Will Private Practice be as Successful for ABC as Grey's Anatomy?

Isn't it ironic that in a country with no national healthcare, with awful HMOs, and egregiously greedy health insurance companies, that medical dramas tend to be some of the most successful shows on prime time television? Okay, maybe it's apples and oranges, and maybe it's the lives of the doctors and not those dying and surviving on their tables that we care so much about. Well, if you don't get enough medical drama with your "House" and your "ER" and your "Grey's Anatomy," here's another. It's called "Private Practice," and it premieres September 26 on ABC. Here is a preview of "Private Practice," starring Kate Walsh.

"Private Practice" transplants the character of Addison Montgomery from "Grey's Anatomy" into her own show. If you somehow don't remember her, she's the fictional physician portrayed by Kate Walsh, who went from the cold heartbreaker of poor Doc McDreamy to one of the show's most beloved characters. And she's bringing her charisma and grace to "Private Practice" on ABC.

Yes, this is a spin-off of the highly successful medical drama, "Grey's Anatomy." But Kate Walsh is hoping to attract her own audience, and to offer something a little different at nine o'clock on Wednesday nights.

The supporting cast looks promising. Tim Daly will play Dr. Pete Wilder, a physician who's good at alternative medicine but terrible at romance. Taye Diggs will play Dr. Sam Bennett, an internist who is struggling with unresolved feelings for his colleague/wife, Dr. Naomi Bennet. Naomi will be played by Audra McDonald, and she is the lead character's attractive best friend. Amy Brenneman will play the role of Dr. Violet Turner, a psychiatrist who carries a torch for her ex. Look for Paul Adelstein as Dr. Cooper Freedman, a pediatrician who is perpetually single, and KaDee Strickland as Dr. Charlotte King, the tough hospital administrator. The role of boy-toy on "Private Practice" will be played by Chris Lowell, as William "Dell" Parker, a receptionist and surfer.

Should you give "Private Practice" a chance? Probably, unless you are a "Criminal Minds" fan and don't have a TiVo or DVR. Otherwise, it's up against "Bionic Woman," which has gotten a lot of hype, and ugh, "Kitchen Nightmares," which is bound to be as bad, if not worse, than "Hell's Kitchen." Will "Private Practice" be as big a hit as "Grey's Anatomy?" As any good doctor would say, only time will tell.