Watch Grey's Anatomy online: How to stream the season 16 finale live right now

Watch Grey's Anatomy online
(Image credit: ABC)

Tonight is the last time you can watch Grey's Anatomy online until the fall as the season 16 finale is airing on ABC in mere minutes.

Grey's Anatomy season 16 was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic, since filming on the ABC drama was suspended in mid-March and then completely shut down. Star Ellen Pompeo and the cast filmed episode 21 of what was supposed to be 25 installments, so that will now serve as the finale.

Grey's Anatomy start time, channel

The Grey's Anatomy's season 16 finale starts tonight at 9 p.m. Eastern on ABC.

The season finale, titled "Put on a Happy Face," continues the storyline that teams up multiple doctors, including Meredith Grey (Pompeo), to figure out what's wrong with their mentor, Richard Webber (James Pickens Jr.). Richard suffered an episode during a medical conference, but nobody is sure what the problem is — could it be Alzheimer's, a stroke, a tumor or something else?

Elsewhere, Link (Chris Carmack) tries to convince Amelia (Caterina Scorsone) to take it easy during the final stage of her pregnancy. Hayes (Richard Flood) asks Meredith a surprising question, and Owen (Kevin McKidd) makes a shocking discovery.

Since this episode wasn't intended to the be the final one in season 16, it's likely that Richard's mystery illness will extend into next season. And yes, there will be a next season — Grey's Anatomy has already been renewed for season 17.

Watch the season 16 finale promo below:

How to watch Grey's Anatomy online anywhere, with a VPN

Just because ABC isn't available everywhere doesn't mean Americans need to miss the finale if they're away from home. Watching the final season along with the rest of the internet can be pretty easy with the right VPN (virtual private network), you can stream the show from wherever you go.

We've evaluated many VPN services, and our top pick is ExpressVPN. It meets the VPN needs of the vast majority of users, offering outstanding compatibility with most devices and impressive connection speeds. It's also affordable at $12.95 per month. (Signing up for longer periods of six months or a year reduces the cost even more.)

ExpressVPN

Our favorite VPN service, ExpressVPN, really shines thanks to its safety, speed and simplicity-to-use. It's also compatible with loads of devices - from iOS and Android to Roku, Apple TV and PlayStations. You'll even get an extra 3 months free if you sign up for a year, or there's a 30-day money-back guarantee if you just want to give it a try.

How to watch the Grey's Anatomy finale in the US

For American viewers, Grey's Anatomy will scrub in at 9 p.m. ET on ABC. The broadcast network is available if you have an antenna or cable subscription. You can also watch the finale on Hulu the next day.

If you've cut the cord, you can watch the finale live on several live TV streaming services, including Hulu With Live TV, YouTube TV and AT&T TV Now.

Of these options, we recommend Hulu, which also offers original programming like Little Fires Everywhere and Handmaid's Tale. It's also got a 1-week free trial. YouTube TV is better for those who want to record everything, as it's got an unlimited Cloud DVR. We do not recommend AT&T TV Now.

  • Hulu With Live TV: 60-plus channels and access to Hulu's library and originals for $54.99
  • YouTube TV: Unlimited DVR storage, 70-plus channels for $49.99
Hulu + Live TV

ABC is one of the many channels on Hulu + Live TV, which includes top original programming, including The Handmaid's Tale and the new High Fidelity series. It's also got CBS, FOX, NBC  and 24x7 news networks including CNN, FOX News and MSNBC. Hulu's Live TV service is currently offering a 1-week free trial.

YouTube TV

You can start a 2-week free trial to check out YouTube TV , which has more than 70 channels, including all four major networks — ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC. YouTube TV also has an unlimited cloud DVR storage. 

How to watch the Grey's Anatomy season 16 finale in Canada

Oh Canada, you're in luck. Grey's Anatomy airs on the same time and day in the great white north, on CTV.

How to watch the Grey's Anatomy season 16 finale in the UK

Slightly bad, but not completely horrible news for Brit fans of Grey's Anatomy. Season 16 has been airing every Wednesday at 9 pm on Sky Witness and NOW TV.

That started April 1, so if our calculations are correct, the season 16 finale won't air until August 12.

You'll be OK, Brits. Dance it out!

How to watch Grey's Anatomy seasons 1-15 online

All previous 15 seasons of Grey's Anatomy are available on Netflix, so all you dark and twisty people can binge to your heart's content.

Kelly Woo
Streaming Editor

Kelly is the streaming channel editor for Tom’s Guide, so basically, she watches TV for a living. Previously, she was a freelance entertainment writer for Yahoo, Vulture, TV Guide and other outlets. When she’s not watching TV and movies for work, she’s watching them for fun, seeing live music, writing songs, knitting and gardening.

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