Grey’s Anatomy Season 20 Finale Leaves Grey Sloan Doctors’ Fates in Jeopardy

Grey’s Anatomy and while the long-running series is known for its cliffhanger season finales, this week’s “Burn It Down” left a lot of things up in the air when it came to the fates of most of Grey Sloan’s doctors — and it could have major impact on the show’s landscape in Season 21.

Warning: Spoilers for the Season 20 finale of Grey’s Anatomy beyond this point. Read on only if you want to know.

A lot went down in the Season 20 finale as Grey Sloan dealt with an influx of patients from a wildfire raging just outside Seattle. Going into the episode, Teddy (Kim Raver) had already been fired by Catherine (Debbie Allen) for secretly funding Meredith’s (Ellen Pompeo) Alzheimer’s research and it turns out that wouldn’t be the only firing by the episode’s end. When Meredith shows up at Grey Sloan to present to Catherine her and Amelia’s (Caterina Scorsone) research, instead of it being enough to save Teddy’s job, Catherine demands that they turn the research over to another doctor claiming it’s property of the Fox Foundation — or they will both be fired.

By the end of the episode, Meredith and Amelia decided that the right thing to do would be to just publish the research in defiance of Catherine and, as a result, both they and Teddy found themselves no longer with hospital access. And they weren’t alone. Owen (Kevin McKidd) found himself out of a job as well after standing up to Catherine to allow Teddy in the operating room during a dire surgeon shortage amid the fire crisis. The episode ended with the doctors’ professional fates in the balance, as well as those of the interns and potentially even Miranda (Chandra Wilson) who also stood up to Catherine when it came to the fate of one of the interns.

Cast Changes Are Ahead for Season 21 of Grey’s Anatomy

The cliffhanger regarding the staff situation at Grey Sloan leaves things an interesting place for Season 21. It was previously announced that both Jake Borelli, who plays Dr. Levi Schmitt, and Midori Francis (who plays Dr. Mika Yasuda) are both exiting the series, though are expected to return for a few episodes of Season 21 to wrap up their storylines. It was also previously reported that contracts for several other actors were set to expire at the end of Season 20 — including Wilson, McKidd, Raver, Scorsone, Camilla Luddington, and James Pickens Jr.

Grey’s Anatomy Has Been Renewed For Season 21.

Back in April, ABC renewed Grey’s Anatomy for Season 21, continuing the drama’s run as the longest running primetime medical drama in television history as well as the longest running primetime series in ABC history. The series first debuted in 2005.

“The loyalty and love of Grey’s Anatomy fans has propelled us into a history 21st season, and I could not be more grateful,” series creator and executive producer Shonda Rhimes said at the time. “Meg Marinis’ storytelling is a gift that continues to keep the show vibrant, compelling and alive, and I can’t wait to see what she has in store for next season.”