Jesse Williams stars in "Grey's Anatomy"

Fandoms can be intense. There's been a lot of talk of toxic fandoms in the past few years (see the last season of "Game of Thrones" or the 2016 "Ghostbusters" reboot), but fandoms can produce some wonderful things, too. Fabulous artistic creations have been created by such devotees, whether it be amazing costume recreations, interesting movie edits or creative written fiction. As the internet facilitates growing communities of fans, it also allows networks and showrunners to tap into what the fans of their particular franchises are hoping to see. The television world has been cashing in on this concept for years now, and one of the biggest crowd-pleasers is the crossover.

Crossovers are money in the bank for TV networks. From the "Blossom" and "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" teamup of the early 1990s to the dozens of Arrowverse combinations that have aired in the past few years, the crossover has been raking it in for ages. Now, millions of "Grey's Anatomy" and "Station 19" fans are about to get a gift they've been wishing for: on Thursday, Jan. 23, "Grey's Anatomy" and "Station 19" return with an action-packed two-hour crossover episode on ABC.  

After nearly a yearlong break, "Station 19" returns with a bang. The last time we saw Seattle's brave firefighters, Maya (Danielle Savre, "Too Close to Home") and Jack (Grey Damon, "Aquarius") went public with their relationship, Ryan (Alberto Frezza, "Dead of Summer") was on the verge of moving to San Diego, and Travis (Jay Hayden, "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend") was arrested for assault. Needless to say, a lot happened the last time we rode the firetruck.  

With that said, "Station 19" has nothing on the dramatics of "Grey's Anatomy." The medical drama's fall finale ended with a shocking cliffhanger. At the end of a tension-filled episode that featured Meredith's (Ellen Pompeo, "RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars") first day back at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital after the big trial and Maggie's (Kelly McCreary, "Scandal") resignation, a car plowed through Joe's Bar, a popular Seattle hangout that was filled with fan favorites from "Station 19" and "Grey's Anatomy," including the new captain at Station 19, Robert Sullivan (Boris Kodjoe, "Code Black") and Dr. Jackson Avery (Jesse Williams, "Jacob's Ladder," 2019).

Joe's Bar has featured prominently in both series; it has been a place for the characters to socialize, to unwind and often drink their sorrows away after a hard day. In the "Grey's Anatomy" fall finale, several first responders were doing just that, but in the aftermath of the horrific accident, they will need to stay strong and work together in order to survive and save the other patrons. Who will make it out alive, and at what cost? More importantly, who is responsible for this deadly crash? Tune in to the two-hour crossover event for the answers to all your burning questions.

Boris Kodjoe stars in "Station 19"

Beyond the explosive car accident, the crossover event looks to address several juicy plotlines set up in each of the shows' last episodes. Some of these include Meredith potentially getting romantically involved with Dr. Cormac Hayes (Richard Flood, "Shameless"), what Bailey's (Chandra Wilson, "Christmas Harmony," 2018) miscarriage means for her future, and what is next for Maggie. Is it possible that she is the driver responsible for the carnage at Joe's? Stranger things have happened. With Capt. Pruitt's (Miguel Sandoval, "Sharp Objects") days potentially numbered, will he divulge the news of his cancer's return to his friends and colleagues?

The winter return of "Grey's Anatomy" and "Station 19" is not the first time that two popular Shonda Rhimes ("For the People") dramas have crossed over, but it is the biggest Shondaland event yet. It also marks a pivotal movement in the history of both ABC shows.

For the first time, "Grey's Anatomy" and "Station 19" will both share the same showrunner, Krista Vernoff ("Shameless"). In an interview with Deadline back in the fall, the veteran screenwriter and showrunner discussed how the Seattle dramas will interact with each other in the future, starting with the winter crossover event.

"The two shows will interconnect every few episodes. We don't want to do it every week, we don't want to create a mold, we don't want to fall into any kind of pattern, we don't want people to ever know what to expect," Vernoff said. She went on to explain that fans can expect to see more characters from each show appearing on the other, and she praised the Shondaland writers who have found many different, interesting ways for the characters to interact with each other.   

Find out who lives and who dies when "Grey's Anatomy" and "Station 19" usher in a new era with an action-packed two-hour crossover event on Thursday, Jan. 23, on ABC.