Entertainment

Mitch Haaseth/ABC

'Station 19's Season 2 Finale Is Further Away Than You Might Think

by Chrissy Bobic

Last week’s episode of Station 19 ended with a small time jump that might have set things up for the rest of the season. But instead of spanning 10 episodes like the show’s inaugural season, this time around, Station 19 was given a full 22 episode order. What that means for fans is that the Station 19 Season 2 finale is still at least two months away and things are kind of just getting started with your favorite dramatic firefighters.

When things picked up after the four month time jump, Andy had been awarded a Medal of Valor and Jack was in therapy, so at least some of them are off to a healthier start for the remainder of the season. Right now, it's hard to say if there will be any other season breaks, but if there aren't any, the Station 19 Season 2 finale will air on June 20. These days, it's almost unheard of for full-length network TV shows to spill into the summer months, but Season 2 was unexpectedly extended after a rating boost.

It could be argued that part of what has kept Station 19 afloat is its cushy time slot right after Grey’s Anatomy every week and the many crossover events it has had with its predecessor. But I think it's now safe to say that Station 19 can stand on its own, especially since it has the same kind of workplace and personal drama that Grey’s Anatomy fans live for.

With almost half of the season still ahead, there’s plenty of places Station 19 could go with the sometimes tortured characters. Ben, whose foray into firefighting gave way to the new series, might not be cut out for a career as a firefighter after all and that could mean a big change in his future. It looks like he’s going to switch to Medic One, which is a team of more high profile paramedics, so while he will still be on Station 19, he could be in for another career shift.

Earlier this season, Station 19 executive producer Stacy McKee told TV Insider that Season 2 would go deeper into the personal lives of the firefighters and create even more drama for them both in and out of work. So far, there has been enough trouble to go around and in a way, the season is just getting started.

"We're diving into their pasts," McKee said. “"We are going to mess with their love lives [and] home lives." So far, things have been pretty dramatic this season and if they continue this way, viewers are in for a wild season finale, come June.

Since last season, the viewership numbers have been in the steady five million range, so it’s no wonder why Station 19 has continued to flourish on ABC. As long as the numbers stay the same way, I wouldn't be surprised if it has as long of a shelf life as some of Shonda Rhimes' other Thursday shows like Scandal and How to Get Away with Murder. There is a chance that Season 3 will premiere sooner in the year if 22 episodes is the new standard for Station 19.

It began as a mid-season replacement, so 10 episodes made sense before, but now that it has legs of its own to stand on, I can see Station 19 premiering around the same time of the year as Grey’s Anatomy as long as there’s room for it in the lineup. But for now, fans can look forward to the rest of an unexpectedly long season that will likely conclude at the start of summer.