The thing that really annoys ...

Question: The thing that really annoys me about Private Practice is that every actor is well known already. In fact, many of them have already been leading men or leading ladies on their own TV shows! There won't be any surprise breakout stars with this series, like there were on Grey's Anatomy. Had anyone even heard of Ellen Pompeo, T.R. Knight, Chandra Wilson or Katherine Heigl before that show's first season? It's like we're watching a veteran actor's workshop or something with Private Practice, and that just isn't fun for me.
Answer: Interesting point, although for my money, it's the writing that sets my teeth on edge most weeks. But this brings up the perennial issue about how TV is so much better at creating new stars (and Grey's Anatomy created a bunch of them) than it is at repackaging familiar faces and asking us to accept favorite actors in roles we may feel are beneath them (Amy Brenneman as the wretched Violet, anyone?). So far, my favorite character is Paul Adelstein's Cooper, and part of that is because I'm seeing a new side of an actor I'd previously associated with a heavy (on Prison Break). And for me, the costar with the most presence on the show is Audra McDonald, a Broadway star who hasn't been overexposed on TV and who deserves better than to be forced to eat cake for an entire episode. But then I got this jarring piece of mail from Tim in Chicago:

"I haven't seen anyone calling attention to Private Practice's second-biggest problem, after the weak scripts: namely the gross miscasting of Audra McDonald as Naomi. I find it hard to believe the producers felt she had better chemistry with Kate Walsh than Merrin Dungey. During the second episode, what should've been a comedic B-plot between her and Taye Diggs became uncomfortably and inappropriately dark because McDonald played her hurt and anger as so believably deep. I was actually kind of scared of her. Someone needs to help McDonald with comedy and lightening her tone. As things stand, she's almost too talented a dramatic actress to gel with the rest of this cutesy telegenic cast."

Seriously? (Sorry.) If I got a pan like that, I'd take it as a rave. What you seem to be saying is that she's too good for the show, and I wouldn't argue with that. Is she too intense for the lighthearted antics of Private Practice? Maybe, and in that, this charge of miscasting might stick. But for me, the challenge of this show is to write stories and character arcs worthy of the stars' acting chops.

Finally, to reflect the fact that Private Practice is actually doing pretty well, here's the most spirited defense of the show I've yet received, from Rob: "I'm enjoying Private Practice and I think it is a sorely misunderstood show. As with most spin-offs, I think people seem to be missing the point. The criticisms of acting out of character (Addison) and unlikability (the others) I don't get. This is a show about a group of broken fortysomethings. Of course Addison is acting out of character. That's what happens when you turn your life upside down in what amounts to a midlife crisis, and the others are going through very similar things. It's the contrast between the over-the-top situations they find themselves in medically and these characters floundering to find meaning in their personal lives that I can identify with and keeps me coming back for more. No, it's not Grey's Anatomy, but if you want Grey's, it's on the following night!"

True, but my main problem with Private Practice is that it's too much like Grey's in tone. And while I'm OK with watching young interns screw up their work and their lives in hopes of learning from their impulsive mistakes, watching grown-ups act like smarmy idiots quickly wears out its charm.