Ellen Pompeo reveals she wants her hit ABC series Grey’s Anatomy to be less preachy

Ellen Pompeo is heading into her 19th season on ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy, debuting in early October, though she wants the show to change its approach to social issues.

The long-running series created by Shonda Rhimes has never shied away from hot-button issues in the past.

The 52-year-old actress opened up on her Tell Me podcast on Tuesday, revealing she wanted the show to  be ‘less preachy.’

Grey’s: The 52-year-old actress opened up on her Tell Me podcast on Tuesday, revealing she wanted the show to be ‘less preachy’

‘I think if I had any desire, honestly, it would be to be less sort of preachy in one episode about certain things,’ Pompeo began.

‘It’s like, we do one episode about, let’s see … Asian hate crimes is one that we did this past season that was really moving. I think I’d like to see things happen a little more subtly and over time,’ she added.

Instead of just having one episode focus on a certain topic, she’d rather the show, ‘touch on these social issues that are important and have them be threads throughout,’ as opposed to, ‘consistently [hitting] you over the head for just one hour’ and never talk about it again.

Desire: ‘I think if I had any desire, honestly, it would be to be less sort of preachy in one episode about certain things,’ Pompeo began

Hate crime: ‘It’s like, we do one episode about, let’s see … Asian hate crimes is one that we did this past season that was really moving. I think I’d like to see things happen a little more subtly and over time,’ she added

The podcast interview comes just after it was reported by Deadline that she will only appear in eight episodes in the upcoming 19th season.

Production is now under way on Season 19, with Pompeo still slated to narrate the episodes as well, but may not do so for every one.

She will also remain on board as an executive producer despite the limited appearances in front of the camera.

New show: The podcast interview comes just after it was reported by Deadline that she will only appear in eight episodes in the upcoming 19th season

The Season 18 finale showed her character Meredith Grey with a decision to stay at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital in Seattle or move to Minnesota to be with Dr. Nick Marsh (Scott Speedman).

She decided to stay at Grey Sloan, though it’s unclear how her limited episodes will be factored into Season 19, which is expected to span 22 episodes.

The decision to scale back her on-screen involvement comes after Pompeo took her first new TV role in nearly two decades for an untitled Hulu series.

Meredith: The Season 18 finale showed her character Meredith Grey with a decision to stay at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital in Seattle or move to Minnesota to be with Dr. Nick Marsh (Scott Speedman)

Stay: She decided to stay at Grey Sloan, though it’s unclear how her limited episodes will be factored into Season 19, which is expected to span 22 episodes

The series recounts the bizarre true story of a Ukranian orphan named Natalia Grace, who was adopted by American parents.

They ultimately learned that Natalia suffered from a rare form of dwarfism and claimed she was in fact a mentally-disturbed adult who threatened their lives.

The parents – Kristine Barnett and Michael Barnett – were charged with neglect in 2019 when they abandoned their daughter.

Most of the charges against the parents were dropped, and Grace continually denies claims she is an adult con artist. 

Role: The series recounts the bizarre true story of a Ukranian orphan named Natalia Grace, who was adopted by American parents

Charges: Most of the charges against the parents were dropped, and Grace continually denies claims she is an adult con artist