Grey's Anatomy spoilers follow.

Grey's Anatomy boss Krista Vernoff has admitted that there are "some pretty intense episodes coming up" in season 17, despite the show having already put its viewers through the emotional wringer recently.

Then again, who would expect anything less from the medical drama that's known for its tear-jerker moments?

As the current instalment continues to air in the US, the showrunner opened up about what's in store for Meredith (Ellen Pompeo), Bailey (Chandra Wilson) and the like. Most notably, she touched on whether the characters and subsequently, those watching at home will get any relief after seeing the former battle COVID-19 and the latter tragically lose her mother, among other big twists and turns.

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"These were very heavy episodes and we have some pretty intense episodes coming up at the beginning of the year as well," she told Deadline. "We started our season in April of 2020, and we're being as honest and as authentic and as deep and as true with that as we can.

"What that means is we have to find our hope and our joy and our silver linings and our humor and our sexy and our romantic inside the parameters that 2020 offered us."

But that's not to say that Vernoff sees the outing's more harrowing storylines as devoid of light.

In fact, she went on to say that she's felt "hopeful" every day of 2020 that things are going to improve across the US and the world, and she's always tried to imbue each episode with that feeling and a sense of much-needed realism, too.

"I'm hopeful for a vaccine. I'm hopeful that people will start to take the pandemic seriously. I'm hopeful that theyll start to wear masks," she explained.

"I'm hopeful that we can depoliticize this thing and all just take care of ourselves and each other and our healthcare workers.

"One of the ways that Grey's Anatomy and Station 19 are helping with that is by living inside of the pandemic rather than jumping to an idealized post-pandemic world. So, I have a different twist on hope this year."

Grey's Anatomy season 17 airs on ABC in the US. It airs on Sky Witness in the UK with selected episodes also available on NOW TV.

The information in this story is accurate as of the publication date. While we are attempting to keep our content as up-to-date as possible, the situation surrounding the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continues to develop rapidly, so it's possible that some information and recommendations may have changed since publishing. For any concerns and latest advice, visit the World Health Organisation. If you're in the UK, the National Health Service can also provide useful information and support, while US users can contact the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Grey's Anatomy boss discusses whether season 17 will get less heavy - Digital Spy