TV fans are no strangers to the whims of network decisions. We’ve suffered numerous heartbreaks when a network chooses to axe a show, often without warning.
The WGA/AMPTP writer strikes of 2023 significantly affected the future of the series across all prime networks like CBS, FOX, NBC, and ABC. Plenty of shows have ended in the year since.
Many shows, like Home Economics and The Rookie: FEDS, surprised loyal viewers. One recently canceled series that has experienced major upheaval is the Grey’s Anatomy firefighting spinoff Station 19.
Station 19 is currently on its seventh — and final — season, much to viewers’ dismay.
Since the announcement in late 2023, fans everywhere have risen in protest. We’ve seen billboards, ads, social media posts, and more, 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 major success across three decades.
The renewal for yet another season just dropped in March. Fans of Shondaland are equally thrilled at getting a 21st season of Grey’s while dismayed at the ending of Station 19.
Station 19 has captured the hearts of loyal fans over its seven years. And these loyal fans aren’t ready to give up hope on keeping Station 19 around longer.
Everyone hopes to save the show. Except maybe me?
And why wouldn’t fans expect to be able to save it when numerous shows got a cancellation order and were picked up by a new network?
But for a show to get claimed by a new company for additional seasons, you need a potent formula that Station 19 might not possess.
If you’ve read any reviews or roundtables for this season of Station 19, you’ll see an ongoing trend.
Dissatisfaction with how the newest season is progressing.
We held out high hopes that the final ten episodes would equal happy endings for our favorite firefighters.
But so far, the storylines are rushed, the characters are acting out of character, and each episode has been congested with too much happening.
It’s the same icky feeling about how the network is handling the final season of The Good Doctor.
Are the writers trying to ensure fans don’t get the renewal they want? Or are they so busy trying to tie up storylines and keep the action going that they’ve developed ADHD neurodivergent who experience the “oh, look, a squirrel” syndrome?
As loyal devotees, many first experienced trauma and the five stages of grief as they tried to come to terms with losing even more of their favorite people.
When you begin watching a show, it’s easy to become deeply invested in its future and the characters it portrays. For Station 19, many fell in love with the troubled yet loving Jack.
However, in the first few final season episodes, I’ve become highly resentful of how they’re doing his character.
He’s been absent since discovering he’ll never be a firefighter again. Hopefully, he’ll reappear to finish the series.
But Jack isn’t the only character the writers have changed in the final season.
Most of us are distraught and downright angry at how the writers are portraying the sweet, moral, openly gay firefighter Travis.
Would the writers have made him this way if there was hope for a new season? Are they intentionally making us hate him so we won’t grieve for him when the show ends?
Or are the writers just sadistic a-holes who give up on sticking to their character development since they don’t have to worry about a season renewal?
Regardless of their plans, we’re beginning to accept and even be thankful that this will be the last season at Station 19 before they ruin everyone.
There are so many storylines up in the air they won’t be able to resolve within their limited ten-episode season. They seem to have abandoned their original plans to shove as much as possible into the last ten episodes.
Truthfully, even if they didn’t end the series this season, they’ve taken the story so far from its roots that it’s possibly irredeemable.
And with many unhappy fans out there, you can feel comfort knowing you’re not the only one.
What is Station 19?
Station 19 hit the small screen in 2018 as a firefighting spinoff for the highly successful medical drama Grey’s Anatomy.
Over the years, there have been numerous overlaps between the two series, with a few characters moving from one show to the other.
If you’re like me, you have gotten into the Shondaland orbit late in the game. When I tuned in, Station 19 was already in its fourth season, and Grey’s Anatomy was well into its second decade.
Grey’s was the obvious starting point, and until watching it, I was oblivious to Station 19’s existence.
As is typical for many, devotion to the characters comes first. Then, once you pick up on the Grey’s-Station 19 crossover events, you have to stop your Grey’s viewing party 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 two series.
And who could blame us for shifting focus when Ben decided to leave the ER for the fire station?
That’s the lure of franchise television. In no time at all, you’ve connected with characters on a crossover show while being quite disappointed in others.
The storyline and characters hook you, and you keep both shows on your agenda.
It could be the natural progression of a series, but the longer Station 19 stayed on the air, the more stale everything became.
What are the Reasons Behind the Cancellation?
Fans were shocked to learn that Station 19 would not be renewed for an eighth season. With high ratings and millions of viewers, it seemed like a renewal would be a guarantee.
Alas, the ABC network had other ideas and sliced Station 19 from the roster for future seasons.
While there have not been any reasons for the cancellation, we can speculate that it was a combination of lower viewing numbers and having to compete with the long-running hit first responder series, 9-1-1, airing on the same night.
Station 19 Season 1 began with low ratings. But the network held its faith and continued to renew the show for additional seasons. Every season, it got better ratings than the last.
Then trouble in paradise started to rear its head when the rankings dropped in Season 5. Many fans felt cheated by the death of series regular Miller.
Station 19 Season 6 was honored to be ABC Network’s highest-rated and most-watched drama for the 2022-2023 season (live+ same-day results).
So, rating-wise, it’s confusing to many fans as to why a show getting such good results is getting canceled.
The same thing happened to the competition, 9-1-1, which started on FOX. It aired for six seasons before being unceremoniously canceled.
During its run, it averaged 7.3 million viewers a season. That’s high enough to make it the Number 1 watched FOX drama — ditto for achieving the top-rated and watched show on ABC.
Rather than let the show vanish into thin air, ABC decided to give 9-1-1 a new home. With Disney’s resources, keeping up with the extended cast their rising costs was much easier than it would have been for FOX to continue airing it even with its remarkable success.
It was exciting news at first — until we learned it would be in the prime time slot previously held as Station 19.
What was once a night of the firefighters of 19 saving lives, followed by the docs at Grey-Sloan Memorial, is no more. Now, the lineup starts with the intensity of 9-1-1, followed by Grey’s Anatomy, and then late into the night, Station 19.
Another potential reason for ABC’s decision to cancel both Station 19 and The Good Doctor is budgeting.
One source said, “It came down to ABC wanting to save money in a push for an economical schedule balancing scripted fare with reality and live sports.”
Is There Hope That Station 19 Could Be Saved?
Given that 9-1-1 originally received a cancelation notice that was reversed by moving to a new network, it gives many fans hope.
While their valiant efforts to keep Station 19 on ABC with their ongoing petition seems moot, could there be redemption from another network?
The petition hosted on Change.org started in December of 2023. It lists several networks in hopes that one will see the show’s profound impact on its fans and take action.
Fans listed NBC, FOX, ABC, The Walt Disney Company, Hulu, HBO, Netflix, AppleTV, and OWN as the decision-makers.
Despite being started in 2023, the petition remains strong under the tag #SaveStation19.
In honor of the upcoming 100th episode amid a shortened 10-episode final season, the petition requests that fans send pictures and a statement to explain why they feel Station 19 should stay on the air.
These admissions are then turned into postcards sent to the network. Only time will tell if these pleas will bear any fruit.
Will Station 19’s Cancellation Affect Grey’s Anatomy?
Currently, the cancellation of Station 19 will not affect the status of Grey’s Anatomy. While Station 19 received a cancellation notice, it’s the opposite for the sister show.
Grey’s Anatomy barely made it through airing the first five episodes of the new season before it got renewed for another season. Grey’s 21st season will be a major achievement in a field where very few shows make it to the 10-year mark.
Grey’s renewal makes it the third longest-running scripted TV show, behind the Dick Wolf masterpieces Law & Order and Law & Order: SVU and Gunsmoke.
It will be disappointing that there won’t be any more crossovers between the cast of Grey’s and the heroes of Station 19. But does that free up energy for a new series spinoff at a future date?
Please drop your comments and tell us what you think. Are you okay with ABC’s choice to cancel Station 19? Or will you sign the petition to keep the show on the air?
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Sara Trimble is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. You can follow her on X.
