Fans waiting for Shonda Rhimes' next trip into the Grey's Anatomy universe will have to wait longer. The franchise's Texas-set spinoff has moved production to Albuquerque, New Mexico, and will now premiere in the 2027-28 broadcast season instead of midseason next year, TheWrap reported, following a report from Deadline.
The still-untitled ABC drama from 20th Television is now in pre-production in New Mexico. Rhimes and Meg Marinis co-created the series, which centers on a medical team at a rural hospital in West Texas and is described as an edgy drama. Marinis also serves as showrunner on the flagship Grey's Anatomy. Rhimes, Marinis, Betsy Beers and Ellen Pompeo are executive producers. No cast has been announced.
Why the spinoff left Los Angeles
The move came after the series was turned down twice for California's film and television tax credit, delays that pushed back the start of production. Beers, a Shondaland executive producer, testified at a California Assembly committee hearing in North Hollywood, according to TheWrap. She said the show was rejected because it did not create enough jobs to qualify as a state asset and that Shondaland's track record was not taken into account. She said the producers lost time, staff and money trying to keep the series in Los Angeles.
California's incentive program is capped at $750 million a year. Lawmakers and industry figures have pushed to lift that ceiling so the state can better compete with others for productions, and a federal film incentive has also been floated.
For viewers, the practical change is the calendar. The Texas series is meant to carry the Grey's Anatomy brand into a new region and a new medical setting, but it will not get there this season. Instead of joining ABC's lineup in the back half of the current season, the spinoff is now aimed at the fall-to-spring season that begins in 2027. ABC has not announced a title, a cast or a specific premiere date.
