Crossover episodes between Grey’s Anatomy and Station 19 characterized every season of the firefighting show and have been a staple for the last six seasons of the medical drama, but only a few of them had a massive impact on both shows. Ben Warren’s career move from doctor to firefighter proved the perfect occasion to introduce the Station 19 team, with Grey’s Anatomy season 14, episode 13 functioning as a backdoor pilot. However, not all crossovers between the two shows were life-altering for the characters involved, but a few of them introduced storylines that deeply affected Grey’s Anatomy and Station 19.
Often taking place during midseason finales or season premieres, Grey’s Anatomy and Station 19 crossovers end up either covering major incidents in Seattle that involve both Station 19 and Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital or events that forever change the stories of the shows’ main characters. While some crossover episodes solely pack dramatic incidents, most crossovers also include eventful developments, which threaten to unsettle the team’s foundation at Station 19 or imperil individual characters in Grey’s Anatomy. Of the latter category, eight have been particularly impactful in that they upset the natural order of things at Station 19 and Grey’s Anatomy, setting up storylines that took center stage for some time.
Grey’s Anatomy Season 14, Episode 13
It set up Warren’s career change & Herrera’s friendship with Meredith
Grey’s Anatomy season 14, episode 13, “You Really Got a Hold on Me” worked as a backdoor pilot for Station 19, introducing both Ben in his new role as a firefighter, and Andy as the heart of Station 19, but more importantly, the firefighter with her hand in a patient. Drawing from Grey’s Anatomy‘s history with the medical storyline, having Meredith and Andy meet like that easily established a close bond between them. With Meredith having Andy participate in the OR and Andy covering Meredith by answering the call for the medical advancement contest, their meeting looked like the passing of the baton from Grey’s Anatomy’s protagonist to Station 19’s.
By working as a backdoor pilot, Grey’s Anatomy season 14, episode 13 essentially set up the world and dynamics that would be seen in Station 19, even just by focusing on Andy and Ben. In particular, Ben’s journey highlighted his restlessness in being at his old place of work but as a firefighter, having the knowledge to treat the patients he brought in but not being there in that role, finally showing the difficulties of his career shift. By setting up the world, the tone, and the main players, Grey’s Anatomy season 14, episode 13 created the perfect setting for Station 19 to continue to build on.
Station 19 Season 1, Episode 1
It started Pruitt Herrera’s cancer story & changes in Station 19’s hierarchy
Station 19 season 1 premiere set up the show’s ensemble, but it also introduced the biggest threats to the fire station’s natural state. With Bailey and Meredith appearing in the episode as Pruitt’s doctor and also to help Andy through the crisis respectively Station 19 season 1’s premiere established how close the shows could have been. However, “Stuck” also introduced Pruitt’s cancer in the most dramatic way possible, with his collapse during a fire, and the changes the fire station would have gone through as a result of his diagnosis being made public. Both storylines were central and affected everyone involved throughout Station 19 season 1.
Station 19 Season 2, Episode 15
Ripley’s death impacted Robert & Vic deeply and got Travis in a bar fight
Ripley’s inhalation of hydrofluoric acid sent Grey Sloan Memorial into a frenzy, with Maggie Pierce sending Station 19 firefighters to look for him after he left the hospital to go to Vic. While Maggie was only involved as Ripley’s doctor in Station 19 season 2, episode 15, “Always Ready” proved dramatically sad for Sullivan and Vic, as friend and girlfriend of Lucas respectively, once it became clear that Ripley was dying. The matter’s time-sensitivity also meant Lucas & Vic’s actions outed their relationship with the department, leading to firefighters badmouthing Vic and landing Travis in jail for assaulting one of them who offended Vic to his face.
Station 19 Season 3, Episode 5
It set up Robert’s problem with drugs, Maya’s acceptance of her past & got Carina & Maya together
In framing Station 19 season 3, episode 5 around a team-building trip, “Into the Woods” perfectly set up one of Grey’s Anatomy and Station 19’s longest relationships and an addiction storyline whose consequences are still felt in both shows by Sullivan. The surprise bear attack in the same woods the Station 19 team was in worked as team-building, but it also prompted Maya’s speed-defying run that landed her at Grey Sloan with a nose in a bag, catching Carina’s attention. Their meeting at the pub kickstarted Carina and Maya’s relationship, but Maya’s thoughts about her strict father also hinted at her future storyline where she realizes that he was abusive.
Sullivan’s problems with pain after his leg surgery turned into something worse in Station 19 season 3, episode 5, as his insistence on getting Koracick to prescribe him more meds already hinted at something being wrong. However, it’s his stealing the fentanyl vials from Warren’s PRT that effectively started his addiction story, whose discovery later on got Robert demoted to being just a firefighter, essentially destroying the career he built up to that moment. Maya’s childhood abuse and relationship with Carina ended up taking up much space in both Station 19 and Grey’s Anatomy, and Robert’s addiction storyline still affects him to this day in Station 19.
Grey’s Anatomy Season 17, Episode 7
Andrew’s death kicked off Maya & Carina’s problems
Andrew DeLuca’s death might have given him a hero-worthy ending as he managed to stop the sex trafficking ring he denounced episodes before, but it also impacted almost all in Station 19 and Grey’s Anatomy. Indeed, his attack left all doctors shocked, but it hit Taryn Helm, Richard Webber, Miranda Bailey, and Levi Schmitt particularly hard, whether they felt guilty for not stopping the traffickers earlier or just shocked by the accident. However, none was more affected than his sister, Carina DeLuca. Andrew’s death and the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted Carina and Maya’s differences in dealing with things, and it almost broke them up – before having them end up engaged.
Station 19 Season 5, Episode 1
It prompted Maya’s demotion & Herrera’s transfer to 23
The Station 19 season 5 premiere “Phoenix from the Flame” shook the foundations of the team, as it simultaneously demoted Maya from captain and sent Andy to Station 23. Although the call at the end of Station 19 season 4 proved the Station 19 team heroic, it was also a clear act of defiance against the firefighter in charge, guaranteeing Maya couldn’t have survived as captain. However, Andy’s transfer to Station 23 entirely depended on her, Carina, and Maya’s incursion into Chief McCallister’s office to defend themselves against his request for Maya’s resignation as captain, worsening the already dire situation and separating those at the core of Station 19’s team.
Grey’s Anatomy Season 18, Episode 5
The gas explosion took Dean from Station 19 & got Ben & Miranda Pru
Grey’s Anatomy season 18, episode 5, “Bottle Up and Explode!” added Dean to the characters killed off in Station 19, which greatly changed Ben and Miranda’s lives in Grey’s Anatomy and Station 19. Dean’s request for Ben and Miranda to be Pru’s guardians had he died gave Grey’s Anatomy and Station 19 the chance to explore the team’s grief for Dean’s death and Jo’s perspective on Bailey’s predicament of not knowing she would have soon cared for a toddler. Jo’s angle easily confirmed taking in Pru was the only solution, as no better family could have taken her in than Ben and Miranda, whom Dean chose precisely for that eventuality.
Station 19 Season 6, Episode 6
It introduces Maya’s accident & team 19 getting written off for insubordination
Station 19’s bad string of captains started with Beckett. However, while his drinking problem had yet to be acknowledged, Station 19 season 6, episode 6, “Everybody Says Don’t” clearly displayed his differences with Station 19’s crew, who did everything they could to save a patient. His refusal to save Jonathan from the helicopter crash in the safest way possible for him led to the team’s insubordination, guided by Andy, which lighted the fuse of what would become a very difficult and strained relationship between Beckett and the team. However, that call also made Andy bench Maya, who reacted in an even harsher way than expected, prompting her overexertion and accident.
Maya’s arc about her excessive training not only showed her carelessness with her health but also almost destroyed Maya and Carina’s relationship again. This way, Station 19 season 6, episode 6 highlighted how bad leadership influenced all aspects of the job, from the calls to its firefighters’ private lives, affected by their personal problems and lack of leadership in the firehouse bound to eventually cause a fatality. Although Maya’s accident in Station 19 season 6, episode 6 only temporarily separated her and Carina, it still served as a cautionary tale about what would happen to firefighters under a bad leader, upsetting various characters in Station 19and Grey’s Anatomy.
