TV followers are not any strangers to the whims of community selections. We have 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. Loads of exhibits have ended within the yr since.
Many exhibits, like Dwelling Economics and The Rookie: FEDS, stunned loyal viewers. One lately canceled sequence that has skilled main upheaval is the Gray’s Anatomy firefighting spinoff Station 19.
Station 19 is presently on its seventh — and ultimate — season, a lot to viewers’ dismay.
For the reason that announcement in late 2023, followers all over the place have risen in protest. We have seen billboards, advertisements, social media posts, and extra, all with the hashtag #SaveStation19.
Is Now the Proper Time to Cancel Station 19?
Station 19 is the brainchild of Shonda Rhimes, the creator of Gray’s Anatomy. Gray’s has seen main success throughout three many years.
The renewal for yet one more season simply dropped in March. Followers of Shondaland are equally thrilled at getting a twenty first season of Gray’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 preserving Station 19 round longer.
Everybody hopes to avoid wasting the present. Besides perhaps me?
And why would not followers anticipate to have the ability to put it aside when quite a few exhibits bought a cancellation order and had been picked up by a brand new community?
However for a present to get claimed by a brand new firm for extra seasons, you want a potent method that Station 19 may not possess.
When you’ve learn any critiques or roundtables for this season of Station 19, you will see an ongoing pattern.
Dissatisfaction with how the latest season is progressing.
We held out excessive hopes that the ultimate ten episodes would equal joyful endings for our favourite firefighters.
However to date, the storylines are rushed, the characters are appearing out of character, and every episode has been congested with an excessive amount of occurring.
It is the identical icky feeling about how the community is dealing with the ultimate season of The Good Physician.
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 maintain 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 levels of grief as they tried to come back to phrases with dropping much more of their favourite individuals.
Once you start watching a present, it is easy to change into deeply invested in its future and the characters it portrays. For Station 19, many fell in love with the troubled but loving Jack.
Nonetheless, within the first few ultimate season episodes, I’ve change into extremely resentful of how they’re doing his character.
He is been absent since discovering he’ll by no means be a firefighter once more. Hopefully, he’ll reappear to complete the sequence.
However Jack is not the one character the writers have modified within the ultimate season.
Most of us are distraught and downright indignant at how the writers are portraying the candy, ethical, overtly homosexual firefighter Travis.
Would the writers have made him this manner 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 surrender on sticking to their character improvement since they do not have to fret a few season renewal?
No matter 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 smash everybody.
There are such a lot of storylines up within the air they will not be capable 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.
Honestly, even when they did not finish the sequence this season, they’ve taken the story so removed from its roots that it is probably irredeemable.
And with many sad followers on the market, you possibly can really feel consolation realizing you are not the one one.
What’s Station 19?
Station 19 hit the small display screen in 2018 as a firefighting spinoff for the extremely profitable medical drama Gray’s Anatomy.
Over time, there have been quite a few overlaps between the 2 sequence, with a number of characters shifting from one present to the opposite.
When you’re like me, you’ve gotten gotten into the Shondaland orbit late within the sport. After I tuned in, Station 19 was already in its fourth season, and Gray’s Anatomy was effectively into its second decade.
Gray’s was the apparent 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 choose up on the Gray’s-Station 19 crossover occasions, you need to cease your Gray’s viewing get together to get caught up with the firehouse.
Infatuation with Ben Warren and his love of badass Physician Miranda Bailey from Gray’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 is the lure of franchise tv. Very quickly in any respect, you have 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 the whole lot grew to become.
What are the Causes Behind the Cancellation?
Followers had been shocked to study 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 can be a assure.
Alas, the ABC community had different concepts and sliced Station 19 from the roster for future seasons.
Whereas there haven’t been any causes for the cancellation, we are able to speculate that it was a mix 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. However the community held its religion and continued to resume the present for extra seasons. Each season, it bought 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 Community’s highest-rated and most-watched drama for the 2022-2023 season (stay+ 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 identical factor occurred to the competitors, 9-1-1, which began on FOX. It aired for six seasons earlier than being unceremoniously canceled.
Throughout its run, it averaged 7.3 million viewers a season. That is excessive sufficient to make it the Number one watched FOX drama — ditto for reaching the top-rated and watched present on ABC.
Quite than let the present vanish into skinny air, ABC determined to offer 9-1-1 a brand new house. With Disney’s assets, maintaining with the prolonged solid their rising prices was a lot simpler than it could have been for FOX to proceed airing it even with its exceptional success.
It was thrilling information at first — till we realized it could 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 Gray-Sloan Memorial, is not any extra. Now, the lineup begins with the depth of 9-1-1, adopted by Gray’s Anatomy, after which late into the night time, Station 19.
One other potential motive for ABC’s determination to cancel each Station 19 and The Good Physician 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 stay sports activities.”
Is There Hope That Station 19 Might Be Saved?
Provided that 9-1-1 initially obtained a cancelation discover that was reversed by shifting to a brand new community, it provides many followers hope.
Whereas 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 affect on its followers and take motion.
Followers listed NBC, FOX, ABC, The Walt Disney Firm, Hulu, HBO, Netflix, AppleTV, and OWN because the decision-makers.
Regardless of being began in 2023, the petition stays sturdy beneath the tag #SaveStation19.
In honor of the upcoming a 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 become postcards despatched to the community. Solely time will inform if these pleas will bear any fruit.
Will Station 19’s Cancellation Have an effect on Gray’s Anatomy?
Presently, the cancellation of Station 19 won’t have an effect on the standing of Gray’s Anatomy. Whereas Station 19 obtained a cancellation discover, it is the alternative for the sister present.
Gray’s Anatomy barely made it by means of airing the primary 5 episodes of the brand new season earlier than it bought renewed for one more season. Gray’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.
Gray’s renewal makes it the third longest-running scripted TV present, behind the Dick Wolf masterpieces Legislation & Order and Legislation & Order: SVU and Gunsmoke.
It is going to be disappointing that there will not be any extra crossovers between the solid of Gray’s and the heroes of Station 19. However does that release vitality 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 may follow her on X.
