Grey’s Anatomy Spinoff Starring — Wait, What?!? — Meryl Streep?

First, there was the Grey’s Anatomy spinoff, Private Practice. Then, fans got the firefighter drama, Station 19, a few years later. Now, is there a Grey’s Anatomy spinoff starring Meryl Streep in the works? Read on to learn everything that we know.

Grey’s Anatomy is ABC’s long-running medical drama that focuses on the lives of surgical interns, residents and attendings at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital in Seattle, Washington. Created by Shonda Rhimes, the show debuted in 2005 and has earned more than 38 Primetime Emmy nominations after almost two decades on the air. Grey’s wrapped up its 19th season in May 2023 and is gearing up to release its 20th season sometime in early 2024 or later (the exact date is still uncertain because of the ongoing writers’ and actors’ strikes). 

In Grey’s Anatomy history, the show has inspired two spinoffs: the Kate Walsh-led medical series, Private Practice (2007-2013), and the successful firefighter drama, Station 19 (2018). Will there be a third spinoff starring Meryl Streep? The 74-year-old actress revealed that she scored the Grey’s audition of a lifetime – but it may not be in the way that you think. We have the details below.

Is there going to be a Grey’s Anatomy spinoff starring Meryl Streep?

Is there going to be a Grey’s Anatomy spinoff starring Meryl Streep? The short answer is no. In real life, ABC has not announced a Grey’s spinoff with Meryl Streep as the lead (although we can all agree that it would be pretty amazing). 

However, viewers of Hulu’s mystery drama, Only Murders in the Building, saw Streep’s character on the show land an audition for a Grey’s Anatomy spinoff. Streep, who plays struggling actress Loretta Durkin, revealed that she scored the coveted audition. 

“It’s an offshoot of an offshoot of a Grey’s Anatomy spinoff,” Streep’s character says in Season 3, Episode 3, “Hanky Panky.” The name of the spinoff? Grey’s New Orleans: Family Burn Unit. “It’s for the mother of a dermatologist, so she has a backstory. And lines!” Loretta told Oliver Putnam (Martin Short) in the scene. “And the producers said they might give her a limp, so… it’s juicy!”

After the episode aired, our sister site TVLine caught up with John Hoffman, the creator of Only Murders who also serves as an executive producer, writer and director. The site asked what former Grey’s star Jesse Williams – who plays Tobert the documentarian on Only Murders – thought about Streep’s audition. 

“Jesse was very sweet about that,” Hoffman said. “He was howling [during our Zoom table read] about the reference. And it’s a real homage. I mean, has there been a more successful show than Grey’s Anatomy? What a windfall for an actress [like Loretta] to have that opportunity…. Watching Meryl Streep get excited about that for herself is just a dream.” 

If you remember, Williams played Dr. Jackson Avery and left the show after 12 seasons in May 2021. The actor told The New York Times in March 2022 that he exited the medical drama when he began to feel “increasingly safe, protected, insulated.” 

“As an actor, director, and person, I have been obscenely lucky to learn so much from so many and I thank our beautiful fans, who breathe so much energy and appreciation into our shared worlds,” Williams told Deadline in a statement in May 2021. The actor’s departure also occurred after his most recent two-year contract on Grey’s expired.

By the end of the Only Murders episode, Loretta unfortunately forfeited the role on Grey’s New Orleans to honor her commitment to another project. However, Hoffman teased that this wasn’t the last we’d hear of Family Burn Unit. “More to come on that one,” Hoffman added. “Hang tight.”

For more on Grey’s Anatomy, check out our gallery below of real-life partners of your favorite Grey’s Anatomy stars.