Private Practice (TV series) - Wikipedia

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Dramedy Created by Shonda Rhimes Starring Current:
Kate Walsh
Tim Daly
Paul Adelstein
KaDee Strickland
Taye Diggs
Amy Brenneman
Brian Benben
Caterina Scorsone
Benjamin Bratt
Former:
Chris Lowell
Audra McDonald Theme music composer Michael Tolcher Opening theme "Sooner or Later" Country of origin United States Language(s) English No. of seasons 5 No. of episodes 82 (List of episodes) Production Executive producer(s) Shonda Rhimes
Marti Noxon
Betsy Beers
Mark Gordon
Mark Tinker
Jon Cowan
Robert Rovner Location(s) Los Angeles, California, USA Running time 42 minutes Broadcast Original channel ABC Original run September 26, 2007 (2007-09-26) – present Chronology Related shows Grey's Anatomy External links Website

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 Seaside 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 Jon Cowan & Robert Rovner, who serve as showrunners due to Rhimes's duties on Grey's Anatomy.[1]

On January 10, 2011,Thomas and Friends seasons 1-7 DVD Box Set, Private Practice was renewed by ABC for a fifth season, which premiered on September 29, 2011.

1 Cast 1.1 Main characters 1.2 Recurring guest characters 2 Production history 2.1 Origins 2.2 Broadcast history 2.3 Casting 2.4 Location 3 Series Overview 3.1 Season One: 2007 3.2 Season Two: 2008-2009 3.3 Season Three: 2009-2010 3.4 Season Four: 2010-2011 3.5 Season Five: 2011-2012 4 Reception 4.1 Ratings 4.2 Awards 5 DVD releases 6 International 7 References 8 External links [edit] Cast [edit] Main characters Actor Role Specialty Starring Kate Walsh Addison Montgomery Neonatal Surgery; Obstetrics and Gynecology; Perinatology; Medical Genetics Season 1–present Tim Daly Peter Wilder Alternative Medicine; Infectious Diseases; Critical Care Season 1–present Audra McDonald Naomi Bennett Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility; Obstetrics and Gynaecology Season 1–4 (Season 5, recurring)[2] Paul Adelstein Cooper Freedman Pediatrics Season 1–present KaDee Strickland Charlotte King[3] Urology; Sexology Season 1–present Chris Lowell Dell Parker Nursing; Midwifery Season 1–3 Brian Benben Sheldon Wallace Psychiatry Season 4–present (Season 2–3, recurring)[4] Caterina Scorsone Amelia Shepherd Neurosurgery Season 4–present (Season 3, recurring)[5] Benjamin Bratt Jake Reilly General Surgery; Obstetrics and Gynecology; Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility[6] Season 5–present (Season 4, special guest star)[7] Taye Diggs Sam Bennett Internal Medicine; Cardiothoracic Surgery Season 1–present Amy Brenneman Violet Turner Psychiatry Season 1–present Merrin Dungey played the role of Dr. Naomi Bennett in the backdoor pilot but was replaced by Audra McDonald in June 2007.[8] [edit] Recurring guest characters Michael Patrick Thornton as Dr. Gabriel Fife (14 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,BON-JOVI /SPECIAL EDITIONS 11CD+1DVD Box Set, 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 [edit] Production history [edit] 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]

[edit] 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]

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] Series Overview [edit] 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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 Shepard, 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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."

[edit] 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.

[edit] Ratings Season Timeslot (EDT) Season Premiere Season Finale TV Season Rank Viewers
(in millions) 1 Wednesday 9:00 PM September 26, 2007 December 5, 2007 2007–2008 #36 11.57 2 Wednesday 9:00 PM (2008)
Thursday 10:00 PM (2009) October 1, 2008 April 30, 2009 2008–2009 #52 8.91 3 Thursday 10:00 PM October 1, 2009 May 13, 2010 2009–2010 #38 9.05 4 Thursday 10:00 PM September 23, 2010 May 19, 2011 2010–2011 #58 7.63 5 Thursday 10:00 PM September 29, 2011 Spring, 2012 2011–2012 TBA 6.62 [edit] 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,She Spies Season 1 DVD Box Set, 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 [edit] 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 TBA 22 5 Bloopers, deleted scenes, KaDee Strickland Discusses Her Challenging Role featurette [edit] International Country Network Arab World OSN First, Fox Series Argentina Sony Entertainment Television Australia Channel Seven Austria ORF 1 Belgium RTL-TVI and VijfTV

2010: Voice!

Brazil Sony Entertainment Television Bulgaria Fox Life, BNT 1 Canada /A\ (Season 1 - 4) , Citytv(Season 5 -) Colombia Sony Entertainment Television Costa Rica Sony Entertainment Television Croatia Nova TV, Fox Life Chile Sony Entertainment Television Denmark Kanal 4 Ecuador Sony Entertainment Television Estonia Fox Life Finland MTV3 France France 2 Germany Pro7 Greece Fox Life Greece, ANT1 Hong Kong Star World, ATV World Hungary RTL Klub Iceland Sjónvarpið India Zee Cafe Ireland RTÉ 2 Israel yes stars Drama\yes stars HD Italy Foxlife, Rai Due Japan WOWOW Macedonia Fox Life Malaysia ntv7, Star World Mexico Sony Entertainment Television, Azteca 7 The Netherlands NET 5 New Zealand TV2 Norway TV2 Paraguay Sony Entertainment Television Peru Sony Entertainment Television Philippines Studio 23 Poland Fox Life Portugal Fox Life and RTP2 Romania Prima TV Russia Fox Life Serbia Fox Life Singapore MediaCorp TV Channel 5 Slovenia Kanal A South Africa M-net Spain FOX and Antena 3 Sweden TV4 Switzerland TSR, SF zwei Thailand Star World Turkey DiziMax United Kingdom Sky Living Uruguay Sony Entertainment Television Venezuela Sony Entertainment Television [edit] References [edit] External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Private Practice Official website Private Practice at the Internet Movie Database Private Practice at TV.com v · d · ePrivate Practice Seasons: 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 Episodes Characters Shonda Rhimes · Grey's Anatomy v · d · eGrey's Anatomy Episodes (Season 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 · 8) Characters
(cast members) Shonda Rhimes (creator) · Awards and nominations · Soundtrack ("Chasing Cars" • "How to Save a Life" • "The Story" • "Breathe In, Breathe Out") · Video game · Private Practice v · d · eShonda Rhimes Director Writer Producer Production company v · d · eABC Network programming (current and upcoming) Primetime Daytime Late night News Sports Saturday morning Online Upcoming