Private Practice (TV series)
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| Private Practice | |
|---|---|
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| Created by | Shonda Rhimes |
| Starring | Kate Walsh Tim Daly Paul Adelstein KaDee Strickland Taye Diggs Amy Brenneman Brian Benben Caterina Scorsone Benjamin Bratt Chris Lowell Audra McDonald |
| Theme music composer | Michael Tolcher |
| Opening theme | "Sooner or Later" |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 5 |
| No. of episodes | 85 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Shonda Rhimes Marti Noxon Betsy Beers Mark Gordon Mark Tinker Jon Cowan Robert Rovner Craig Turk Steve Blackman |
| Production locations | Los Angeles, California, USA |
| Running time | 42 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | September 26, 2007 – present |
| Related | |
| Grey's Anatomy House | |
Private Practice is an American medical drama television program which premiered on September 26, 2007 on ABC. A spin-off of Grey's Anatomy, the series takes place at Oceanside Health & Wellness Group and chronicles the life of Dr. Addison Montgomery, played by Kate Walsh, as she leaves Seattle Grace Hospital in order to join a private practice, in Los Angeles. The series was created by Shonda Rhimes, who also serves as executive producer, alongside Betsy Beers, Mark Gordon, Mark Tinker and Craig Turk & Steve Blackman, who serve as showrunners due to Rhimes's duties on Grey's Anatomy.[1]
On January 10, 2011, Private Practice was renewed by ABC for a fifth season, which premiered on September 29, 2011.
Cast
Main characters
- Merrin Dungey played the role of Dr. Naomi Bennett in the backdoor pilot but was replaced by Audra McDonald in June 2007.[8]
Recurring guest characters
- Michael Patrick Thornton as Dr. Gabriel Fife (13 episodes, seasons 3–4): Genetics specialist working for Pacific Wellcare Group who later became Naomi's fiance
- David Sutcliffe as Officer Kevin Nelson (13 episodes, seasons 1–2): LAPD officer, then SWAT officer, dated Addison
- Geffri Maya as Maya Bennett (12 episodes, season 1–3): Naomi's and Sam's daughter
- Hailey Sole as Betsey Parker (11 episodes, seasons 2–4): Dell's daughter
- James Morrison as William White (8 episodes, seasons 2–3): Pacific Wellcare Group owner
- Grant Show as Dr. Archer Montgomery (7 episodes, seasons 2–4): Addison's brother, world-class neurologist who had a brief fling with Naomi and slept with Charlotte prior to her marriage to Cooper
- Stephen Lunsford as Dink (6 episodes, seasons 3–4): Maya's husband
- JoBeth Williams as Bizzy Montgomery (6 episodes, seasons 3–4): Addison's mother
- Jayne Brook as Dr. Meg Porter (5 episodes, season 2): Doctors without Borders physician, Pete's ex-girlfriend
- Amanda Foreman as Katie Kent (5 episodes, seasons 2–4): Violet's patient, who attacked her
- Jay Harrington as Dr. Wyatt Lockhart (5 episodes, season 2): Medical oncologist working for Pacific Wellcare Group
- Sharon Leal as Dr. Sonya Nichols (5 episodes, season 2): Sam's girlfriend
- Amanda Detmer as Morgan Gellman (5 episodes, season 2–3): Addison's pregnant patient, Noah Barnes' wife
- Josh Hopkins as Dr. Noah Barnes (5 episodes, season 2): Morgan Gellman's husband, had an affair with Addison, cardiothoracic surgeon employed at St. Ambrose Hospital
- Agnes Bruckner as Heather (5 episodes, season 2–3): Dell's wife, Betsey's mother
- Ann Cusack as Susan Grant (5 episodes, seasons 3–4): Bizzy's lover
- Christina Chang as Dr. Vanessa Hoyt (4 episodes, season 3): Attending Neonatologist/Perinatologist from St. Ambrose Hospital, Sam's girlfriend
- Stephen Collins as "The Captain" Montgomery (4 episodes, seasons 3–4): Addison's father who slept with Violet prior to her marriage with Pete
- Nicholas Brendon as Lee McHenry (4 episodes, season 4): a man who brutually raped Charlotte
- Cristián de la Fuente as Dr. Rodriguez (4 episodes, season 4): an oncologist from St. Ambrose Hospital
Production history
Origins
On February 21, 2007, The Wall Street Journal reported that ABC was pursuing a spin-off of Grey's Anatomy featuring Kate Walsh's character Addison Montgomery.[9] Subsequent reports confirmed the report, stating that an expanded two-hour broadcast of Grey's Anatomy (which aired May 3, 2007) would serve as a backdoor pilot for the spinoff. The backdoor pilot episode features Montgomery on leave from Seattle Grace Hospital, the clinic in Los Angeles is named the Oceanside Wellness Centre.[10] The broadcast served as the 22nd and 23rd episodes of the season (out of 25), and was directed by Michael Grossman, according to Variety.[11] Gossip columnists Kristin Veitch and Michael Ausiello reported that the spinoff would be set in Los Angeles.[12][13]
Broadcast history
On May 3, 2007, the backdoor pilot of Private Practice aired on ABC, the pilot was in the double episode of Grey's Anatomy entitled "The Other Side of This Life", and gave a brief description of the characters in Private Practice. The cast included Amy Brenneman (Judging Amy & NYPD Blue), Paul Adelstein (Prison Break), Tim Daly (Wings, The Nine, The Sopranos), Taye Diggs (Kevin Hill, Day Break, Rent), Chris Lowell (Veronica Mars, Life As We Know It) and Merrin Dungey (Alias, Summerland). The 2-hour episode averaged 21 million viewers, 1.9 million more viewers than Grey's Anatomy's third season 19.1 million viewers-per-episode average at the time of its airing. The episode was also #1 in the 9pm and 10pm timeslots.[14] On May 5, 2007 it was announced, On The Ellen Show, that Private Practice was part of ABC's 2007 fall line-up.[15] The first TV(television) promotion for the series aired during the season finale of Grey's Anatomy. The series premiere aired on September 26, 2007 averaging 14.41 million viewers being the most watched show in its time slot. The series premiered on British television on July 15, 2008, on LIVING. It was later moved to Thursday at 10:00 p.m. after Grey's Anatomy during mid-season 2009, to make room for the return of Lost.[16]
Casting
On June 29, 2007 it was announced by ABC that Merrin Dungey, who played the role of Naomi Bennett, would be replaced by four time Tony winner Audra McDonald. ABC gave no reason for this change.[17] On July 11, 2007, it was announced that a new character, played by KaDee Strickland, had been added to the main cast.[18]
Tony Award Winner Idina Menzel appeared in two episodes during the second season. Menzel is married to Private Practice star Taye Diggs. David Sutcliffe,[19] Jayne Brook,[20] and Josh Hopkins[21] also appeared in Private Practice.
Location
Private Practice films a lot of their exterior shots (as well as some of their outdoor storylines) in Santa Monica, California. The Oceanside Group building can be found at the corner of 4th and Wilshire in Santa Monica, California. It is actually a bank.
Addison Montgomery and Sam Bennett live in rare Malibu beachfront houses right on the sand, which in reality would cost upwards of $4 million each.
Series Overview
Season One: 2007
The first season deals with Addison's move from Seattle to Los Angeles and her attempts to adjust to a very different type of working environment at Oceanside Wellness Group, a co-op private practice. The first season also deals with her budding relationships with her new co-workers. Among them include her best friend Naomi Bennett, a fertility specialist, and Naomi's ex-husband Sam Bennett, who specializes in internal medicine. Also working within the practice is psychiatrist Violet Turner, pediatrician Cooper Freedman, alternative medicine specialist Pete Wilder, and receptionist Dell Parker. It is revealed early on that the Bennetts established the practice with the rest of the doctors owning a share of it as well. Charlotte King, who serves as chief of staff at St. Ambrose Hospital, works with Oceanside Wellness through her dealings with Sam and her sexual relationship with Cooper.
Season Two: 2008-2009
The second season dealt with the practice's financial troubles. Naomi reveals to Addison that they are in danger of losing the practice due to unpaid debt causing Addison to tell Sam. This in turn causes a shift within the practice making Addison the new boss. Adding to the drama was the competition of a new practice, Pacific Wellcare. This new practice, located within the same building as Oceanside Wellness, was run by Charlotte causing turmoil for her and Cooper.
Another happening within this season is the dynamic between Sam and Naomi who by the finale realize they can no longer be friends as well as the deepening romantic relationship of Cooper and Charlotte. Addison was romantically linked with Kevin Nelson (played by David Sutcliffe), a police officer, but later realized their relationship was going nowhere. Towards the end of the season, Addison falls in love with cardiovascular surgeon Noah Barnes, who as it turns out, is married and is expecting his first child. Matters become more complicated when Addison realizes that Noah's wife is one of her patients.
Archer Montgomery (Grant Show), Addison's playboy brother, also made sporadic appearances causing trouble for her and Naomi. Archer was found to be with an aggressive brain tumor which was later diagnosed as parasites. Addison sought the professional help of her ex-husband, neurosurgeon Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey). After Derek successfully saved Archer, Addison discovered Archer was back to his old tricks cheating on Naomi.
Violet stirred some of her own drama when she began dating Sheldon (Brian Benben), who works for Pacific Wellcare, and Pete. During the latter half of the season, Violet was found to be pregnant although she did not know who the father of her baby was. Meanwhile, Dell struggled with his own issues caused by his former girlfriend's drug habits and the fight for custody of his daughter Betsey.
Some of the medical cases that caused a stir and tension among the doctors at Private Practice was the issue of abortion (a first for the practice), the sex re-assignment of a newborn, the sexual activity of a 12 year old, the switching of embryos for two mothers-to-be and a young couple who later discovered they were siblings.
Season Three: 2009-2010
In the third season, Violet survives the cliffhanger in season two while she gives her baby Lucas to Pete while she recovers from the ordeal. Addison and Sam get even closer but decide not to become a couple because they don't want to hurt Naomi, Charlotte and Cooper break up, and Dell loses Heather in an explosion which nearly kills Betsey also. Addison and Pete become a couple, which causes Addison to get close to Lucas until Violet wants him back even going as far as taking Pete to court to get joint custody. Sheldon starts to fall for Charlotte after they start to sleep together and Sam and Naomi's daughter, Maya, gets pregnant and marries the father of her baby, Dink. And Derek Shepard's sister, Dr. Amelia Shepherd, arrives in town. In the season finale, Addison and Sam finally get together while Charlotte and Cooper get engaged much to Sheldon's dismay. Pete and Violet work over their issues, while Dell and Maya get involved in a car accident and the severity of Dell's condition is overlooked while Maya was being attended to in the operating room. Dr. Amelia Shepherd, younger sister of Derek Shepherd (Addison's ex-husband,) operated on him but was unable to resuscitate following Dell's heart failure. Maya survived her operation to save her spinal cord and prevent paralysis while at the same time she gives birth to a girl, who also survives the ordeal.
Season Four: 2010-2011
In the fourth season Brian Benben and Caterina Scorsone have been upgraded to series regulars. The season begins with the aftermath of Dell's death, including his funeral and what happens to his daughter Betsey. Violet and Pete get married in the season premiere and finally begin a new life with their son Lucas. Addison and Sam reveal their romance to the staff of Oceanside Wellness, which causes Naomi to leave town to learn to accept their new relationship. Cooper and Charlotte's relationship continues to get stronger as they get engaged. Charlotte is raped and badly beaten by one of the patients at her hospital and decides to only tell Addison and make her keep it a secret. Charlotte later decides she does not want to tell anyone she was raped, not even Cooper. Later everyone finds out but Charlotte won't identify Lee McHenry, her rapist. Later we find out Violet was raped while she was in college. Then Charlotte decides to identify Lee because Sheldon tells her to do so. She goes to the police station, but because she did not accuse him and because of the long history about Charlotte not telling the lawyer does not accept to charge Lee, who later is stabbed by his girl friend in self defense. Her telling the authorities about almost getting killed leads finally to Lee's arrest, but before this, he is saved at the surgeon's slab with Charlotte granting the procedure in spite of her being victimized by him. In the season finale it was decided that they will close down Oceanside Wellness and open another practice; and Naomi decide it would be best to move to New York to be with Gabriel.
Season Five: 2011-2012
On January 10, 2011, ABC renewed Private Practice for a fifth season.[22]
It was announced on 9 February 2011, that Audra McDonald, who plays the character Naomi Bennett, will not return as a regular cast member in the fifth season of Private Practice, however said she may return as a guest star or a recurring character.
Following the departure of Audra McDonald, it was announced on 20 March 2011 that actor Benjamin Bratt will be added to the series as a regular cast member for the fifth season of the show. The details of his character were released on the 7th of August, as he is set to play Jake Reilly; a fertility specialist "who is quite accomplished and up to speed with cutting-edge technology and procedures."
Reception
Private Practice's first episode was somewhat panned by critics and The New York Times described the show's characters as "collectively offer[ing] one of the most depressing portrayals of the female condition since The Bell Jar."[23] However, in recent episodes, critics have shown positive reactions to the storylines.
| Season | Timeslot (EDT) | Season Premiere | Season Finale | TV Season | Rank | Viewers (in millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 26, 2007 | December 5, 2007 | 2007–2008 | #36 | 11.57 | |
| 2 | Thursday 10:00 PM (2009) |
October 1, 2008 | April 30, 2009 | 2008–2009 | #52 | 8.91 |
| 3 | October 1, 2009 | May 13, 2010 | 2009–2010 | #38 | 9.05 | |
| 4 | September 23, 2010 | May 19, 2011 | 2010–2011 | #58 | 7.63 | |
| 5 | September 29, 2011 | Spring, 2012 | 2011–2012 | TBA | 6.85 |
Awards
| Year | Award | Category | Recipients | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | BMI Film & TV Awards | BMI TV Music Award | Chad Fischer, Tim Bright | Won |
| NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | Taye Diggs | Nominated | |
| Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series | Audra McDonald | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series | Shonda Rhimes | Nominated | ||
| People's Choice Award | Favorite New TV Drama | Private Practice | Nominated | |
| 2009 | BMI Film & TV Awards | BMI TV Music Award | Chad Fischer, Tim Bright | Won |
| NAMIC Vision Award | Drama | Private Practice | Nominated | |
| NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | Taye Diggs | Won | |
| Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series | Audra McDonald | Nominated | ||
| Hollywood Music in Media Awards | Outstanding Music Supervision - TV | Alex Pastavas | Nominated | |
| Young Artist Award | Best Performance in a TV Series - Guest Starring Young Actor | Joey Luthman | Won | |
| 2010 | NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series | Taye Diggs | Nominated |
| Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series | Audra McDonald | Nominated | ||
| GLAAD Media Awards | Outstanding Individual Episode in a series without a regular LGBT character | "Homeward Bound" | Nominated | |
| "Wait and See" | Nominated | |||
| PRISM Awards | Drama Series Multi-Episode Story Line | "Contamination"/"What Women Want"/"Yours, Mine and Ours" | Nominated | |
| Young Artist Award | Best Performance in a TV Series - Guest Starring Young Actress | Emily Rae | Nominated | |
| 2011 | People's Choice Award | Favorite TV Drama Actor | Taye Diggs | Nominated |
| Favorite TV Drama Actress | Kate Walsh | Nominated | ||
| PRISM Awards | Drama Series Multi-Episode Storyline - Mental Health | "Did You Hear What Happened to Charlotte King?"/"What Happens Next"/"Can't Find My Way Back Home" | Nominated | |
| Female Performance in a Drama Series Multi-Episode Storyline | KaDee Strickland | Won | ||
| NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding Writing in a Dramatic Series | Shonda Rhimes for "Did You Hear What Happened to Charlotte King?" | Won |
DVD releases
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment has released all completed seasons of Private Practice on DVD in Regions 1, 2 and 4.
Private Practice is also available for download on iTunes.
| DVD Name | Region 1 Release Date | Region 2 Release Date | Region 4 Release Date | Ep # | Discs | Additional Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | September 16, 2008 | March 16, 2009 | December 3, 2008 | 9 | 3 | Audio commentaries, two extended episodes, deleted scenes, bloopers and a Kate Walsh featurette. |
| Season 2 | September 15, 2009 | March 1, 2010 | November 2, 2009 | 22 | 6 | Chris Lowell featurette, behind the scenes with the cast, deleted scenes, audio commentaries, extended episodes and bloopers |
| Season 3 | September 14, 2010[24] | March 21, 2011 | November 3, 2010[25] | 23 | 5 (6 Region 2) | Bloopers, deleted scenes, Kate Walsh's Personal Favorite Scenes featurette[24] |
| Season 4 | September 13, 2011[26] | TBA | October 12, 2011[27] | 22 | 5 | Bloopers, deleted scenes, KaDee Strickland Discusses Her Challenging Role featurette |
International
References
- ^ Debra Winger is 'In Treatment,' 'Private Practice' gets new bosses Zap2It
- ^ http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2011/02/private-practice-audra-mcdonald-is-exiting-the-show.html
- ^ "Supernatural, Grey's bolster casts".
- ^ Exclusive: "Private Practice" Upgrades Brian Benben, Entertainment Weekly, June 15, 2010
- ^ Scorsone Becomes "Practice" Regular, Digital Spy, July 22, 2010
- ^ http://abc.go.com/shows/private-practice/bio/jake-reilly/849126
- ^ http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/benjamin-bratt-joining-private-practice-169455
- '^ Private Practice' Recast: Merrin Dungey out, Audra McDonald in, on the 'Grey's Anatomy' spinoff, Los Angeles Times
- ^ Barnes, Brooks (2007-02-21). "Delicate Surgery on 'Grey's Anatomy'". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2007-02-22.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (2007-02-22). "Diggs goes for 'Grey' spin". The Hollywood Reporter. The Nielsen Company. Archived from the original on 2007-02-24. Retrieved 2007-02-22.
- ^ Adalian, Josef (2007-02-26). "Director set for 'Grey's' spinoff". Variety.com. Retrieved 2007-02-28.
- ^
Ausiello, Michael (2007-03-14). "Exclusive: Grey's 2.0 Chooses its Host City!". TV Guide. Retrieved 2007-04-28.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Kudrow Set For a Return to". contactmusic.com. 2007-03-15. Retrieved 2007-04-28.
- ^ Serpe, Gina (2007-05-04). "Grey's Spinoff Ratings Not Quite Hot". E! News. Retrieved 2007-05-15.
- ^ "Kate Walsh - "Grey's Anatomy" Spin-off".
- ^ Thrfeed.com
- ^ "'Private Practice' Recast: Merrin Dungey out, Audra McDonald in, on the 'Grey's Anatomy' spinoff". Los Angeles Times. June 29, 2007. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
- ^ "New regulars for Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice".
- ^ TVguide.com
- ^ "Private Practice": Kate Walsh Dishes on What's Ahead, E! Online, October 22, 2008
- ^ EW.com
- ^ ABC Renews "The Middle", "Modern Family", "Cougar Town", "Grey's Anatomy", "Private Practice" and "Castle", TV By the Numbers, January 10, 2011
- ^ Stanley, Alessandra (September 26, 2007). "New Series: Women Test Mettle, and Metal". The New York Times. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
- ^ a b http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Private-Practice-Season-3-Extras/13694
- ^ http://www.ezydvd.com.au/item.zml/815647
- ^ http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Private-Practice-Season-4/15363
- ^ http://www.ezydvd.com.au/DVD/private-practice-the-complete-4th-season-6-disc-set/dp/820948
External links
| Grey's Anatomy |
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| Private Practice |
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| Station 19 |
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