This Grey's Anatomy spin-off was created by producer Shonda Rhimes as a starring vehicle for the talented Kate Walsh, who was semi-lost in Grey's large ensemble cast and multitudinous story arcs. In Private Practice, Walsh reprises her role as Dr. Addison Forbes Montgomery, a renowned neonatal surgeon who, after realizing that her stint at Seattle Grace Hospital isn't working out, heads to Southern California to start anew. Reuniting with her newly divorced med-school friends, Naomi and Sam Bennett (Audra McDonald and Taye Diggs), Addison accepts an invitation to join them in their chic private practice based in beautiful Santa Monica. The truncated nine-episode 2007 first season puts Walsh in the spotlight that she so richly deserves, although her exact role seems to vary considerably: some installments focus on her romantic travails and make her a dewy-eyed ingénue (or what passes for one in 2008), while others find her acting as den mother (more or less) to a staff of quirky physicians. The season opener is the best: it turns out that Naomi didn't consult the practice's other doctors before hiring Addison, whose sudden arrival is initially viewed with suspicion and resentment. Like Grey's Anatomy, this series also boasts a large ensemble cast, with Walsh receiving able support from Tim Daly (playing Dr. Pete Wilder, whose sexual chemistry with Addison becomes an important ingredient in the show's narrative mix), Amy Brenneman, and KaDee Strickland. None of this first year's episodes matched Grey's Anatomy at its peak, but the series was picked up for the 2008-09 season, and is already showing signs of improvement. DVD extras include audio commentaries on three episodes, a half-hour profile of Walsh, a behind-the-scenes featurette, deleted scenes, and outtakes. Recommended, overall. (E. Hulse)
Private Practice: The Complete First Season
Buena Vista, 3 discs, 394 min., TV-14, DVD: $39.99 Volume 24, Issue 1
Private Practice: The Complete First Season
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