Its premise was first introduced through two different storylines on the parent series. The first spanned the fourteenth season of Grey's Anatomy and revolved around Dr. Ben Warren, portrayed by long-time cast member Jason George, deciding to leave his medical residency to become a firefighter. George was cast in the spin-off as a series regular late in its development process.[11][12] A second story aired on March 1, 2018, taking the form of a backdoor pilot, and introduced Station 19's leading actor Jaina Lee Ortiz as Andy Herrera.[13]Stefania Spampinato also stars as Dr. Carina DeLuca, who was also first introduced in Grey's Anatomy.[14] The remainder of the initial ensemble cast consisted of Grey Damon, Barrett Doss, Alberto Frezza, Jay Hayden, Okieriete Onaodowan, Danielle Savre, and Miguel Sandoval. Additional cast members who joined later in the series include Carlos Miranda, Josh Randall, Merle Dandridge, and Pat Healy.[15][16] Following the series' cancellation, George returned to the parent series.[17]
Station 19 is the second spin-off of Grey's Anatomy (2005–present) following Private Practice (2007–2013) and the ninth series produced by Shondaland, Rhimes' production company.[18][19] The series focuses on the professional and personal lives of firefighters and paramedics working at the Seattle Fire Department's fictional Station 19. Supplemental storylines centered around the Seattle Police Department and the fictional Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. Several fictional crossover events with Grey's Anatomy aired over the span of the series.[20] The first two seasons were overseen by McKee and Rhimes as showrunners; the two had also been co-showrunners on Grey's Anatomy.[21][22] They left ahead of the third season and Krista Vernoff took over the next four seasons; at the time, Vernoff was also overseeing production of Grey's Anatomy.[5][23] Following Vernoff's departure, Peter Paige and Zoanne Clack served as co-showrunners for the final season.[24]