The long-time "Greys" star suggests that she may leave the series after the 16th season. (ABC)

Could "Grey's Anatomy"be on its last legs?

Ahead of the season 15 premiere,Ellen Pompeostrongly hinted that she may be ready to hang up her scrubs for good following the end of the16th season, which would be the end ofthe two-year contract extension she signedmaking her the highest-paid TV actress, earning more than $20 million per year. Though "Grey's"has yet to be officially picked up for season 16, it appears the 48-year-old actress is thinking about her post-Meredith Grey move.

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"I'm clearly not prepared right now to make any formal announcement about what my future is on the show, but I am really feeling like we have told the majority of the stories that we can tell," Pompeo toldEntertainment Weekly. "It's about time that I mix it up. I'm definitely looking for a change."

CreatorShonda Rhimesadmitted she's written several series finales for "Grey's," only to have the show continue on.

"I have written the end of the show at least six times," Rhimes toldEW."But we just don't end. Every time, I thought, 'This is how the show should end,' we've gone past those moments, so I've stopped trying."

"I have no idea now," she confessed of the ultimate "Grey's" swan song.

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Back in May,Pompeo told ETthat they were starting to ruminate onhow to wrap up a show as iconic as "Grey's."

"Yes, we're starting to think about how you would end a show this iconic," she said at the time. "Howdoyou end it?But we're not there yet. We're going to focus onseason 15. We just take it one season at a time."

"The show's a tremendous money maker, let's be honest. It makes a fortune for everybody and everyone wants to keep it going," Pompeo noted. "Now, it's sort of fun. We're in a contest with ourselves. How long can we keep this going and still have this level of quality."

"Grey's Anatomy" returns with a two-hour premiere on Thursday, Sept. 27 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.

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