Grey's Anatomy has been bumped to a later time slot for season 21, here's what's airing in its place

The ABC fall 2024 schedule is out, and as usual, there are some changes coming. One of those is to TGIT with Grey’s Anatomy season 21 airing at a later time than we’re used to.

ABC announced that it’s new TGIT lineup will start with 911 and end with Grey’s Anatomy. Yes, the doctors of Grey Sloan Memorial will need to stay up until 11 p.m., as the episode will begin in the 10 p.m. ET/PT timeslot.

This is a tricky timeslot, but if any show can survive the move, it’s Grey’s Anatomy. ABC has usually put on a new series behind Grey’s Anatomy on Thursdays, but it’s not been a successful decision. In fact, in recent years, we’ve seen the early cancellations of Alaska Daily and Rebel. They just couldn’t get the viewers needed.

What’s taking Grey’s Anatomy spot in the schedule?

With Grey’s Anatomy moving to a later hour and Station 19 ending with season 7, what does this mean for the 9 p.m. ET/PT timeslot? What is taking the timeslot instead?

Well, it looks like ABC is learning from mistakes of the past. A new series is going to air at 9 p.m., which will hopefully give it a better chance of success following 911 and not being held until the last timeslot of Thursday night.

That new series is Doctor Odyssey starring Joshua Jackson. It’s the new Ryan Murphy series, so it is perfectly paired with fellow Murphy series 911. The series follows Jackson’s Doctor Odyssey, who works onboard a cruise ship. He uses his charms to help him get what he wants. Just what sort of trouble could he see on the cruise ship? Well, if 911 is anything to judge, a lot!

What does this mean for Grey’s?

While Grey’s Anatomy moving to a later hour is good for the new series, what does it mean for the long-running medical drama? Is this a sign that the series is coming to an end?

Not quite yet. Disney TV Group President Craig Erwich told Deadline that the audience is “very loyal” and this doesn’t mean the series is coming to an end soon. That’s despite the budget cuts and recent news that Jake Borelli is leaving the series after the current season. He doesn’t think the move is going to affect too much for the series.

This isn’t the first time Grey’s Anatomy has changed timeslots. It originally aired (in the spring!) in the middle timeslot of the night. After the first season, it moved to the fall and then eventually it moved to the first slot of the night. Then it moved back to the middle slot.

It’s also not the only show to move from where fans are used to seeing it. We just have to look at CBS, where NCIS used to hold the first slot of Tuesdays and then a few years ago moved to Mondays at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Everyone feared that would mean the show would lose viewers and end up canceled. While it did see a dip in the linear ratings, the audience is still loyal and the series is still going. Grey’s does have a similar loyal audience and could survive this move.

Only time will tell at this point.