GREY'S Anatomy showrunner, Krista Vernoff, said NOT killing off a main character was the most "shocking" thing she could do this season.
Krista admitted the new tactic followed many seasons where beloved characters were tragically killed off the long-running series.
Krista told Us Weekly: "There had been so many tragic deaths for so many years on Grey’s Anatomy that I felt like the most surprising thing I could do, repeatedly, was to not kill someone. “Time after time, no matter how many times I’ve done it, everyone, every time expects that the person who’s in danger or threatened in some way is going to die." Krista ran both this year's season 16 of Grey's and also season 3 of its spinoff series, Station 19.