Grey's Anatomy Season 10 will see yet another end in the casting contract deals signed by its original cast, from Ellen Pompeo (Meredith Grey) to James Pickens, Jr. (Richard Webber). This could mean the end of the series, or perhaps another renewal. Are Shonda Rhimes and team looking at next season as Grey's final installment?

A month ago on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Patrick Dempsey (Derek Shepherd) was asked how long would Grey's Anatomy go on? The actor popularly known as McDreamy said, "Well, we have one more left on our contract, and then we'll see what happens." And then he gave avid fans a reason to hope for a Season 11: "People keep watching, we'll keep doing."

Pompeo, Pickens, Dempsey, Chandra Wilson (Miranda Bailey), Justin Chambers (Alex Karev), and Sandra Oh (Cristina Yang) are the only remaining characters from Grey's Season 1. They each renewed their contract a year ago, when it was not clear whether there would be a Season 9. Successful negotiations led to another 2-year deal for them.

For her part, Grey's Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes had said in an interview that she and the writing team are not looking at Season 10 as the final chapter. She, however, did not elaborate.

Sarah Drew, who joined Grey's Anatomy mid-series as April Kepner, told her Twitter followers she wished the series would never end. A 10-year run is no mean feat, but it looks like the series still has so many unexplored stories.

The burning questions left for Grey's Season 10 include the fate of Webber, who has been electrocuted during the tail-end of "a perfect storm." Kepner also has a messed up storyline going on, as she has just told her best friend she wants him. And she would cancel her engagement if he tells her to. Meredith and Derek (MerDer to the shippers) are new parents. About a year after adopting Zola, Meredith gave birth to a healthy baby boy. Karev also has a promising storyline going on, as he seems to have found someone truly special. (Do you think Katherine Heigl could come back and reprise her role to shake things up?)

Given this sampling of arcs, it is easy to understand why Shonda Rhimes and company are not looking at Grey's Anatomy Season 10 as the final chapter.

VIDEO: Grey's Anatomy Season 10 as Final Chapter? McDreamy Dishes Thoughts

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