The advertising campaign that tried to sell ABC's "Private Practice" presented a strange image. It used the image of a flat, bare tummy and a sunny beach to sell a show that focuses on a surgeon who treats pregnant women in glamorous locations such as a hospital, a birthing room and the floor of a department store.
But this deception will matter little to "Grey's Anatomy" fans looking to supplement a TV addiction with a sexy stepchild; "Private Practice" is, after all, just what one expects from a "Grey's" spin-off, and therein lies both its appeal and its fundamental flaw.
"Grey's" creator Shonda Rhimes and her redheaded siren Addison (played by Kate Walsh) have relocated to the Oceanside Wellness Group in sunny, sexy Los Angeles. Addison finds the change so arousing that she dances naked in her apartment within the first 10 minutes of the episode.
The series is only one show into its first season, and it has already locked onto a formula: split up its six doctors into groups of two, and give one pairing a suspenseful story, one a mystery to solve, and the last an absurd narrative (preferably of a sexual nature).
Addison and Pete (the delightful Tim Daly) try to save a teenage girl from dying during childbirth. Rakish Cooper (Paul Addelstein) and hung-up Violet (Amy Brenneman) try to figure out why her psychiatric patient is counting floor tiles. Sam (Taye Diggs) and Naomi (fellow Broadway alum Audra McDonald), meanwhile, must fight for a dead man's sperm.
That's right, sperm.
While Naomi is confronted by the rest of the staff for hiring Addison without telling them, her patient dies before he can get his seed into a cup. His girlfriend is amusingly stubborn and asks the doctors to salvage his sperm, forcing them to face their own relationship issues. This is a common theme; every cheesy storyline has the doctors come to grips with their problems.
Sam pleads with Naomi, "don't make this about us," but, alas, the writers do not listen. The cast has more than a handful of personal issues, and the fact that they are highly neurotic as individuals makes for plenty of good drama: Sam and Naomi are divorced, Violet stalks her ex-husband, and Cooper has a sex addiction.
This is where the series really excels. Sure, the audience is thrown into the relationships and neuroses too abruptly, and sometimes the drama is a bit much, especially when it is tied to a structure in which the characters must all learn a valuable lesson by the end of the episode.
But "Private Practice" has put together a stellar cast with a great rapport. When the group gets together, the interplay is funny, charming and relatable and this series of interactions creates the show's core appeal.
It's refreshing to have such a talented cast of attractive actors over the age of 35 (the geezers!), but what a shame to waste them on such wrapped-up, predictable plots. Where are the surprises? The show is satisfying and almost addictive, but it hardly exceeds expectations. In fact, it tries so hard to satisfy them that it misses the opportunity to break new ground and move beyond its predecessor.
Instead, "Private Practice" essentially follows the groundwork "Grey's Anatomy" laid out for it. Is this a problem? It works pretty well as a primetime soap, and if the scores of viewers watching "Grey's" find "Practice" as captivating, the show will do very well indeed.
"Practice" is already learning how to take advantage of its amazing cast. Once the show fully develops its spunk, it will be enjoyable to follow, though whether it really progresses will depend on whether it is willing to get a bit more daring. The first episode's resolution was so clean, it left the audience with few reasons to tune in again. With everything so hunky-dory, one finds it hard to get very invested in the characters.
Addison repeatedly cites her reason for leaving Seattle Grace Hospital, the scene of "Grey's," as a need for change. Change is more turbulent, chaotic, and unpredictable than the first episode would have us believe. The conflict over her unexpected hiring was almost a non-issue. Things are more fun when things are not going Addison's way, so all "Private Practice" needs is some more bumps in her road.
