ranks since the series began, the writers have decided to make these newbies the focal point of Season 19 this time around.
Each of them has a past and a history that automatically makes them more attractive to the viewer. The first episode also offers a fun nod to the Grey’s Anatomy pilot, as Link discovers that he slept with one of the new recruits the day before.
The dynamic between these new recruits is reminiscent of Meredith, Alex, Ise, Georges and Cristina: they all compete with each other, never shying away from betraying each other if they feel like it. A need, but very much. Quickly, with the episodes, a strong friendship will be formed between them (and more if they are relatives).
Many other references to the first seasons of Grey’s Anatomy highlight this 19th season. Without revealing too much, one of the interns also has a very close connection with the doctors at Gray Sloan. A sly twist that really makes you want to follow this new burst of episodes.
Meredith on her way out
This new season of Grey’s Anatomy also marks the departure of Meredith Grey, who decides to leave Seattle to start a new life in Boston. It’s in episode 7 that Ellen Pompeo says goodbye to the series that put her in front of the stage.
The actor, who continues to voice the episodes, will however return for the finale, which will air in the US next May. And if we were afraid that this absence would have consequences for the quality of the series and especially for our desire to continue watching Grey’s Anatomy, it is not so.
It must be said that from the 18th season, the audience no longer had any illusions about the future of the actor in the series. Between Season 17, where her character slipped into a coma for several episodes, and where her only scenes were on the beach, and the end of Season 18, where Meredith didn’t want to leave the hospital, we doubted that Ellen Pompeo’s days in St. Series counted…
If the writers had been able to anticipate this departure by introducing a new generation of interns, Ellen Pompeo’s absence would have been less felt in the end. Especially since for several years we felt that the writers were struggling to say anything new about the character. After the first season, only Chandra Wilson (Miranda Bailey) and James Pickens Jr. (Richard Weber) remained from the cast. The last remnants of a bygone era.
This isn’t the only departure marking the 19th season of Grey’s Anatomy, as a few weeks ago Kelly McCreary, who plays Maggie Pierce since season 10, also announced that she was going to say goodbye to the series this season. An actor who wants to start new projects.
Two unexpected departures that will surely change the face of Grey’s Anatomy and especially the meaning of its title, since none of the Grey’s family members will be in the hospital anymore. Now it remains to be seen how the 20th season, which has already been ordered by ABC, will make up for this absence.
Find new episodes of Grey’s Anatomy Season 19 this Wednesday, April 26 from 9:10pm on TF1.
Source: Allocine
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
