The Grey’s Anatomy universe is expanding.
Thursday’s episode of Grey’s Anatomy will introduce Shondaland’s newest leading lady, Station 19‘s Andy Herrera (Jaina Lee Ortiz), kicking off the big TGIT Crossover Event — the hour is followed by a Scandal and How to Get Away with Murder crossover.
Station 19, which will make its formal debut on Thursday, March 22, follows a heroic group of firefighters at the nearby firehouse. And since the fictional Station 19 is just three blocks down from Grey Sloan Memorial, the spin-off is ripe with crossover opportunities, hence Andy being introduced on the flagship first. But she’ll do so in memorable fashion, arriving at the hospital with her hand inside a patient.
“She’s basically in someone else’s house, and she has no idea what to do,” Ortiz tells EW. “It’s scary and stressful. I mean, I’m excited; I don’t know if Andy’s excited, but in a way, Andy lives for the adrenaline. It’s everything she knows. In this particular situation, there’s this panic. Andy’s so used to just stopping and dropping off the people at the hospital, not ever having to go inside and finish the job. So it’s scary, but also very fascinating.”
That’s a lot like how Ortiz felt stepping into Andy Herrera’s shoes in the world of Grey’s. “I felt so special and so very happy to be there,” she says. “It was a surreal feeling of having binge-watched Grey’s Anatomy for several years, so to finally be walking on their set, I can’t even put it into words. Just being able to work with Ellen [Pompeo], who is an icon, I can’t even. I tried to pinch myself many times. It was that surreal.”
Grey’s Anatomy‘s own leading lady, Meredith Grey (Pompeo), will be there to guide Andy through the situation, creating a bond between them that will come back into play during Station 19‘s upcoming debut. “Eventually, we’ll get to discover that they have similar life experiences growing up,” Ortiz says. “I think they’re both bonded because emotionally there are things that females go through in their industries. A lot of it tends to be bottled up inside, but when you have another female who can connect with you and feel what you’re feeling, there’s this instant sisterhood that evolves and develops.”
“I feel like they’re both independent, strong, successful, smart women who just want to be the best in their profession,” she continues. “They’re human. At the end of the day, they’re not perfect, they’re going to make mistakes, they’re going to fall, and eventually have to get back up. But when you have that support, when you have someone there, it makes life easier.”
Pompeo, too, was able to offer some advice to Ortiz on how to be a Shondaland leading lady. “She shared with me many nuggets,” Ortiz says. “The best thing I got from her is to take care of myself. Obviously, the schedule of drama TV is very hectic, and it involves putting in 70 hours plus a week, so she advised me to take care of myself, eat well, get rest, and make sure that I’m prepared and ready and available to perform at my best, just so that I can be there for everyone else in the show. That was what I took away.”
Grey’s Anatomy airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. Station 19 will have a two-hour premiere at 8 p.m. on Thursday, March 22, and then will shift to its regular 9 p.m. slot. Scandal will then shift to 10 p.m. for its final run, with a series finale on April 19.
Attention, all Shondaland fans. If your Thursdays weren't packed enough already, Grey's Anatomy is getting another spinoff, and it takes place somewhere just as high pressure as a hospital: a Seattle fire station. Station 19 is the latest brainchild from Grey’s Anatomy's Shonda Rhimes and Stacy McKee, and from the looks of it, things at this station are about to seriously heat up (pun intended). Here, find everything you need to know about the new show.
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What is it?
Station 19 is a Grey's Anatomy spinoff set at Seattle Fire Station 19, located just three blocks down from Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. The action-drama will follow the group of firefighters through their rescues and personal dramas. This is the second Grey's spinoff—the first was Private Practice.
How many episodes will there be?
The show, which was picked up straight-to-series, will have 10 episodes in its first season. A second season has yet to be confirmed.
What's it about?
While Station 19 promises to follow various firefighters, in the trailer we're mostly introduced to Captain Pruitt (Miguel Sandoval), the head of the station, and his daughter Andy Herrera (Jaina Lee Ortiz). After a traumatic fire, Pruitt steps down, meaning Herrera steps up to lead the firehouse. There also seems to be a love triangle brewing between Herrera, fellow firefighter Jack Gibson (Grey Damon), and Ryan Tanner (Alberto Frezza), Herrera's childhood friend. Grey's star Ben Warren (Jason George) is also part of the show, as a former doctor turned firefighter. Other characters will include Maya Bishop (Danielle Savre), Travis Montgomery (Jay Hayden), and Victoria Hughes (Barrett Doss).
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When does it air?
Station 19 will have a two-hour premiere on Thursday, March 22, on ABC at 9 P.M. EST. But audiences will get their first introduction to some of the Station 19 characters during a crossover episode of Grey's on March 1. During the crossover episode, Ben and Andy visit Grey Sloan after rescuing two boys in a house fire.
Alright rookies, TONIGHT is the night! Get to know our leading lady, Andy, in tonight's @GreysABC episode at 8|7c! pic.twitter.com/bUh0POvX0i — Station 19 (@Station19) March 1, 2018
What else does it have in common with Grey's?
McKee, an executive producer on Grey's, writes Station 19 and serves as its showrunner. McKee is also an executive producer on the show, along with Grey's alums Rhimes and Betsy Beers. Ellen Pompeo, who stars on Grey's, is also a co-executive producer on the spinoff, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Can I watch the trailer?
Yes!
When is an episode of Grey’s Anatomy not just an episode of Grey’s Anatomy? When it’s also kinda-sorta partially an episode of the ABC drama’s spinoff, Station 19 (which premieres on Thursday, March 22). In “You Really Got a Hold On Me,” Ben and fellow firefighter Andy Herrera (Jaina Lee Ortiz) rolled up to Grey Sloan after saving two brothers from going up in smoke. Actually, make that “after mostly saving two brothers.” Turned out, Andy would have to take a hands-on approach with one of them until Meredith could work her magic in the O.R. Read on, and I’ll explain…
YOU LOOK 12; CAN YOU FIND A GROWNUP… ?’ | As the hour began, Alex and Amelia were worried about how they were going to treat Kimmy since they hadn’t gotten into the Grey Sloan Surgical Innovation Contest; Meredith was worried about convincing the doctor who owned her polymer patent to let her use it in her project; taking Harriet from Jackson, April piqued his concern by admitting that she was hungover; and cleared by Maggie to return to work, Bailey was eager to hit the O.R. Shortly, Ben arrived at Grey Sloan with the first of the aforementioned brothers and explained that their injuries were the result of a fiery chemistry experiment gone awry. While the youngster sweetly worried that his sibling would get in trouble with their mom, Warren asked that Mer and April hang back to wait for the second rig, as the other boy had been bleeding from the abdomen. In response, Andy had stuck her hand inside him! When not being dismissive of baby-faced Levi, Herrera learned — from Glasses, we might add — that she had in her hand the patient’s abdominal aorta. If she moved her hand even the teensiest bit, the kid wouldn’t be going into surgery, he’d be going to the morgue! (Side note: Ambulance rides not usually being super smooth, how on earth did she not already move her hand?)
Though Andy’s hand and arm were numb, she was game to maintain her position while the gurney was removed from the ambulance. (What choice did she have, really?) Of course, it was during this risky maneuver that the call came for Grey from the patent owner. Unable to take it, she heard from Taryn that the doc had not sounded happy. While Ben seemed to have difficulty keeping himself from doctoring brother No. 1, Mer distracted Andy from the predicament (and abdomen) she was in by telling her about the contest and “this old guy in Madrid” who holds the patent (which she needed to get fast, before April found out). Unwilling to head back to the station, Ben tried to “help” Andy, who instead sent him back to work. In the O.R., Mer freaked Andy out by having her actually pitch in with the surgery. “You run into fires,” Grey pointed out. “You can do this.” And, as a matter of fact, she did do it. Later, Andy marveled that Ben had done that — been a surgeon — and was giving it up. Explaining his reasoning, he recalled the time he’d cut open a patient with a clipboard and got in trouble for it. He wanted a job where he could do whatever it took to help someone, and that would be a positive thing. When again, Mer got the call from Madrid but couldn’t take it, Andy jumped in, speaking to him in Spanish. Meanwhile, Richard reminded Ben that he’d made his career choice, and if he wanted to be at Grey Sloan, he could be there in the waiting room. As the episode neared its end, Andy revealed to Mer that she had gotten Grey an appointment with her patent holder when he was in the States the following week, and Ben appeared to have made peace with having left behind his surgical career.
‘IS THAT A FIREABLE OFFENSE?’ | Concerned about April, Jackson pumped for information Arizona, who advised him that Kepner wasn’t the same Kepner that she’d been with him, and she was trying to figure out how to be happy without him. So maaaybe he could just be happy for her. Later, in the cafeteria, Jackson learned from Arizona that Maggie was still dating Clive. He had a date that night himself, he said. Overhearing Vik and Levi joking about April, aka Dr. Party, Jackson stepped in and cut short his ex’s boy toy’s lunch break. When the hour’s ending neared, Avery asked his ex for coffee, admitting that he was worried about her. “You’re Harriet’s dad, you’re not mine,” she reminded him. That night, Arizona got a firsthand look at just how hard April was partying with the interns.
‘YOU’RE A TERRIBLE WINGMAN, ALVIN’ | Since Amelia and Alex’s experiments in hopes of helping Kimmy had failed, Amelia called in reinforcements in the form of her former mentor/hookup Koracick, who immediately wrote off Karev as Amelia’s team mascot. While he seemed mainly interested in coming on to Amelia, Sam got flustered since Koracick was an idol of hers, leading to a slight laser mishap. Bemused by the disaster, he cracked, “I can’t believe this project hasn’t been funded.” When Koracick noticed how hot Sam was, DeLuca accidentally made him notice how jealous he was. Later, DeLuca made the mistake of revealing the reason for Amelia’s rush with the project: Kimmy. Only, instead of be his usual obnoxious self, he hit it right off with the musical-theatre fan. Alas, “she’s got a few months to live,” he said, “if she’s lucky.” When he tried to bail, Amelia lit into him, and in the heat of their argument, an idea came to him that, against all odds, might give Kimmy a chance. “It’s brilliant,” he declared, then corrected himself. “I’m brilliant!” As the episode neared its conclusion, the first trial of Koracick’s idea wasn’t a resounding success, yet it showed some promise. (Plus, Alex did a mini-duet with Kimmy… aw!)
‘MY VACATION IS OVER!’ | When fire boy No. 1 deliriously removed the object protruding from his leg, it started spurting blood dramatically. Since Owen had just left him with Dahlia, she had to think fast and took off her hijab to stop the bleeding. During surgery on the kid, Richard pushed Bailey to ease herself back in after her, ahem, vacation. Watching from the gallery, Ben did the same thing, and only succeeded in irritating his wife. When the kids’ mom arrived, Bailey forbade Dahlia from giving her an update — she was just an intern, after all. Miranda’s stress level rising, she finally admitted to the whole O.R. that she’d had a heart attack and insisted that she wouldn’t have come back to work if she hadn’t been able to handle it. Outside the O.R., Richard filled in the boys’ mom on their condition. When she broke down in tears, so did Dahlia. In the end, both brothers pulled through. Owen returned Dahlia’s cleaned hijab and complimented her on a job well done.
So, what did you think of the episode? Andy? Did this hour make you more or less likely to give Station 19 a try? Hit the comments.
ABC is heating up! The Grey’s Anatomy spinoff, Station 19, is right around the corner. With the official premiere later this month, the Thursday, March 1, episode of Grey’s Anatomy will introduce a few firefighters set to star in the new show. However, it’s no secret that there are other firefighting dramas on TV — it’s part of the reason this one isn’t called Seattle Fire.
However, with Shonda Rimes at its helm, this will be different, the Station 19 stars tell Us Weekly.
“It’s a part of the Shondaverse and that, in itself, has its own flavor, its own taste of how they do things,” Grey Damon, who plays Jack Gibson in the spinoff, tells Us in an exclusive video interview. So, what’s the biggest difference between Station 19 and its competition?
“It’s badass. Compared to other firefighting shows out there, it’s badass,” Danielle Savre, who takes on the role of Maya Bishop, tells Us. “It sets the bar, I think, for what other shows should be and I’m proud to be a part of it!”
Savre, 29, feels so proud to be part of a franchise that’s all about the women. “It was having an idol on television — a female lawyer, a female in politics, female doctors. I think [Shonda] does such amazing things for all the young girls watching this show growing up that say, ‘oh that’s possible,’” she explains. “I’m just happy that these exist, that show both male and female leads for the girls growing up, since I didn’t have that. My favorite shows were The Golden Girls and reruns of Murder, She Wrote!”
Damon adds: “It’s not bad to have a male lead but It’s really nice to have female leads that aren’t just the girlfriend. They’re people … because they are people.”
Station 19 premieres on ABC Thursday, March 22, at 9 p.m. ET.
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