TV followers are not any strangers to the whims of community choices. 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 collection throughout all prime networks like CBS, FOX, NBC, and ABC. Loads of exhibits have ended within the 12 months since.
Many exhibits, like Dwelling Economics and The Rookie: FEDS, stunned loyal viewers. One just lately canceled collection that has skilled main upheaval is the Gray’s Anatomy firefighting spinoff Station 19.
Station 19 is at the moment on its seventh — and remaining — season, a lot to viewers’ dismay.
Because the announcement in late 2023, followers in all places have risen in protest. We have seen billboards, adverts, 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 a long time.
The renewal for 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 retaining Station 19 round longer.
Everybody hopes to avoid wasting the present. Besides perhaps me?
And why would not followers count on to have the ability to reserve it 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 components that Station 19 won’t possess.
Should you’ve learn any evaluations or roundtables for this season of Station 19, you will see an ongoing development.
Dissatisfaction with how the latest season is progressing.
We held out excessive hopes that the ultimate ten episodes would equal blissful endings for our favourite firefighters.
However up to now, the storylines are rushed, the characters are performing out of character, and every episode has been congested with an excessive amount of taking place.
It is the identical icky feeling about how the community is dealing with the ultimate season of The Good Physician.
Are the writers attempting to make sure followers do not get the renewal they need? Or are they so busy attempting 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 shedding much more of their favourite individuals.
Whenever you start watching a present, it is simple to turn out to be deeply invested in its future and the characters it portrays. For Station 19, many fell in love with the troubled but loving Jack.
Nevertheless, within the first few remaining season episodes, I’ve turn out to be 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 collection.
However Jack is not the one character the writers have modified within the remaining season.
Most of us are distraught and downright offended at how the writers are portraying the candy, ethical, brazenly 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 quit on sticking to their character growth 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 wreck 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 unique plans to shove as a lot as potential into the final ten episodes.
In truth, even when they did not finish the collection 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 understanding you are not the one one.
What’s Station 19?
Station 19 hit the small display 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 collection, with a couple of characters shifting from one present to the opposite.
Should you’re like me, you’ve gotten into the Shondaland orbit late within the recreation. 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 celebration 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 collection.
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’ve got related 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 could possibly be the pure development of a collection, however the longer Station 19 stayed on the air, the extra stale every part grew to become.
What are the Causes Behind the Cancellation?
Followers had been shocked to be taught that Station 19 wouldn’t be renewed for an eighth season. With excessive scores and thousands and thousands 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.
Whereas there haven’t been any causes for the cancellation, we will speculate that it was a mixture of decrease viewing numbers and having to compete with the long-running hit first responder collection, 9-1-1, airing on the identical evening.
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 collection 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 No 1 watched FOX drama — ditto for reaching the top-rated and watched present on ABC.
Fairly than let the present vanish into skinny air, ABC determined to provide 9-1-1 a brand new residence. With Disney’s sources, 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 outstanding success.
It was thrilling information at first — till we discovered 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 evening, Station 19.
One other potential motive for ABC’s choice to cancel each Station 19 and The Good Physician is budgeting.
One supply mentioned, “It got here right down to ABC wanting to save cash in a push for a cost-effective 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 acquired 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 impression 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 robust below the tag #SaveStation19.
In honor of the upcoming a centesimal episode amid a shortened 10-episode remaining season, the petition requests that followers ship footage 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. Solely time will inform if these pleas will bear any fruit.
Will Station 19’s Cancellation Have an effect on Gray’s Anatomy?
At present, the cancellation of Station 19 is not going to have an effect on the standing of Gray’s Anatomy. Whereas Station 19 acquired a cancellation discover, it is the other for the sister present.
Gray’s Anatomy barely made it by airing the primary 5 episodes of the brand new season earlier than it bought renewed for one more season. Gray’s twenty first season can be a significant achievement in a area 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.
Will probably 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 unlock vitality for a brand new collection 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 employees author for TV Fanatic. You possibly can follow her on X.
