When a show has been on-air as long as Grey’s Anatomy has been, then there is no chance we won’t see a spin-off down the line. Grey’s Anatomy covered this base long ago with Private Practice, but it branched out again with Station 19.
This show is distinct from the main series in that it focuses on a time of firefighters at a fire station as opposed to being about doctors. Due to this change in the backdrop, there are many things you’ll find different between the two shows. Here are 5 such things Station 19 is good at, and 5 things Grey’s Anatomy still pulls off better.
Better: It Feels Fresh
Of course, it’s obvious that Station 19 would feel like a newer show considering that it is just that, but if you want to argue that Grey’s Anatomy feeling dated is something understandable, then it shouldn’t be on-air anymore, should it?
Fans of Grey’s Anatomy are mainly those who started watching way back when it started and still persist due to loyalty rather than there being a lot of newer viewers. Station 19’s presentation feels like a modern take, and its storylines don’t have the “been there, done that” aspect.
Worse: Not As Strong A Main Protagonist
While Grey’s Anatomy has swayed over to making Meredith the focus character once more in the past few recent seasons, Station 19 has attempted to make it an ensemble show where you pick your favorite character and consider them your main one.
However, this has led to Station 19 suffering from a lack of clear identity as there’s not that one character the show can use to promote itself greatly. You see Meredith’s face all over Grey’s Anatomy’s promotion, but Andy from Station 19 doesn’t have that kind of draw.
Better: Acknowledging The Other Series
It’s good that both shows have taken the subtle approach when acknowledging each other’s existence within their own episodes, because this has led to storylines being generally unique to that particular series.
However, whenever the time does come for a crossover or a guest appearance from either show to arrive, it is Station 19 that has done a better job as it makes it seem like a natural scene. We don’t get a big reveal of a Grey’s Anatomy character on the show, and that’s the way it should be because in-universe it shouldn’t be a big deal.
Worse: Soundtrack
One might argue the majority of the reason why Grey’s Anatomy was such a smash hit back in its prime years was because of its incredible use of music. To this day, we remember songs like “How to Save a Life” or “Chasing Cars” because they were adapted into the storylines seamlessly.
On Station 19, you don’t have that kind of implementation of music into scenes to pull at your heartstrings, making it a huge negative point that makes Grey’s Anatomy come out on top in a big way here.
Better: Focus On Supporting Characters
Due to Grey’s Anatomy having a mammoth cast by now, it doesn’t dedicate much time to each character. We go several episodes before one of them has their day in the sun, causing fans of a particular character to feel frustrated they are being underrepresented.
As Station 19’s cast is much smaller, they do give enough time for each character to have enough characterization within each episode. This way, fans don’t feel cheated thinking a character has just been added to fill up the numbers.
Worse: Big Emotional Moments
The argument that Station 19 is still a new show can’t apply here, as Grey’s Anatomy had already had dozens of big moments by the time Season 2 came to a close. In fact, fans generally turn to the first few seasons to point out the show’s best times, and Station 19 is awfully far behind in this regard.
The show’s main move to bring emotional scenes has been the disasters that come with the fire outbreaks, but this hasn’t been able to land that sort of punch that medical situations had on Grey’s Anatomy.
Better: More Diverse Main Cast
Sure, Grey’s Anatomy has done a better job at having diversity represented in its show in the past decade or so, but it wasn’t as much the case when it started out. Station 19 made sure to have a diverse cast of characters right off the bat, something that sets it apart from the main series.
It took Grey’s Anatomy a few years before the LGBT representation kicked in, along with more diverse cases to follow. Station 19 has covered different ethnicities and orientations since it started out. Not to mention even having older cast members so that ageism isn’t an issue either.
Worse: Longevity
Can you picture Station 19 staying on for almost twenty years? We honestly don’t picture it going on for that long, especially considering Grey’s Anatomy’s first spin-off in Private Practice closed its doors after Season 6.
More than that, it’s the premise that doesn’t seem so evergreen as Grey’s Anatomy has; a firefighter show is bound to feel old once there are just one too many fires and the cast inevitably becomes older to the point it’s not believable to see them in that light. Doctor problems and cases can go on as long as you want because there’s just so much ground to cover.
Better: Not Wasting Time On Subplots
Grey’s Anatomy has been very guilty of wasting our time with a lot of plots that don’t either make sense or are just unnecessary. We’ve seen angles before where even the supporting characters’ family members are shown for no real reason, and this just feels like a waste of time.
Station 19’s smaller cast has enabled it to shoot straight for the A-Story, as we see resolutions to storylines much earlier because there aren’t many B-Stories for us to mess around with. This is also one of the reasons why the show has a more fresh feel.
Worse: Appeal To A Mass Audience
Like we mentioned before, a doctor-centric show is just a lot easier to get behind compared to firefighters. A lot of the times Grey’s Anatomy hasn’t even had to focus too much on drama because they are able to present the audience with interesting medical cases.
This kind of intrigue allows it to have a worldwide audience, where fans like to follow the case-of-the-week story if they aren’t so much into the main plot. Over on Station 19, this kind of wide-reaching potential doesn’t exist, meaning the show has to do with a dedicated fan following rather than a huge audience to cater to.
