From Seattle Grace to 'Private Practice'

On Thursday, May 3, 2007 at 9/8c, ABC will be showing a special two-hour edition of its hit medical drama Grey's Anatomy, within it a decision that could change Grey's Anatomy forever.

The upcoming episode will put the gears of the much-anticipated Kate Walsh (Addison) spin-off into motion. The show, tentatively called Private Practice, will take place in trendy Miami, Florida and take Grey's Anatomy character Addison Montgomery from high-stress medical traumas and scandalous rendezvous to a less medical show that deals more with life with a smidgen of medical happenings thrown in.

While the two-hour Grey's Anatomy will setup the show, it will not act as a pilot episode, and the reactions to this episode will also not determine whether the fate of the show in itself. As of now, the show has no time slot or series premiere date available (though it is definitely slotted for the 2007 Fall Line Up) and the ABC executives are keen to caution that the show's title could be subject to change at any moment.

In addition to Kate Walsh, the cast of Private Practice will include Taye Diggs (Day Break), Tim Daly (The Nine), Amy Brenneman (Judging Amy), Chris Lowell (Veronica Mars) and several others. Let us hope that the failings of her co-stars ABC shows will not spell doom for Kate, but with that delightful Shonda Rhimes touch, all should hopefully be kosher.

However if this spin-off does indeed fail, will Seattle Grace re-welcome Addison Montgomery into its chaotic, melodramatic bosom? As some of you may remember, Addison wasn't originally part of the cast and Kate Walsh was initially only signed on for two-three episodes. Only time will tell of Addison's fate, though rumor has it that there is a clause in her contract stating that if the show fails, she goes back to Grey's.

Fans are all too eager to voice their opinions of a spin-off. Some are completely and utterly against it, saying that it's too risky and could damage Grey's ratings to the point of no return. While others are in full support of Shonda and Kate's project, even going as far as to set up online petitions to show their devotion to the venture.

My opinion is that if Lost can sit around on a out of the ordinary island for ages (meanwhile slowly killing it's ratings by dragging out it's plot) and still be on air, Private Practice definitely deserves a chance to show us what it's got.