TV followers are not any strangers to the whims of community selections. We’ve suffered quite a few heartbreaks when a community chooses to axe a present, typically with out warning.
The WGA/AMPTP author strikes of 2023 considerably affected the way forward for the sequence throughout all prime networks like CBS, FOX, NBC, and ABC. Plenty of exhibits have ended within the yr since.
Many exhibits, like Home Economics and The Rookie: FEDS, stunned loyal viewers. One lately canceled sequence that has skilled main upheaval is the Grey’s Anatomy firefighting spinoff Station 19.
Station 19 is at present on its seventh — and ultimate — season, a lot to viewers’ dismay.
Since the announcement in late 2023, followers all over the place have risen in protest. We’ve seen billboards, adverts, social media posts, and extra, all with the hashtag #SaveStation19.
Is Now the Right Time to Cancel Station 19?
Station 19 is the brainchild of Shonda Rhimes, the creator of Grey’s Anatomy. Grey’s has seen main success throughout three a long time.
The renewal for yet one more season simply dropped in March. Fans of Shondaland are equally thrilled at getting a twenty first season of Grey’s whereas dismayed on the ending of Station 19.
Station 19 has captured the hearts of loyal followers over its seven years. And these loyal followers aren’t prepared to surrender hope on maintaining Station 19 round longer.
Everyone hopes to save lots of the present. Except possibly me?
And why would not followers anticipate to have the ability to reserve it when quite a few exhibits obtained a cancellation order and had been picked up by a brand new community?
But for a present to get claimed by a brand new firm for extra seasons, you want a potent components that Station 19 may not possess.
If you’ve got learn any opinions or roundtables for this season of Station 19, you will see an ongoing pattern.
Dissatisfaction with how the most recent season is progressing.
We held out excessive hopes that the ultimate ten episodes would equal comfortable endings for our favourite firefighters.
But up to now, the storylines are rushed, the characters are appearing out of character, and every episode has been congested with an excessive amount of occurring.
It’s the identical icky feeling about how the community is dealing with the ultimate season of The Good Doctor.
Are the writers making an attempt to make sure followers do not get the renewal they need? Or are they so busy making an attempt to tie up storylines and preserve the motion going that they’ve developed ADHD neurodivergent who expertise the “oh, look, a squirrel” syndrome?
As loyal devotees, many first skilled trauma and the 5 phases of grief as they tried to return to phrases with shedding much more of their favourite folks.
When you start watching a present, it is simple to develop into deeply invested in its future and the characters it portrays. For Station 19, many fell in love with the troubled but loving Jack.
However, within the first few ultimate season episodes, I’ve develop into extremely resentful of how they’re doing his character.
He’s been absent since discovering he’ll by no means be a firefighter once more. Hopefully, he’ll reappear to complete the sequence.
But Jack is not the one character the writers have modified within the ultimate season.
Most of us are distraught and downright offended at how the writers are portraying the candy, ethical, overtly homosexual firefighter Travis.
Would the writers have made him this fashion if there was hope for a brand new season? Are they deliberately making us hate him so we can’t grieve for him when the present ends?
Or are the writers simply sadistic a-holes who quit on sticking to their character improvement since they do not have to fret a couple of season renewal?
Regardless of their plans, we’re starting to simply accept and even be grateful that this would be the final season at Station 19 earlier than they break everybody.
There are so many storylines up within the air they will not have the ability to resolve inside their restricted ten-episode season. They appear to have deserted their authentic plans to shove as a lot as potential into the final ten episodes.
Truthfully, even when they did not finish the sequence this season, they’ve taken the story so removed from its roots that it is presumably irredeemable.
And with many sad followers on the market, you possibly can really feel consolation figuring out you are not the one one.
What is Station 19?
Station 19 hit the small display screen in 2018 as a firefighting spinoff for the extremely profitable medical drama Grey’s Anatomy.
Over the years, there have been quite a few overlaps between the 2 sequence, with a couple of characters shifting from one present to the opposite.
If you are like me, you’ve got gotten into the Shondaland orbit late within the sport. When I tuned in, Station 19 was already in its fourth season, and Grey’s Anatomy was effectively into its second decade.
Grey’s was the plain place to begin, and till watching it, I used to be oblivious to Station 19’s existence.
As is typical for a lot of, devotion to the characters comes first. Then, when you decide up on the Grey’s-Station 19 crossover occasions, you need to cease your Grey’s viewing get together to get caught up with the firehouse.
Infatuation with Ben Warren and his love of badass Doctor Miranda Bailey from Grey’s Anatomy sealed the deal between the 2 sequence.
And who may blame us for shifting focus when Ben determined to go away the ER for the fireplace station?
That’s the lure of franchise tv. In no time in any respect, you’ve got linked with characters on a crossover present whereas being fairly disillusioned in others.
The storyline and characters hook you, and you retain each exhibits in your agenda.
It may very well be the pure development of a sequence, however the longer Station 19 stayed on the air, the extra stale every thing turned.
What are the Reasons Behind the Cancellation?
Fans had been shocked to be taught that Station 19 wouldn’t be renewed for an eighth season. With excessive scores and tens of millions of viewers, it appeared like a renewal could be a assure.
Alas, the ABC community had different concepts and sliced Station 19 from the roster for future seasons.
While there haven’t been any causes for the cancellation, we are able to speculate that it was a mixture of decrease viewing numbers and having to compete with the long-running hit first responder sequence, 9-1-1, airing on the identical night time.
Station 19 Season 1 started with low scores. But the community held its religion and continued to resume the present for extra seasons. Every season, it obtained higher scores than the final.
Then bother in paradise began to rear its head when the rankings dropped in Season 5. Many followers felt cheated by the loss of life of sequence common Miller.
Station 19 Season 6 was honored to be ABC Network’s highest-rated and most-watched drama for the 2022-2023 season (dwell+ same-day outcomes).
So, rating-wise, it is complicated to many followers as to why a present getting such good outcomes is getting canceled.
The similar factor occurred to the competitors, 9-1-1, which began on FOX. It aired for six seasons earlier than being unceremoniously canceled.
During its run, it averaged 7.3 million viewers a season. That’s excessive sufficient to make it the Number 1 watched FOX drama — ditto for attaining the top-rated and watched present on ABC.
Rather than let the present vanish into skinny air, ABC determined to present 9-1-1 a brand new residence. With Disney’s assets, maintaining with the prolonged solid their rising prices was a lot simpler than it will have been for FOX to proceed airing it even with its exceptional success.
It was thrilling information at first — till we realized it will be within the prime time slot beforehand held as Station 19.
What was as soon as an evening of the firefighters of 19 saving lives, adopted by the docs at Grey-Sloan Memorial, isn’t any extra. Now, the lineup begins with the depth of 9-1-1, adopted by Grey’s Anatomy, after which late into the night time, Station 19.
Another potential cause for ABC’s choice to cancel each Station 19 and The Good Doctor is budgeting.
One supply stated, “It got here right down to ABC wanting to economize in a push for a cheap schedule balancing scripted fare with actuality and dwell sports activities.”
Is There Hope That Station 19 Could Be Saved?
Given that 9-1-1 initially obtained a cancelation discover that was reversed by shifting to a brand new community, it offers many followers hope.
While their valiant efforts to maintain Station 19 on ABC with their ongoing petition appears moot, may there be redemption from one other community?
The petition hosted on Change.org began in December of 2023. It lists a number of networks in hopes that one will see the present’s profound impression on its followers and take motion.
Fans listed NBC, FOX, ABC, The Walt Disney Company, Hulu, HBO, Netflix, AppleTV, and OWN because the decision-makers.
Despite being began in 2023, the petition stays sturdy below the tag #SaveStation19.
In honor of the upcoming one centesimal episode amid a shortened 10-episode ultimate season, the petition requests that followers ship photos and a press release to clarify why they really feel Station 19 ought to keep on the air.
These admissions are then became postcards despatched to the community. Only time will inform if these pleas will bear any fruit.
Will Station 19’s Cancellation Affect Grey’s Anatomy?
Currently, the cancellation of Station 19 is not going to have an effect on the standing of Grey’s Anatomy. While Station 19 obtained a cancellation discover, it is the alternative for the sister present.
Grey’s Anatomy barely made it by way of airing the primary 5 episodes of the brand new season earlier than it obtained renewed for one more season. Grey’s twenty first season will probably be a serious achievement in a discipline the place only a few exhibits make it to the 10-year mark.
Grey’s renewal makes it the third longest-running scripted TV present, behind the Dick Wolf masterpieces Law & Order and Law & Order: SVU and Gunsmoke.
It will probably be disappointing that there will not be any extra crossovers between the solid of Grey’s and the heroes of Station 19. But does that unencumber power for a brand new sequence spinoff at a future date?
Please drop your feedback and inform us what you suppose. Are you okay with ABC’s option to cancel Station 19? Or will you signal the petition to maintain the present on the air?
Sara Trimble is a workers author for TV Fanatic. You can comply with her on X.
