How Are 'Station 19' and 'Grey's Anatomy' Connected? Let Us Count the Ways

Fans of Grey's Anatomy have been glued to the medical drama since it first premiered back in 2005 — and these days, viewers are as dedicated as ever to Meredith Grey and her fellow surgeons at Grey-Sloan Memorial Hospital. The continued success of the ABC series has prompted several spinoffs, including Station 19 in 2018. But how are Station 19 and Grey's Anatomy connected, exactly? Let's take a closer look.

The shows are actually connected in a number of ways. For starters, Station 19 is a Grey's Anatomy spinoff, and both shows were created by Shonda Rhimes — although the executive producer has since departed from ABC.

Secondly, both Station 19 and Grey's Anatomy take place in Seattle, Wash. — and because of this, their characters often have the opportunity to interact. The first responders at Station 19 of the Seattle Fire Department, for example, frequently transport accident/fire victims to Grey-Sloan Memorial Hospital, where the doctors then take over to attempt to treat their injuries.

And let's face it: Station 19 wouldn't be a proper medical drama spinoff if it didn't have romantic storylines that intertwined with Grey's Anatomy. Plastic surgeon Dr. Jackson Avery and Station 19 firefighter Vic Hughes were in a relationship for a while there. (They ended up breaking it off because Vic wanted to move in with Jackson, but he wasn't ready to take that next step.)

We can't forget the steamy romance between Maya Bishop, captain of the Seattle Fire Department, and Carina DeLuca (Andrew DeLuca's sister), an OB/GYN attending at Grey-Sloan, either. It didn't take long for them to be declared the "hot new lesbian couple" by fans of both shows.

Before either of these relationships transpired, the key component that effectively connected Grey's Anatomy and Station 19 was Chief of Surgery Miranda Bailey and her husband, Ben Warren.

Ben was previously an attending anesthesiologist at Grey-Sloan before he became a surgical resident. However, Bailey's husband ended up making yet another career change by becoming a firefighter/EMT — and now, Ben appears on both Grey's Anatomy and Station 19.

Finally, cast members of Station 19 are sometimes treated by doctors on Grey's Anatomy (and likewise, doctors are rescued by Station 19 first responders)— like the former captain of Station 19, Pruitt Herrera, who had received cancer treatment at Grey-Sloan.

Even though they're two distinctly separate TV shows, both Grey's Anatomy and Station 19 are connected in both small and large ways. Brilliant surgeons are working around the clock in Grey's Anatomy and courageous first responders are putting themselves in harm's way — but both groups are actively saving lives.

Two shows about groups of professional heroes in Seattle are bound to intersect every now and again. It just makes sense, right? 

On Nov. 12, Season 17 of Grey's Anatomy and Season 4 of Station 19 kicks off with a two-hour crossover event. It looks like the shows will be touching upon major 2020 crises — including raging wildfires and the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The synopsis for the Station 19 portion of the crossover reads, "When the COVID-19 pandemic hits Seattle, the Station 19 crew leans on each other for support. Andy tries to make sense of her mother's return, while Sullivan settles into a new routine. And it's all-hands-on-deck when a group of teenagers unintentionally starts a wildfire."

Meanwhile, the Grey's Anatomy half of the two-hour special reads, "The Season 17 premiere picks up one month into the COVID-19 pandemic, and Grey Sloan Memorial and its surgeons' lives have been turned upside down. Later, Bailey finds herself in the middle of an argument with patients' families as they await news about their children who were injured in a fire."

Tune in from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. EST on Thursday, Nov. 12 for the Station 19/Grey's Anatomy crossover event on ABC.