Grey's Anatomy boss has been resistant to killing off major characters

Variety

Viewers were expecting a big death with Thursday's Grey's Anatomy midseason premiere and the crossover with Station 19. When asked about the lack of big character deaths in recent years, showrunner Krista Vernoff says: "That question makes me laugh because, for sure, it was a signature of Grey’s Anatomy for many years to kill off characters. When I came (back) in Season 14, you’re looking at how do you surprise people anymore? And it continues to feel like the more surprising thing to not kill them. I often say to the writers, 'Then, when we do one day, it will be genuinely shocking.'" Vernoff adds that going into Thursday's episode, "everybody in that episode, at some point, was on the chopping block. The amount of times that we’ve decided we’re killing characters, and then we’re like, 'No, let’s change it' — it would drop your jaw. And you’d be amazed at how many people have been on the board for weeks; we come up with different codes that mean that character is dying... There were a lot of conversations about who might die in that bar, from both casts." ALSO: Vernoff says "there will be a lot more death and unsuccessful rescues" on Station 19 this season.