Grey’s Anatomy has been loving it up in its current time slot, but things are about to change! The medical drama is moving to a different time on ABC’s schedule. It is all happening when Grey’s Anatomy starts up in the midseason. When is it moving to? Not too far away from its current slot, because it will be airing an hour later.
When Grey’s Anatomy returns on Thursday, January 23, 2020, it will do so at 9 p.m. ET on ABC. This new time slot now means fans waiting another hour to check in on all of the show’s romances, new cast members, and medical crises, because right now Grey’s Anatomy airs at 8 p.m. ET. So, what is going in its place?
Well, a pretty great fit! The Grey’s Anatomy spinoff, Station 19, will air in its predecessor's former slot when it returns for Season 3. The transition will put Station 19 as the lead in for the long-running Grey’s Anatomy. The series will kick off their back-to-back schedules with a two-hour crossover event! Brace yourself for that!
It is not the first time that Grey’s Anatomy and Station 19 have crossed over, so another crossover is not entirely unexpected news. Grey’s Anatomy introduced a new romance via a Station 19 love interest for Jackson earlier in Season 16. ABC is teasing the crossover as “powerful,” so fans will want to tune in for that.
Grey’s Anatomy is not the only show set to make room for Station 19’s January return. A Million Little Things will move from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. in January. All of the schedule reshuffling means both dramas moving to a slot an hour later, a change that is not too dramatic. Moving to another night would be a different story!
What is behind all of the changes? Well, Station 19’s return meant having to restructure. Having it as a lead-in to Grey’s Anatomy instead of the other way around is interesting. I traditionally think of the predecessor series, with an established fan base, as paving the way into the spinoff. After all, Grey’s Anatomy recently celebrated its 350th episode.
ABC may not think Station 19 needs a lead-in at this point. It does have two seasons under its belt, which means it has had time to develop a following of its own. Grey’s Anatomy airing after Station 19 indicates that the first half of the crossover will occur on the spinoff before heading into Grey’s. Talk about starting Season 3 strong!
As for Grey’s Anatomy fans, they can likely expect more heartbreaking moments and more scenes to get heated about. No matter what time it comes on, you can undoubtedly count on things to remain intriguing!
For now, new episodes of Grey’s Anatomy will air on Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. Starting January 23, 2020, Grey’s Anatomy will move to 9 p.m. on Thursdays. New episodes of the series’ sixteenth season are part of this winter’s premieres.
