I'm not even a Grey's Anatomy ...
Question: I'm not even a
Grey's Anatomy watcher, but it was the star power that drew me to the backdoor pilot of
Private Practice. I am very disappointed in the recasting of
Merrin Dungey, who I thought was just fine when she played Naomi.
Audra McDonald does take things too far. As for
Amy Brenneman and
Paul Adelstein, they are brilliant. I too remember his creepiness on
Prison Break, especially his torturing
Sarah Wayne Callies last year. His hidden depth in
Practice is really great. I enjoy seeing how his love for kids and his work opens him up, and he and Amy have a better shot than
Tim Daly and Kate Walsh at the "untouched chemistry" card. I've found myself in situations similar to what his character is struggling with, and it's written perfectly. The nervousness, the desire to not ruin the friendship and the feelings of inadequacy with someone who's having trouble letting go of an ex. It's good stuff, and if they kicked up Violet's interest in Cooper and then hit pause, it would be a great storyline for those two, who already are the most convincing as friends. One of the other things that endears me to
Practice is a level of quirkiness that I sought from
Boston Legal. But that show ended up jumping the shark 20 times an episode, not to mention pulling a
24 and dumping everybody we had grown to like. I tuned out as a regular viewer in Season 2 and as an occasional viewer, this season. I won't be back.
Practice, however, is a good balance of fluff and dramatic stuff.
Answer: Too much fluff, not enough drama for my taste, although last Wednesday's episode had the best blend yet (even if it did end with Amy Brenneman blubbering again). Still, the formula appears to be working, if not enough to qualify it as a
Grey's-level breakout. None of those so far this season on any network.
