‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Fans Have a Theory About What That Reduced Episode Count Means for End of Show

Amanda Bell October 2, 2026, 2:28 pm

Chandra Wilson as Dr. Miranda Bailey on 'Grey's Anatomy' — Anne Marie Fox/ABC

What To Know

After an unverified report that Grey’s Anatomy Season 23 would have just 13 episodes, some fans weighed in with their thoughts.
According to these fan theorists, it could be a sign that the endgame is near.

As TV’s longest-running primetime medical drama, it’s natural for fans to wonder: Just how many years does Grey’s Anatomy have left on air? In fact, it seems to be a recurring theme that, ahead of every season of late, some worry it could be the last… or close to it.

Thanks to a recent report that Season 23 might have a reduced episode count, that conversation is happening yet again — and this time, some fans have a very specific theory about how the show’s endgame might pan out.

After some sites picked up on a Disney+ website report that the Season 23 episode count would be just 13 episodes — ABC did not return TV Insider’s request for confirmation of this issue, and the apparent original source no longer contains that information — fans took to Reddit to discuss.

In a fan thread on the site, one fan noted that this would mark just the third-shortest season of the series, following the first season (with nine episodes) and the season that was impacted by dual Hollywood strikes (Season 20, which had 10). Another likened it to the state of network television writ large, writing, “This isn’t a Grey’s issue, it’s across broadcast TV. Several of CBS’ dramas were shortened to 10-13 episodes this season – Fire Count[r]y & NCIS: Origins did 20 last year and are doing 13 and 10 this year, respectively. RJ Decker on ABC is only doing 7. This has become the new normal.”

ABC

However, other fans interpreted the news to mean that the show is lightening its episode load in anticipation of the ultimate finale.

“i’d imagine they will go for 25 seasons and stop there. it’d be good for marketing and blu-ray sales to have a nice rounded collection of 25 seasons,” one fan wrote. Another turned to the math to guess that the powers that be might be working to round out the series at 25 seasons and 500 episodes, quite a milestone: “13 episodes this season, 13 episodes for season 24, means they only need an 8 episode season 25 to hit 500.”