'Grey's Anatomy' Showrunner Krista Vernoff Gets 'New Ideas Every Year' for How the Show Will End

Grey's Anatomy showrunner Krista Vernoff has ideas for the eventual conclusion of the long-running medical drama — but says nothing is set in stone yet.

During her appearance on the latest episode of the At Home with the Creative Coalition podcast, Vernoff, 49, was asked if she knows how the series, which kicked off its 18th season last week, will conclude.

"I have something percolating in my mind," she said. "And the percolating changes. I had some ideas percolating during the first seven seasons — I used to pitch things to Shonda [Rhimes] and she'd go, 'That's a season eight idea.'"

Vernoff continued, "Meaning, that's the final-season-of-the-show idea. And now, we blew so far past season eight, we're in season 18. So your idea of where the characters are going to end changes each year. Every year, I never know if I'm writing the last season of the show, literally. I percolate new ideas every year. If we ended it this year, what would it be?"

Star Ellen Pompeo, who has played Dr. Meredith Grey for all 18 seasons, has expressed similar thoughts about the end of the show. Last year, she told Variety that the then-upcoming 17th season could be the last.

"We don't know when the show is really ending yet," she said at the time. "But the truth is, this year could be it."

"I'm constantly fighting for the show as a whole to be as good as it can be. As a producer, I feel like I have permission to be able to do that," she later added. "I mean, this is the last year of my contract right now. I don't know that this is the last year? But it could very well could be."

There are only three remaining stars who have remained part of the cast for the entirety of Grey's: Pompeo, Chandra Wilson (Dr. Miranda Bailey) and James Pickens Jr. (Dr. Richard Webber).

As such, Pompeo, 51, told Variety the show will likely end when she leaves. "I don't take the decision lightly," she said. "We employ a lot of people, and we have a huge platform. And I'm very grateful for it."

More recently, the actress has discussed whether she will take on other acting roles once Grey's does come to an end.

"I'm not saying I'll never act again, I very well may, but I'm not super excited about continuing my acting career," she said in August on the Ladies First with Laura Brown podcast.

"The acting, even though I haven't done a million different roles, I feel like I've done it," she added. "Sitting around in trailers, traveling around, shooting this in Atlanta, shooting that in Vancouver. I have no desire to go sit in trailers at 11 o'clock at night and wait to shoot scenes and have ADs knock on my door and tell me when I can eat lunch. You know, it's for the young at heart. It's for the youth!"

Grey's Anatomy airs Thursdays (9 p.m. ET) on ABC.