Private Practice: The Complete First Season

Shonda Rhimes had a big hit on her hands with Grey’s Anatomy, so after five years she did what comes naturally in her situation. You spin the success off in the hope that the fans just can’t get enough in just one night. At first it appeared to me she had chosen the wrong character to put out on her own. I mean, I never considered Kate Walsh as Addison to be one of the show’s more compelling characters. The show was presented as what the business calls an imbedded episode on Grey’s. What that means is that the situation is set up during one of the original show’s episodes. In this case a two parter called The Other Side Of Life. The idea is that you want to be sure that your existing show’s fans at least watch the pilot in the hope that they will consider it a part of their beloved series. I got to watch that episode when I was called upon to review the fifth season of Grey’s. I was new to the whole universe, so I believe I was able to approach the spin-off more objectively. To tell the truth, I didn’t like it at all. And so I considered Private Practice to be doomed even before I saw the first stand alone episode. That wasn’t boding well when I received this truncated season one set to review recently. True, I had warmed up to Grey’s by then, but I was still a bit put off by the new show. I watched it anyway.

Dr. Addison Montgomery (Walsh) is looking for a change. She’s feeling a little burned out in Seattle at Grace Memorial Hospital, where she carries a ton of baggage. She heads down to L.A. to visit a friend who has his own clinic in the sunny city. The clinic practices something called co-op medicine. Specialists from various fields come together to treat their patients in a more holistic manner. Dr. Naomi Bennett (McDonald), specializing in fertility, and her ex-husband Dr. Sam Bennett (Diggs) run the place. Dr. Violet Turner (Brennemen) is the clinic’s shrink. I guess you could call her a shrinking violet. Dr. Cooper Freedman (Adelstein) is the pediatrician. Dr. Peter Wilder (Daley) is the herbal medicine specialist. He’s also got a rep for sleeping with all of the other women and even running some out of the clinic. Dr. Charlotte King (Strickland) is a troubled soul who can’t sleep and has an apparent addiction to pills. Finally there is Dell (Lowell) the office assistant and “pretty boy”. Because of the strike there are only 9 episodes spread over 3 discs.

What happened was that a well cast show won me partly over. I ended up enjoying the episodes more than I expected. I still find all of this musical beds soap opera stuff tedious, but I also discovered that Private Practice might actually be about more. OK. It’s not. Still, the show is incredibly well cast, and that will be its saving grace, if you will. It’s almost as if Rhimes put together an all-star baseball team. Almost every member of the cast had been in shows where they were the top character. Kate Walsh might be the least known member of the cast, at least to the non-Grey’s Anatomy fans out there. Unfortunately the writer’s strike came and put an end to any grand schemes the cast and crew might have had for the first season. It never really found its footing, and the cast didn’t have the chemistry they have the potential for, so I’d say the jury is still out on Private Practice, but there could be some good times ahead.

Video

Each episode of Private Practice is presented in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio. This is a nice transfer that seems to work almost all the way around. Colors are near perfect reference, particularly flesh tones. Black levels are nicely rendered, adding a depth of detail to the darker scenes. This is a brighter palette than Grey’s was. The lighting reflects the sunny California climate as contrasted with the drab overcast lighting that represents Seattle in Grey’s.. The bright lighting and flashier colors work well in this transfer. It might even be the brighter atmosphere that makes this show a little bit better, in my opinion, than Grey’s.

Audio

The Dolby Digital 5.1 track works. The film utilizes the common trend of using music to work a few montage images into the story. The music is not merely stereo mixes thrown into the bunch, but decent 5.1 mixes in their own right. Dialog, which is essentially the entire show, is always upfront and center where you’re sure to catch every word.

There are Commentary Tracks on 3 of the episodes. Mostly it’s a lot of glowing love fest stuff.

Special Features

Deleted Scenes: There are 6 of them from the 9 episodes that you can play individually or with that handy play all option.

Kate Walsh – Practice Makes Perfect: I wonder what the other cast members think about this just over half hour feature. It’s basically a bio of Kate Walsh, including family and friends talking about her great skills and such. It seems out of place for such an ensemble show. If you’re a Kate Walsh fan, you’ll love it; otherwise you’ll likely be scratching your head.

Alternative Ensemble – Behind The Scenes Of Private Practice: At just under 15 minutes this piece pretty much covers the rest of the cast. Most of it is cast members telling you about their characters.

Bloopers: Typical stuff here.

Extended Episodes: The first and third episodes are slightly extended. I didn’t see the broadcast versions, so I have no idea what was actually added.

Final Thoughts

I’m willing to admit that the show does exhibit promise, but I likely won’t end up a fan. The musical beds routines wear quickly with me, and I need a lot more from that kind of a series to keep my interest. Granted the cast is quite excellent, and the production values are quite good. The writing leaves me scratching my head more often than not, and that’s what just kills it for me. I will be curious to see where it goes with a full season, so I’ll likely be back in these pages next year talking about season two. Hopefully they’ll be more meat and less meet. “The point is we should not be having all this sex in the office.”