Grey’s Anatomy fans are scratching their heads over the Texas setting of the medical franchise’s newly announced spin-off.
On Tuesday, news broke that ABC had greenlit an untitled one-hour offshoot of the long-running hospital drama, this time centered on “a team at a West Texas rural medical center — the last chance for care before miles of nowhere,” according to Variety.
It is expected to premiere sometime during the 2026 to 2027 broadcast season, the outlet reported. Original Grey’s Anatomy star Ellen Pompeo is attached to executive produce, alongside series creator Shonda Rhimes and Meg Marinis, who took over as showrunner in 2024.
“I am incredibly excited to expand the Grey’s Anatomy universe,” Marinis said in a statement, per Variety. “This opportunity will bring new characters and stories to life that will embody the same heart, emotion and connection audiences have loved from Grey’s for more than two decades — all set in my home state of Texas. I am so grateful to Shonda Rhimes for creating this dynamic world and feel so fortunate that I get to be a part of it.”
While the forthcoming spin-off is far from the first in the Grey’s Anatomy universe — which has already spawned Private Practice, Station 19 and Grey’s Anatomy: B-Team — its Texas location has left fans confused, as the southern state has little connection to the main series. So far, major characters who have left the show have ended up in Boston, Switzerland and, most recently, Paris.
“In Texas?? Why there, though?” one person questioned on X.
“Who is even in Texas?” a second echoed, followed by a third who noted: “For it to be a spin-off it has to be related, so [do] we know if there is character crossover?”
“What characters would be around? I love Texas and think it’s a dope idea. But this is definitely random,” another agreed.
One fan, however, remembered that Dr. Stephanie Edwards (Jerrika Hinton), who appeared on the show from 2012 to 2017, went to a Texas burn unit to recover from serious injuries sustained during the hospital explosion in the season 13 finale. “Didn’t Stephanie from Joe’s class go to Texas? Maybe she’ll be back,” they suggested.
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Another recalled that Dr. Levi Schmitt (Jake Borelli), who featured on the show from 2017 to 2024, also left for a pediatrics fellowship in San Antonio, Texas. “Surely this means a Levi Schmitt return right?!” they commented.
At the moment, it is not yet known whether or how the new spin-off will connect to the original series.
Grey’s Anatomy, which debuted in 2005 and follows a surgical team at the fictional Seattle Grace Hospital, was renewed for season 23 in March.
