In March 2018, more than five years after the end of Private Practice, Grey’s Anatomy aired a backdoor pilot for a second spinoff series called Station 19, introducing viewers of the venerable ABC medical drama to Andy Herrera (Jaina Lee Ortiz), the firefighting equivalent of Dr. Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo).
Although the episode attempted to draw parallels between Meredith and Andy’s similar trajectories — Meredith was an attending surgeon at the hospital where her late mother had worked, while Andy, a firefighting lieutenant, was trying to follow in the footsteps of her demanding father — the connective tissue between the two shows was Dr. Benjamin Warren (Jason Winston George), the husband of Dr. Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson). Introduced as an anesthesiologist on Grey’s, Ben decided to redo his residency to become a surgeon, only to change careers once more by joining the Seattle Fire Department. While he was able to put his medical training to good use as a paramedic, Ben was forced to start again at the bottom of the ladder.
Seven seasons and 105 episodes later, Ben has found a second home with his close-knit team of firefighters. During that time, the show has been lauded for its exploration of weighty social issues — systemic and institutional racism, mental health, women’s reproductive rights, the aftereffects of abuse and sexual assault — and was seemingly on course to run for as long as the mothership series was continuing to make new seasons. But with Thursday’s episode, Station 19 has put out its final fire on ABC, bidding an emotional farewell while giving fans a glimpse of the characters’ futures.
The cancellation of Station 19, announced just three days into the production of what would become the final season, came as a shock to the cast and crew, who are admittedly still processing the end of the longest chapter of their careers. Ask anyone who worked on the show, and they will tell you that the only thing they’ll miss more than playing in the Grey’s universe is the people they’ve worked with for the last seven years. “My heart hurts knowing I won’t be walking into the stages hugging each and every one of them as we begin another long day of filming,” says Danielle Savre, who played type-A lieutenant (and former captain) Maya Bishop.
Here, in a TV Guide exclusive, the cast members who have been part of the show from the very beginning discuss their favorite episodes, the legacy and evolution of their characters, what they stole from the set, and why they are both ready to move on and leaving the door open to a potential return to the Grey’s universe.
What is your first memory of working on Station 19?
Jaina Lee Ortiz (Andy Herrera): I remember being on set with Ellen during the crossover and being really impressed with the way she took control over the scene. If there was a part that she didn’t feel was organic and truthful, she stood up for it — and I learned a lot from that moment. I learned to stand up for myself as an actor and speak up for my choices.
I found a way to connect with female firefighters and eventually take the physical test before the show went into production, and that was able to give me a pretty good taste of what the show would be like. To say that it was physically demanding is to say the least, because shooting the show in July, August, and September is not fun. Yes, we get to sweat and detox, but wow, it is really no joke. There’s people who love the turnout gear — not me! Every day I would be like, Wow, people actually do this and love it. I’m the one running away from a burning building, and people are running into it. They are real superheroes. It’s another reminder for how much we take first responders for granted.
Grey Damon (Jack Gibson): I just remember Jaina being wonderfully Jaina. Our first day working together, I’m pretty sure we had to make out like we’ve been dating for six months, so that was wild.
Danielle Savre (Maya Bishop): [I remember] getting a crash course in firefighting, learning how to put on the turnouts in under a minute, and discovering what a halligan was and how to use it. I’ll never forget accidentally putting my helmet on backwards for a scene. I never made that mistake again.
Barrett Doss (Victoria “Vic” Hughes): My first significant memory was sitting in the aid car with Jay on our first day shooting up in Seattle. This season, we’ve had a lot of practical rain, which has been fun to play with. But I feel like that was the first and last time it rained when we were actually shooting the show. For a Seattle show, that’s pretty unique. But we were shooting the scene where Dean [played by Okieriete Onaodowan] finds the puppy — that very first call from the pilot — and we were waiting in the aid car for what felt like hours, and I would soon learn that that’s most of what the job is. [Laughs.]
Jay Hayden (Travis Montgomery): They were like, “Jay and Barrett, we’re going to shoot you guys getting out of the aid car in a second. We’re just going to let the rain pass real quick, and then we’re going to shoot this. Why don’t you guys just hang out in the aid car?” We said, “Sure.” Barrett and I sat in the aid car for about an hour and a half as it was pouring rain, and we became actual, real friends sitting there. And by the time we got a chance to start shooting that scene that day in Seattle, it was already so naturally perfect. I think it influenced our [onscreen] relationship a ton.
Barrett is one of the most talented actors that I’ve ever worked with, and I am just so over the moon to have had her as a scene partner. I had only gone in and read one time before being cast as Travis, and I remember word got to me of the final choices for Vic, and I remember looking her up and being like, “Oh, this is the girl that’s doing Groundhogs Day on Broadway. She’s awesome. Please, God, let it be her.” And she got it! She and I are very close friends, and I think she’s basically going to be family to me for the rest of my life.
We met that day in the aid car, and then we had a day off the next day, and she and I spent the day walking around Seattle fantasizing about where Vic and Travis would live in this city to start imagining and creating backstory together. We had a very brother-sister vibe already, so that was immediately injected into the show from day one.
How has your character evolved in the time that you’ve played them, and what has been the biggest change in the way that you’ve approached playing them after all this time?
Jason Winston George (Dr. Benjamin “Ben” Warren): Originally, Ben was an anesthesiologist and then they made him a [surgical] student that’s in search of something. For me, he was inspired by Bailey. I think that this phenomenal woman came into his life, and it’s not an accident that shortly after that, he wants to get serious about medicine again instead of just being the gas man who shows up, knocks the patient out, collects his check, and rolls out. He was a “cut first, ask questions later” kind of surgical resident. They had him almost being an action junkie.
It was funny because before I even knew there was a thing called Station 19 in the works, in the [Season 13] finale [of Grey’s], a criminal was loose in the hospital, the hospital was set on fire, and then I discovered in the same episode that [Ben] is deathly afraid of fire, but he will not let his friend [Stephanie, played by Jerrika Hinton] die. So he grabs a firefighter’s coat and runs into the building. I knew that [Station 19 creator and former Grey’s producer] Stacy McKee wrote that episode, but I wasn’t really aware of the fact that she was writing this other spinoff.
The funny part is they eventually pulled some of my own personal adrenaline junkie things into the storyline to merge how Ben gets this sense of responsibility [with] being this adrenaline junkie. Those two things come from the same origin — Ben was a kid doing dumb things that teenagers do, and he was partially responsible for a friend of his being in a vegetative state and hospitalized forever. [On the surface] Ben is an action junkie, but he’s an action junkie with a purpose. He’s an action junkie because he will do whatever it takes to protect the people he cares about and even people he doesn’t even know. I was just really impressed with that and laughing that they stole things from my own life, because I was the kid who would ride on the hood of cars at 40 miles an hour. [Laughs.]
Ortiz: In the beginning, Andy had this boxed view on life: You have to follow these steps and get to this place. I think finding out her mom was still alive was a huge turning point, and she was able to take control of it and say, “Oh, actually, this isn’t the way it’s supposed to go. I am the driver of my own car, and I’m going to write my own story.” I think we’ve seen a lot of emotional maturity and growth from her. She has always been this empathetic, compassionate person that puts her heart in everything with her patients and her team. But I feel like she’s the leader that she’s always wanted to be.
I truly do feel that there’s a part of us personally that we pour into our characters. I think I have less fear and more trust in the way I play her now, if that makes sense. [The fact that] she is more confident has allowed me to feel more confident, so maybe that transfer of her character growth has influenced my personal growth. But I definitely left her with a badge of honor.
Damon: I think Jack has evolved to just try to show himself more self-love and be more conscientious of how to go about relationships.
Savre: My goal was not to approach [Maya] differently as she evolved in all the ways she did, but to commit to her truth at any given time, as flawed as that truth may have been. I made sure never to shy away from the ugly dirty side of her actions and to believe that she would eventually make amends and redeem herself. It’s been an imperative journey, rooted in truth and heart. Through [falling in love with Stefania Spampinato’s] Carina, Maya was able to learn what real love was for the first time.
Doss: For me, Vic’s journey has always been about growing up and learning to deal with her issues as an adult. When we started with her, she always felt like everyone’s little sister who took great joy in teasing, hazing and torturing Ben, because there was someone newer than her. But of course, he was an older man, and it’s a totally different dynamic. By the end of Season 7, we get to see the woman that she’s become, so I’m really proud of that.
I think this season in particular has been a real, huge growth period for her because it’s all kind of come crashing down, and she’s finally feeling the weight of the losses that she’s experienced in her life. She basically had to raise herself because her parents weren’t really present; she was sort of a latchkey kid. It feels like a full-circle moment when you realize where she came from to where she is now — she’s a person who can take life and herself seriously. Playing against some of the silliness that we started with has been a real challenge, but also a real pleasure because [the silliness] is always going to be there. But I think [I was] allowing myself to build in more layers in who she is based on all of the stuff we’ve seen her experience.
Hayden: What I played from the jump with Travis was closed-down, closed-off, because of a survival instinct to get through pain. I think in life, sometimes, when things hurt too much, the easiest way to deal with it is to seal it off in your heart and mind and pretend it doesn’t exist. You don’t participate or act in a way where you could get hurt again in that similar fashion. I believe that’s where we meet Travis. And somehow, this loudmouth girl Vic found her way into his heart, and now he can’t get her out of there, so his only choice is to make sure nothing ever happens to her. And through that [relationship], she helps him to look at his own pain, deal with his father, and come back to the idea of love and relationships again, which he had basically decided to be done with.
It’s been an absolute honor [to play an openly gay and Asian character]. At one point, [director and executive producer] Paris Barclay said to me [during our first meeting about Station 19]: “I have to ask you, Jay. This character is gay. How do you feel about that?” And I said, “That’s more of a question for you guys. It would be an honor for me to tell this story, but that’s up to you guys.” And he said, “I’m good with it.” And I said, “Okay, great. I’m great with it.” And it really has been an honor to represent the LGBTQ+ community and also to represent an Asian character.
I’m half-Asian. My mom’s Korean; I was brought up as if I was Korean. I grew up in Vermont. We were the only Asian family in the whole town. I didn’t feel like I was half-Korean until I came out to L.A., and then people were like, “Well, you’re not really Asian.” And I’d be like, “Wait, what?” Because I was treated like that, I didn’t really get a lot of opportunities early in my career to represent Asian people. I wasn’t allowed in the club, if you wanted me to be totally blunt, so this role has meant so much to me. All of the writers of our show did such an amazing job of making him a complete character and not just the stereotypical side Asian character. He had tough luck in love, he had pain, he had regret, he had to work through stuff, he loved again, he made mistakes in love.
What is your favorite episode of the entire series?
Savre: My directorial debut, “Dirty Laundry” [Season 6, Episode 16], will forever be a pivotal point in my life and career and, therefore, a favorite memory I will never forget and always be grateful for.
Damon: [“The Road You Didn’t Take,” Season 5, Episode 17] when Jack meets his brother for the first time on that little road trip with Andy. I thought it was really sweet how she was so there for him in this new and profoundly huge moment, [and] how everyone navigated those scenes and made every effort to portray the storyline in a way that felt most authentic to the situation.
George: “Blue Fire,” which is literally the second episode of the show. A blue fire burns so hot that you really can’t see it until you change the lighting in a certain way, until you kill the lights. Ben is the new guy, but he is not new to the world, and he’s got a lot of skills on top of it. So all of that came into play when he was new to firefighting, but at the same time, his skills as a doctor really helped save the day — and he almost died! Barrett and I laughed because we had some great “We’re going to die!” moments, and that was one of the first of the show for Ben.
It was funny watching fans’ reactions online because they see two people, a man and a woman, in an intense situation, which bonds them in a way, and people immediately started saying, “[Vic] better not try and steal Bailey’s man.” It was hilarious. If two characters are allowed to be attracted to each other, if your sexual orientation points in the direction of the other person, and you’re in an intense situation, the assumption is that there will be feelings. I think that may have been the writers’ intention at one point in time, but what was fun was watching them pivot and kind of go, “You know what? It’s a deep bond, but it doesn’t automatically have to be romantic.”
Ortiz: I have two — the sexual assault episode in Season 5, and “Trouble Man” [Season 7, Episode 4], directed by Stefania [Spampinato]. The tone of both of those episodes match the kind of work that I love to do. It was definitely way more serious and it had high stakes, and there was a lot of conflict, which I’m drawn to. I want to see us fail. I want to see us struggle because, ultimately, that makes us way more interesting to watch. I know it sounds very dark, but it’s so interesting to me.
Doss: I have two. One was definitely during Season 2 — the Ripley storyline [when he died]. It was one of Vic’s first big arcs on the show. Because I love working with other actors, connecting with co-stars is really important to me. Brett Tucker and I really got along well and understood each other as actors, so it was an absolute pleasure to work with him. Even though it ended tragically, I think it became this seminal moment in the show where suddenly, no one was too important to go.
My [other] favorite episode was probably Episode 9 of Season 4 [“No One Is Alone”]. Travis and Vic are treating the two best friends who are addicts. To me, the great love story for my character on this show is between Vic and Travis. It’s a different type of love story; it’s a friendship, but it’s a relationship that we’ve gotten to see evolve and change over the course of the seven seasons. For me, that episode in particular was really representative of who they are to each other and what they mean to each other. Jay is my buddy, my best friend on the show. We have so much fun together on and off screen, so it was a real joy to work with him on that.
Hayden: [My favorite] was the episode where Travis and Vic find the boyfriend and the girlfriend that are addicts together. They’re trying to help these two people, but they start talking about each other and their relationships. Vic really calls Travis out, and he pulls the aid car over on the side of the road, and then they really get into it and lay it all out on the line with each other like only the very best of friends can do. People that really love each other really know how to fight with each other. I really loved the writing in that episode, and Stacey K. Black really directed that particular scene really well; she set it up almost like a play. We pulled over to the side, and we paced the sidewalk and yelled at each other and said and did all the things.
Legacy is a tricky thing to talk about, because it usually becomes clearer the longer a show has been off the air, but what do you hope the legacy of Station 19 will be?
Savre: That it continues to be streamed by the future generations and remains a safe place for those that see themselves in its characters and storylines. A show that empowers and inspires those that watch it.
George: I think the thing that we have in common with Grey’s — and it is very much the same DNA — is that you’re stronger together. Family can be blood, but family can be chosen. And when you find your people, you take care of them and they’ll take care of you. A lot of jokes get made on the show about how other stations would call us the Kumbaya team, that you’ve got one of everything. I think a point we were able to make even more [strongly] than Grey’s is that our diversity is our strength.
Everybody’s got a different background, and that might make them think outside the box and create things that I really want to see in the real world. The [Physician Response Team] would be a beautiful thing [to have in the world] — to be able to do something between what EMTs can do and what surgeons can do to help try and save lives. I think Crisis One should be brought into more emergency services. With all respect to the first responders that are cops, they’re [usually] like, “We don’t need to be at mental health calls. We’d rather not be doing that.” I’m always like, “Why don’t I see a Crisis One in the real world?” If there’s even a hint that it’s a mental health issue, they should be first on the scene to assess [the situation].
Ortiz: We are one of the most diverse shows out there, so I want the legacy of the show to be dedicated to people of color and first responders. To be able to tell their stories and give a spotlight to that community of people has really sent a powerful message to our audience, and I hope that they can take away the feeling of being inspired and hopeful for their community and their dreams. I don’t know if it’s changed, but I think only 7% of females are in the fire department in all of the United States, so I think this show has definitely left a lot of young girls and young women feeling inspired to join the Fire Academy, which is awesome.
Damon: It was really cool to read letters from fans of the show talking about how they were inspired to become first responders, so I hope that keeps happening.
Hayden: This family of firefighters represents the way that we want the world to be — a true family that never judged each other by race, color, creed, sex, gender. We judged each other by who has each other’s backs when we’re risking our lives to save people, who loved each other when things were easy, hard, and impossible. I feel like the characters that were written on Station 19 represent the best of us.
Doss: I think that the idea of representation and diversity is so important, but not only did the show represent that, but the cast and the crew all represented that spirit of love and connection and representation for each other. We allowed ourselves to find that family — at least I felt like I did with these people. The fans are brought together through the characters and relationships they love. But I feel very lucky that we also represent that as a cast [in real life] — it’s about finding connection and finding your family.
