SAG Strike Destroys Grey's Anatomy 18-Year Tradition After Season 20 Delay
The hit medical drama’s tradition has flatlined, and there is no chance of saving it.
Since its inception in 2005, Grey’s Anatomy has released an impressive total of 19 compelling, steamy, and dramatic seasons without interruption, but season 20 will be different.
In March this year, Grey’s Anatomy’s 20th season was officially confirmed for the 2023-24 broadcast season, but due to the strike, writing for the season has not started, and it does not appear on ABC’s 2023-24 release schedule, indicating that production has been halted. People magazine confirmed this, sharing that the premiere would be delayed directly due to the strikes.
The delays do not just mean that fans will have to wait longer than usual for the next installment of the medical drama, it also means that an 18-year-long tradition has been broken.
Up until now, Grey’s has released a new season every year during its customary fall schedule. This will be the first time that Grey’s has not released a season on time and likely sets fans up for the longest wait between seasons to date.
The WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes have passed the 100-day mark, and, with no end in sight, it's not looking good for those of us waiting for the next installment of our favorite series.
The strikes, which began in May this year, have seen a complete halt in the production of movies and TV series, bringing the industry to a standstill, which means that anything not yet finished, will stay unfinished for a while.
Besides Grey’s Anatomy, other series such as Outer Banks, Stranger Things, and Yellowjackets have been delayed, as well as movies including Deadpool 3 and Spider-Man 4 have been delayed indefinitely. No matter what stage these projects were at, the strike would have brought them to a halt.
The last Writers’ strike took place from late 2007 to early 2008 and went on for exactly 100 days, and is estimated to have cost the economy around $2 billion. The current strike is reportedly costing the Californian economy an estimated $30 million for every day that it continues.
When the current strike began, Grey’s Anatomy’s scripts were not ready for production, so even when the strikes come to an end, there will be a long wait before filming for the acclaimed medical drama comes to an end. The way things are going, it looks like we won’t have Grey’s Anatomy on our screens anytime before mid-winter.
Those of us who have watched Grey’s, have stuck around after hospital shootings, a devastating plane crash, and worse. Their 18-year-long tradition may be broken, and it may be a while before we see our favorite doctors scrubbing in for another surgery, but the real fans know that it will be well worth the wait.
Source: People, Fastcompany.