“We Thought About a Lot of Things”: Shonda Rhimes Discusses ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Spin-Offs That Never Were

In the TV world, longevity goes hand in hand with spin-offs and offshoots. For Grey’s Anatomy, which is now airing Season 21 with no signs of slowing, the medical drama series has spawned two spin-offs, namely Private Practice, and Station 19. Compared with other equally long-running franchises, two is a relatively small number — case in point, TV procedurals such as Chicago Fire, Law & Order, CSI, and the NCIS universes have birthed multiple more. However, this seemingly contained expansion was not due to a lack of creative ideas. Beyond the two Grey’s Anatomy spin-offs that made it to screens, several others never materialized, and it was a deliberate creative choice, as now revealed by its original creator, Shonda Rhimes.