'Grey's Anatomy' boss Meg Marinis in Texas spinoff, Ellen Pompeo and season 23 cliffhangers

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[This story contains some spoilers for Grey's Anatomy Season 23, "The Collision."]

Twenty-three seasons of Grey's Anatomy is going nowhere.

"No one has told me when the last season of Grey's will be," showrunner Meg Marinis told The Hollywood Reporter while chatting about the new season, which returned Thursday night.

That doesn't mean he doesn't ask. As the man behind ABC's long-running and hit medical drama, Marinis wants to be ready for whenever that day comes. "But it really seems like they want it to be a joint decision with Shonda," he says of show creator Rhimes. "The show has done so much for the studio and the network, they [want] to do it right. And they're not ready."

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They are instead in expansion mode. Grey's, whose previous spin-offs were Private Practice and Station 19, is getting a new spin-off set in a rural West Texas medical center in the 2026-2027 season. Marinis created and is writing the untitled series with Rhimes, and Grey's star/executive producer Ellen Pompeo is also executive producing the new show.

"It's about Grey's, but the stories will be different," says Marinis, who claims Texas as his home state. He always wanted to explore "what happens in medical deserts" as well as "the gap between people who can afford great health care and people who can't." The latter appears in Grey's Season 23 premiere "Collide," welcoming Meredith Pompeo to the hospital after the Season 22 finale left her and Nick (Scott Speedman) ringing in wedding bells.

When Gary returns, it's been a month since beloved doctors Teddy (Kim Rivers) and Owen (Kevin McKidd) left, and the episode's finale sets up more than enough threads to follow in the coming weeks. Below, Marinis talks about it all, including more about the spinoff, how he really feels about medical show competition (we're looking at you, The Pitt), and how much Pompeo will be on screen this season.

Congratulations on the Grey's spin-off news! We do know that the (yet-untitled) series will air sometime in the 2026-27 season, and will be set in a rural West Texas medical center — "the last chance for care before miles to nowhere." You and Grey's creator Shonda Rhimes are co-creating and writing the series, and Ellen Pompeo is executive producing. How has Grey's been doing on this second show?

(Laughs.) I have a great team here at Grey's that I rely on, and Shonda is doing the new team with me, so it's easier when it's just the two of us!

Where are you in your work on the spin-off? Is there a timeline?

We're working, I can't say too much, but we're at a point where I'm really, really excited. We're digging into real communities and real stories of what's happening in rural West Texas. There's a lot going on there that I haven't seen on TV. I'm excited to dive into that world. It is very different from Gary. It's related to Grey's, but the stories will be different.

Previous spinoffs were Grey's Private Practice and Station 19, but this feels a world away from Grey's Seattle Hospital. Were there any lessons learned from the two shows you're doing now?

The only lessons are good lessons from those two. They were very successful spin-offs that had a hardcore fan following. I loved them both. It's dear to me [Marinis is from Houston, Texas] and being on a medical show like Grey's, and hearing so much about what's going on in the medical desert, it's hard to show that in Seattle. I've always been interested in showing it and doing a small town show in Texas.

WillGrey launch a Texas show this season?

We have thoughts based on the show schedule and things like that, but we're still working on it, and also because there's so much going on at Grey's, I want to make sure I'm doing it somewhere that serves both shows equally.

How do you see this in the larger Grey's franchise? Does it show anything about the flagship?

It just extends the banner. No one has told me when the final season of Grey's will be. I think it is never! I always ask and they say, "Not now!" As a Season 23 host, you always want to be prepared to be aware of when to make this decision. But it really sounds like they want it to be a joint decision with Shanda. Since the series has done so much for the studio network, they want to do it right. And they are not ready

We last spoke after the end of last season and the departure of Kevin McKidd and Kevin McKidd and Teddy and Owen, which you said was a difficult decision and it had to do with the budget, something that is being experienced across the industry. How did you approach Season 23 with your very large ensemble? Will there be characters that we see more or less of? Do you still feel those limitations?

not yet I mean, you always feel the general limitations of a big band and what's going on in the industry, so I think about how often we go out on location and stuff like that. So General Limits, yes but no, these conversations are usually when they come back to me later in the season - to break the news to me!

We are currently in a positive position. In this show, the hospital has some budget issues as well, but that's mostly a continuation of what happened last year in terms of what's happening to research funding and funding for health care. Now Gary Sloan feels more than that.

How long has it been since the show's finale, and how will the hospital recover from the loss of veteran doctors Teddy and Owen?

It is about a month. We did this for several reasons. I've done straight up pickups for the past two seasons and I wanted to do something different, to start the stories in different places. Also, I didn't have Nick [Scott Speedman] available at the beginning of this season — he ended up in the hospital and was busy with [his ABC show] R.J. decker This played a role in the decision. And I really wanted this VIP class to come into the game. When we left last season, we didn't see that floor.

We're not mentioning Teddy and Owen in the premiere because it's been a month and I didn't want to start on such a low note. But we definitely feel the loss of Teddy and Owen, and I do too. I look for them in the scripts. We need to find a new boss. We do not have head trauma at the moment. And that's just going to overcrowd the hospital, maybe our ER isn't working the way it should. Winston [Anthony Hill] can do everything he can, but he's not a military trauma surgeon.

James Volk is a new character introduced in a four-part arc. Now we know his role - he is the new boss. Will that arc expand? And how extensive was your search for a new boss?

I'd love to have him, but, you know, bosses can come and go quickly in this show! But he is a great character. Writing for him is a lot of fun. He's also just a delightful human being and seems to really enjoy being here. We always have a long list of [actor] options that people send us. She matched that beautiful look we wanted. He really seems like a villain that you learn to love. Even when he's shy about money, he's still fascinating to watch.

You say you have a long list of actors who want to come and star in Grey's, a network show that is in its 23rd season. How does it make you feel as a showrunner about the appeal of the show still in the streaming era?

It makes me feel great. I credit it to filming our show in Los Angeles. It's really cool to do an arc in Los Angeles if you have family here. I think there's a reason we're in season 23. It works, and I think a lot of people are fans of the show and are curious about the show because it's been going on for so long. And also, we're really good here! People tell me all the time. Guest actors email me and say, "This is the most beautiful set I've ever been on."

The episode had a line similar to Kathryn Debbie Allen telling Ellen Pompeo, "Well, you're not here all the time" when she tells Meredith about the hiring of a new boss — which could also apply to Pompeo's lesser on-screen role. Did they enjoy doing that scene?

Yes, they really enjoyed it! Sometimes we write stuff like that and we don't even really think about it, and then when you watch it on set, you're like, "I didn't mean that!" (Laughs.) But you know Debbie threw some bugs in there and they were laughing. They both really laughed together.

How much will we see Ellen Pompeo on screen this season? I ask you every year, but is it more or less? as well? [Pompeo is also working as an EP on the Texas spin-off.]

Like I say, every year, we take him as far as we can. I know he's got a few things in the mix, but we're planning them and he's letting me know in advance the days he's around, and it's the same with Scott [Speedman]. It's a game of logistics, right? You want everyone to be able to do all their other projects because work is work and it's important to stay in the industry right now. He and I have a good relationship. We will plan everything, and I am happy to plan with him.

Will you be rooting for Meredith and Nick's wedding this season?

We will definitely see Scott later in the season. In the first show, we couldn't solve it. But we will see Scott and we will definitely tag that candidate.