Grey's Anatomy season 6 spoilers and the future of the show !!!

Owen and Christina : "They’re headed for a dry spell. In the season premiere, Amy Madigan’s shrink advises Owen against making any further sexy time with Cristina until he can get the voices in his head to shut the hell up. Relax, they’re not breaking up. Just taking things slooooow." (from Ausiello)


Mark and Lexi : “They’ve got a lot of challenges coming down the pike,” concedes exec producer Krista Vernoff. “The most consistent challenge is the one that’s built into the fabric of their relationship: He’s pushing 40, she’s in her early 20s.” (from Ausiello)



MerDer : What will happen to Patrick Dempsey when Ellen Pompeo heads off on maternity leave? "He’ll get some much-needed alone time. As exec producer Krista Vernoff explains, Dempsey has been “patiently” waiting to get a story that wasn’t directly tied to the Der-Mer love story. And this season he’ll get his wish. “Derek hasn’t been a fully explored character separate from Meredith,” Vernoff admits. “The fact that by necessity Ellen is going to need a little less screen time gives us more encouragement to explore Derek as a doctor.” This includes what Vernoff describes as an “extraordinary medical story” involving Derek and a patient in this season’s sixth episode, directed by co-star Chandra Wilson."

IZZIE : "Katherine Heigl is taking a break from Grey's Anatomy this season to go off and shoot a Josh Duhamel movie.
But what's shocking, and what shapes the entire sixth season of the series, is the truth about why recently married cancer survivor Dr. Izzie Stevens is vanishing for multiple episodes.
According to inside sources, this season of Grey's Anatomy is overwhelmingly defined by the merger of Seattle Grace and crosstown rival Mercy West. Yep, Seattle Grace is about to double in size, bringing in a slate of new doctors and paving the way for major shake-ups in the season to come.
What does this mega medical merger mean for our favorites? Well, Dr. Izzie Stevens is getting fired. Yes, fired, as in dismissed or downsized. Izzie gets laid off in the big merger and vanishes for a handful of episodes while Heigl shoots her next movie, Life as We Know It.
The shake-up also provides cover for Ellen Pompeo's maternity leave. She'll fade into the background while new doctors, administrators and nurses (played by the likes of Robert Baker, Jesse Williams and Nora Zehetner) fill in the gaps our MIA faves leave behind.
Producers are, however, working to keep Meredith Grey in as many eps as possible. This week Pompeo is banking footage for her maternity leave by shooting scenes for two episodes at once.
The Seattle Grace-Mercy West merger storyline is part of a long-term plan hatched by producers and ABC execs to make Grey's Anatomy a viable going concern for years to come. (We hear they want something like an ER that could continue for 15 years or more.)
No matter who's pregnant, moonlighting or otherwise unavailable, the writers will have a large, endlessly expandable palette of characters and situations with which to work. So, going forward, if Patrick Dempsey needs to shoot a movie (as he will, later this season), the new and improved Seattle Grace permits plenty of wiggle room in schedules and storylines.
Will you love Grey's as much if it's Grey's Anatomy: The New Class? Are you OK with Heigl and Pompeo taking some time off?" (from Kristin)

Well, to tell you the truth, in a way, it IS great news for me as far as Katherine Heigl is concerned ! I LOVE her character (and the actress) and I really thought Izzie would survive but leave because she would have lost her memory in the process (as they said could happen) and what would be the point of her staying if she can't be a doctor and can't recognize her friends. I really thought that was the storyline they were going for. So even is she's taking time off, she's still staying for now so that makes me happy !!
As far as the ER or "new class" concept, I admit I'd rather stick with the originals but let's face it, they're not gonna be able (or willing for that matter !) to stay with the show for 10 or 15 years or more !! And let's be honnest, who would want to see Meredith and Kristina as grand mas ?
Mixing it up would allow the show to keep going. Now the question is, how will it change ? Will it still be as interesting ? Will we still want to watch it 5-10 years from now ? And wouldn't it be better to just stop now and start another show, maybe a franchise with spin offs ?
Let's just wait and see !!