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We’re well into Grey’s Anatomy Season 17, and many viewers are starting to wonder how many new episodes are left before the grand finale. Typically, viewers can count on lengthy seasons. But given the circumstances amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, it’s possible some changes have impacted the production schedule. So here’s what to expect from the end of Grey’s Anatomy Season 17.

The ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Season 17 episode count

Ellen Pompeo as Meredith Grey scratching her head in ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Season 17 Episode 9
Ellen Pompeo as Meredith Grey in ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Season 17 | Ron Batzdorff via Getty Images

In March 2021, Camilla Luddington (who plays Jo Wilson) stopped by the Chicks in the Office podcast. The actor opened up about Grey’s Anatomy Season 17 and revealed the current cycle will have a shorter episode count in 2021.

“Usually, we do about 24, 25 episodes. That’s about nine months of the year. We could make a Grey’s baby in the time that we film,” Luddington said. “I know we’re just doing 17 this season.”

Meanwhile, Grey’s Anatomy showrunner Krista Vernoff confirmed there will be 17 episodes this season in an interview with Variety. 

“We’re shooting 10-hour days,” Vernoff said. “And that is a really, really significant change to what we’re able to accomplish and shoot.”

How many new episodes of ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Season 17 are left to watch 

On April 8, ABC released Grey’s Anatomy Season 17 Episode 11, titled “Sorry Doesn’t Always Make It Right.” So given the episode count, the Shondaland drama has six new episodes left to air as of this write-up. 

Meanwhile, the network has yet to announce the Grey’s Anatomy Season 17 finale date. But if there are no breaks in the schedule, it’s likely the season will end in May 2021. That said, fans will just have to wait and see what happens next.

Will the ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Season 17 finale be the series finale?

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As things stand, the end of Grey’s Anatomy Season 17 is still up in the air. ABC has yet to renew the hit medical series for season 18. Meanwhile, Vernoff revealed the final episode could be a season finale and series finale. In March, the showrunner told The Hollywood Reporter:

I’m planning a season and a finale that could function as either a season finale or a series finale. I’m planning for both contingencies and it’s hard and it’s not ideal. It’s not where I wish we were. I’ve told [ABC executives] that I have to know before I’m making the finale what we’re making. Because there are a couple of character threads that will change. Either there will be closure or I will build something in that allows me to have a bit of a cliffhanger and a thread for next season.

Meanwhile, Chandra Wilson (who plays Miranda Bailey) stopped by Live with Kelly and Ryan in late March and suggested the Grey’s Anatomy cast still doesn’t know whether the show will return for another season. 

“We’ll know when ABC makes their announcement,” Wilson said when asked about Grey’s Anatomy Season 18. “And not a second before that.”

Grey’s Anatomy Season 17 airs Thursday nights on ABC.

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