Private Practice, Season One
ABC Studios
Starring Kate Walsh, Tim Daly, Taye Diggs, and Amy Brenneman
394 minutes (9 episodes on 3 discs)
Release Date: September 16, 2008

The Cast of

Alternative Medicine – “A variety of therapeutic or preventive health care practices, such as homeopathy, naturopathy, chiropractic, and herbal medicine, that do not follow generally accepted medical methods and may not have a scientific explanation for their effectiveness.” (http://www.answers.com/topic/alternative-medicine)

Holistic Medicine – “Holistic medicine is a term used to describe therapies that attempt to treat the patient as a whole person. That is, instead of treating an illness, as in orthodox allopathy, holistic medicine looks at an individual’s overall physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional wellbeing before recommending treatment. A practitioner with a holistic approach treats the symptoms of illness as well as looking for the underlying cause of the illness. Holistic medicine also attempts to prevent illness by placing a greater emphasis on optimizing health. The body’s systems are seen as interdependent parts of the person’s whole being. Its natural state is one of health, and an illness or disease is an imbalance in the body’s systems. Holistic therapies tend to emphasize proper nutrition and avoidance of substances—such as chemicals—that pollute the body. Their techniques are non-invasive.” (http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/holistic+medicine)

And so ends out vocabulary lesson for this post.

I’m not a fan of Grey’s Anatomy. Maybe it’s because it’s a chick show. Maybe it’s because I have ER fatigue. Maybe I’m just clueless when it comes to shows about doctors having sex while at work. So, along comes Private Practice, a spin-off of the hit ABC series created by Shonda Rhimes, and despite trepidations, I can honestly say that Private Practice was easier for me to get into than Grey’s Anatomy. Am I gonna become a loyal fan of the series? Probably not. But it is a watchable and engaging hour of TV.

Dr. Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh’s character from Grey’s Anatomy) makes a drastic change when she uproots her life and moves from her cushy job at Seattle Grace to work at California’s Oceanside Wellness Group in Los Angeles. Oceanside is an alternative medicine facility that practices holistic medicine (hence the definitions above). The only problem is, her friend who works at Oceanside, Naomi (Audra McDonald, A Raisin in the Sun) didn’t tell any of the other employees Addison was coming! Uh-oh!

Among the employees are Taye Diggs (Rent, Chicago) who plays Sam, Naomi’s ex-husband and an intern at the Center who causes more drama for Addison and the others and he and Naomi constantly bicker with each other. Amy Brennaman (Judging Amy) is resident psychiatrist Violet who has a crush on alternative medicine guru Pete played by Tim Daly. Tim Daly played Joe Hackett on NBC’s Wings for eight seasons and also Dr. Richard Kimble in the CBS update of The Fugitive. Interestingly, Tim Daly’s sister, Tyne Daly, played Brennaman’s mother on Judging Amy.

The sexual tension rises between Addison and Pete who once shared a kiss, and Addison just knows that Pete has been holding on to feelings for her ever since that moment. As with Grey’s Anatomy, the personal stories are usually at the forefront of the drama, while the medical problems of the week, while important, are secondary.

It’s a battle between holistic medicine and traditional medicine as Addison tries to cope with her new situation, and show her fellow employees that a little modern medicine can be just as effective as their alternative ways.

Special features abound with extended episodes, featurettes, bloopers, deleted scenes, and audio commentary on selected episodes.

I prescribe Private Practice a B. It’s a show for women, but I’m a Tim Daly fan, so that helped it’s watchability for me.

SEASON PREMIRE NOTICE: Season Two begins October 1 at 9pm on ABC. Why not check it out instead of Deal or No Deal. You know the whole million-dollar-winner thing is just a tease to get you to watch!

To watch Season One online on the ABC website, click on this link: ABC.com.