lilrabbitangel14

(2012-04-30 05:45:19)

Worth Watching

This is not Grey's anatomy. I think one of the most important you haveto do in order to appreciate this show is to not compare it to Grey'sAnatomy.This show had a bad start when the pilot within the two hour specialGrey's was hated by many fans and critics. However, now that this showhas became an individual show with its own time slow, it has improveddramatically. The first episode was a huge step up from the two hourspecial. The second episode was even better than the first. This showhas the potential to become a hit, if only people would give it achance.Kate Walsh, Tim Daly, Amy Brennemen, and Paul Adelstein all delivergreat performances every episodes. The group itself contain a lot ofchemistry and whenever they work together, it makes you feel all buddybuddy. Though i don't particularly like them, Taye Diggs and AudraMcDonald gives decent performances weekly.Just give it a chance, and if you stop comparing it to Grey's, itsactually a pretty decent show with a chance to thrive.

elina kogan

(2012-04-29 08:08:18)

Doesn't have what it takes

It looks like the brilliant team of Shonda Rhimes outsourced thewriting of this one somewhere offshore, maybe to the MediocreLand? "PP"reminds me any one of the many tedious, promising at first butpredictable within 1 season David Kelly flicks (Picket Fences, AllyMcBeal, and now Boston Legal). The crazy cases they get are sooutlandish, they barely evoke sympathy or sadness. And that's whatactually makes good medical dramas tick - dramatic situations you areafraid of, "This could be me" sentiment. They are not funny either.The actors are quite good, but the plot lines are dead and cannot bebrought back to live. I'm a therapist, and let me tell you - AmyBrennan plays the most unbelievably incompetent, unethical, untrainedtherapist. Whoever writes her stuff flunked the ethics and thetransference/counter-transference courses in Stanford. Somebody shouldgive them a Code of Ethics to read (the episode with the nose-bleedingwife and the therapist's involvement in it). No therapists are thatbad.Women yearning for men who have moved on - had been done to death,we've all graduated "Sex and the City". Addison in her youthfulaggression towards the guy she likes - very age-inappropriate, looks sounnatural on a woman over 40, and this otherwise talented actressdoesn't believe it herself and doesn't deliver it very well. The onlysuccessful/palatable developments are Addison struggling with herdecision to move to LA, and the "Voodoo Dr" and his coping withwidowhood.This concept might work with a whole new writing team.

AngelTrisha9

(2012-04-26 14:19:56)

Private Practice time factor

It gets much, much better with time. Lame clichГѓВ©, but true. Why isthat? you may ask, well, first because it's getting a distance from GA.It's technically a spin off, but it's truly not. It's a brand new showwith a character that USED TO BE on GA. Huge difference. Which,unfortunately, made the pilot/episode of GA almost un-watchable. It wasreally bad because we got a bunch of new characters tossed at us in twohours with a: this is the new show, like it! Almost impossible in thosecircumstances seeing as they are extremely different shows. So thefirst episode on it's own made me go: huh! better than I remembered. Sodistance: good.Secondly, the characters are getting more interesting. Not only are theactors obviously... getting to know who their characters are, but so amI. Violet is getting past the stalking thing. She now has a personalitythat doesn't involve stalking Allan (big plus). Cooper is getting overhaving sex with women of dubious nature and becoming a very caringcharacter who wear wings to discover the source of little girls illness(major plus). Dell is passed the surfer dude stage, gotta love thehappy pap! And so on. I'm not sure I'll ever get to like Charlottethough I do have to say that the urge to hit her over the head with alarge stick has mostly passed... So, they are getting past theirstarting point and I like that.Thirdly, and final point, the writing is better. It's directly relatingto second point, and the story line are interesting. They do only havetwo patients an episode, so not a whole lot of medicine, most of thetime not even Addison's, but it doesn't matter cause they are goodstory lines. And they are getting explored now. They use more of theirpotential and that's very nice. It seriously makes for an enjoyablewatch. Give it another chance, you might actually be surprised at whatyou'll find.

eran-sabaner

(2012-04-26 01:32:53)

Private Audiences

Sometimes ratings tell it all. Private Practice started with a goodback-door pilot episode, and then with a good pilot. Sesaon onereminded me Grey's first, season, humorous, sexy and charming...but notso drama. Then season 2 came and it changed everything. It made itworse, a lot worse and people like me stopped watching and the ratinggot worse, and worse. Until the Crossover, lots of people (like me)started to watch it again. At first, season 2's first episode was thisblend dramedy like Grey's and lots of other TV Shows but it didn'twork. But after that Crossover it worked like Grey's. Now, Season 3 isthe best season I believe. And In my opinion it's even equal to Grey'snew season.

cfbell3

(2012-04-23 04:05:00)

very good show

I think the show is pretty, pretty, pretty good..... I mean the cast isgreat, plot is fairly interesting and fast paced, most of the timestaking unpredictable turns which never fail to grab your attention. Myonly comment is about persistently fashionable cloths and hi heelsandals at the work place where one would think it is inappropriate,but.... as a woman I enjoy it! I suppose men wouldn't mind it either.Overall, I give it 8 points out of 10, which is quite reasonable in myview. Very strong 8. This show fills you with warmth and positiveenergy up to the very top thanks to the strong personalities of themain characters, Addison, Violet and the rest of the team are doingabsolutely great job portraying highly professional team of medicaldoctors who happen to be also long term friends.

AirNautique

(2012-04-22 21:21:50)

I want to like it, but it's just not good.

"Private Practice" is being spun off the fairly successful and wellwritten "Grey's Anatomy". The cast is fabulous. The premise might evenwork. But the writing is just terrible.The pre-pilot disguised as a Grey's Anatomy episode should have been myfirst warning. The plot was just blah. I thought maybe it was a fluke.So I set the DVR to tape the pilot and all other episodes.As I was watching the pilot, I just kept wondering how a show with sucha cast of fine actors could put together a boring pilot. The pilot issupposed to suck people in and keep them coming back for more. There'ssupposed to be excitement, flash, great writing, intriguing storylinewith a cliffhanger that needs to be answered throughout the rest of theseason. Amazingly, this show had none of that.Thinking it was a fluke, I just watched the second episode hoping forthe best. And although marginally better, it doesn't come close to whatit needs to be interesting can't miss TV.I just scrubbed this show from my list of shows to watch. Not worth theeffort IMO, and I would be very surprised if this show even makes itthrough mid season. Pass this one up folks.

Moviegoer19

(2012-04-19 17:12:29)

Pro-Life Propaganda

If I had written this review five days ago I would have given it arating of "10" and not "5". Why the change? Because during the fivedays the cumulative effect of watching several more episodes thatpromote a "pro-life" attitude has pushed me over the peak: fromaddictively watching the show to being astounded and appalled that sucha seemingly sophisticated show is so insidiously pushing a point ofview.The epitome of this was in episode 35, I believe, in which Violetspills her guts to a woman who was raped, is pregnant, and learns thebaby she's carrying belongs not to her husband, but to the rapist. Atfirst, Violet is appropriately (in my opinion) appalled that this youngwoman would even consider carrying a pregnancy to term and having ababy by a man who raped her. But then, of course, true to the "we lovebabies, life at any cost" attitude of this show, she changes her mindand ultimately influences her therapy patient to go ahead with thepregnancy. Well, at least I assume this is what happened because I hadto fast forward through the scene as I couldn't stomach it.What?? Is this what this society has come to? Do we devalue the livesof women so much that pregnancy and childbirth and childrearing takeprecedence in every case? Then there was the episode earlier on inwhich Addison needs to choose between surgeries: does she save themother or the fetus (or "unborn baby" as fetuses are now called). Youguessed it: the fetus came first! though I do believe she tried to saveboth.After addictively watching 37 episodes of Private Practice because,yes, it is superbly well done: great acting by great, beautiful actors;exciting plots; beautiful environments - I have maxed out. I am so sickof this "let's have as many babies as possible because that's what lifeis all about" attitude that I'm calling it quits. Though the show isprogressive in other ways, and sophisticated, this Rah!Rah!childbearing theme is more than I can bear. It's so reactionary for thecause of women - women who may want children but cannot have them forwhatever reason, or women who may (gasp!) CHOOSE NOT TO HAVE THEM, thatthe pleasure of watching is gone. Too bad because it was a nice escapefor me. But watching now is like watching a Republican presidentialcandidate debate (which I never, ever do).

Leslo2626

(2012-04-19 12:58:38)

each episode gets better

At first, I thought the show was just so-so, & I kept watching becauseI am a fan of the actors (Kate Walsh, Amy Brenneman, Tim Daly)... itwas decent, but not as good as I had hoped. I kept watching to give ita chance, & I'm glad I did; the writing is still not "great", but it'sgetting better each week, & I like the fact that the characters areolder & more mature (mostly) than on Greys. You shouldn't try tocompare this show to Greys Anatomy too much though, as it portrays adifferent style & atmosphere- less surgery drama, different types ofmedicine & treatment of patients, less "hosptial" & more of an "office"atmosphere (obviously), etc. Mainly I like it because it seems to dealwith issues that aren't only about "who's sleeping with who this week",although there are potential hookups for the future... I am now likingPrivate Practice more than Greys this season; the actors are great, &the writing is slowly getting into the groove... I'll definitely keepwatching, & I hope people give it a chance for awhile.

Buttonsmum

(2012-04-17 04:59:03)

It stands alone. A good series in its own right.

I too really like the show, at first I wasn't too sure if I would as"greys anatomy " is one of my favourite's, but I must say I waspleasantly surprised.I was drawn to the series following the character... Dr. AddisonMontgomery played by the lovely Kate Walsh. Again I didn't know if shealone could hold the show as although she played a great role in greys,it was only a small part in the whole series.As is has been said, the show is quite different from Grey's But Ithink a stunning series in its own right. Well worth watching, andlooking forward to seeing the next series.

redmaryroses

(2012-04-16 11:07:43)

Great Actors but they can't save the show on their own

I have been watching since the back door pilot, which should havewarned me how the show was going to be. Even so there are such goodactors on the cast that I ignored my initial impression of the slow,dragging storyline of Private Practice and watched anyway. I loved AmyB on Judging Amy and Kate Walsh was enjoyable enough on Grey's. I'malso a fan of Taye Diggs. Still there's something missing from theshow. Its most upsetting for me to see Amy playing this sad woman,Violet? I'm not sure I enjoy that very much. This season's premierejust proves that even the best of actors can't make do with a so-soplot line. I know Shonda Rimes means well but I'm not interested sofar. I guess I don't know where she's going with this. I'll still bewatching and expecting more but only to see the actors I love sufferingin their roles. Hopefully the writers will give them the gift of betterstoryline soon.

monkey_936

(2012-04-15 15:24:31)

Simple Characters

This show is really just completely average, which may be better thanmany shows on television currently, but it is not that good. All of thefemale characters especially are so one-dimensional. Kate Walsh isgreat and I like the rest of the cast, but Adison has lost all of thecomplexity and interest that she had in Grey's Anatomy and now is somepathetic woman who just wants a baby. All the women in this show aregoing through mid-life crisis' or something and are not realistic orcomplex at all. If this show would just get canceled Grey's Anatomymight get back to the good quality that characterized the first threeseasons.

nameless_jag

(2012-04-15 07:30:29)

Give It A Chance

This is one of those shows that has been discredited by many viewers asa simple spin-off. Think it not a spin-off, but an extension. Beforesimply saying, "I have to make a choice between Private Practice andGrey's Anatomy. I can't watch both." Give Private Practice a chance.The all-star cast is incredible. And Kate Walsh is even better now thatshe is in her element with actors and characters who are her age, andact like it. Grey's Anatomy's story now seems immature, and repulsivelysimilar to high school in comparison to Private Practice's adults intheir late thirties/early forties who are fed up with the crap ofrelationships. These characters have been divorced, been broken upwith, and are looking for something of substance and meaning to add totheir lives.Yes, the individual episode format of medical conflict is similar tothat of Grey's Anatomy. But more than just surgery plays its part inthis show; therapy, alternative medicine, pediatrics and simple familymedicine can be just as complex as surgery; often more-so since thepatient is conscious and often fuels the issue with their personalityproblems.So give this show a chance. The cast is great and the storyline is muchmore mature than Grey's Anatomy. If you don't try it, you won't know ifyou like it.

randy-377

(2012-04-11 17:04:57)

An Hour of Your Life Wasted

Boredom can drive us to many things, and one of them is watchingPrivate Practice. A so-called medical show, this is an hour with somevery unpleasant, unlikable, annoying rich people who sleep with eachother because no one else could tolerate them. So badly written, thisshow could fall into the comedy category for the Emmy's though onesuspects the writers take themselves very seriously. Very seriously.Every week, this medical facility is faced with moral challenges thatbring out the worst in one another, beginning with the truly absurd Dr.Naomi Bennett. Completely without a hint of charm or likability, thisactors job is is to perpetually snarl at the daughter and theex-husband, and now, the best friend. Second in line is Dr. CharlotteKing, a character born out of the imagination of a sober TenneseeWilliams. When she isn't spraying her female musk, she is choppingballs off her new husband, the docile Dr. Freedman. Even Taye Diggscharacter has recently entered into annoying territory as he pondersethical and moral questions, usually shirtless. The real issue withthis show is how bad the characters are and how as an audience, wecould care less. At night, these horrible people retire to theirbeach-front Malibu properties to drink Chardonnay and engage in a gameof sexual tick-tack-toe, only to wake each day and pretend they aredoing something useful. If this were the show, at this point, thepoignant sad folk-like song would be underscoring the deeply felt,overly dramatic moment that will happily lead to a commercial break.

joesesto

(2012-04-11 04:23:15)

I gave it a chance...twice

Yesterday's cake eating episode is a good example of the poor writingalready cited here. There is hardly anything believable in these storylines. This set is far too drab for a California med clinic...IMOcreating the wrong atmosphere. The actors are great...but everythingseems too contrived...the material stinks. The ending of this episodewas more like a sitcom.One of the cast was on a late show this week and sort of hinted that hethought Private Practice could be the end of his string of losers.Unfortunately, I suspect he is mistaken.It didn't work for me and like so many sequels or spin-offs...this tooseems doomed. I deleted it from my DVR's record list...and that wasn'ta very big list to begin with.

someofusarebrave

(2012-04-06 07:19:43)

better than Grey's Anatomy, by far

This was one of my favorite shows on television; top three, actually. Ilike it better than Grey's Anatomy--I laugh more, I relate to thecharacters more, and now that Meredith has gotten all "fixed," I findthe conflicts more entertaining and more realistic. The show isthought-provoking and intelligent, the actors and actresses areAMAZING, the writing is fantastic, for once on prime-time television,and the plots are intriguing and amazingly well-organized. Y'all rock.I just spent the past twenty minutes talking with my mother about howyour characterization of women makes us all out to be pathetic,spineless tramps. It's true. Most people don't behave like all y'alldo. Naomi's the only one who has any dignity at all, and that's onlybecause Audra Macdonald is such a formidable woman that Naomi seemspowerful by proximity. You need new writers. Your characters havetransformed only on surface levels over the course of the series. Theyall seem constantly ABOUT to change in some significant way withoutever getting there. It's awfully disappointing, as a fan, to see.Please--get the show up to the level that Taye Diggs and AudraMacdonald and Amy Brenneman deserve it to be.Actress who plays Addison--you may eventually be at their level, butthis is the first thing of note that you've done. So--prove yourself!This is a big-time, epic television show in a down-home, small-time,easy-to-relate-to package. It is as deceptively artful as Judging Amywas, a show that felt so much a seamless part of real life it wasdifficult to remember at times that the characters were not mynext-door neighbor or my grandparent's sister. It is a shame that lessflashy, perhaps smaller budget shows like these are so commonly passedover for the mega awards, Emmys and Golden Globes. They shouldn't be.Kate Walsh is fantastic, and makes her somewhat neurotic, easilyhateable as truly beautiful women so often are character leap from thescreen. Addison is graceful, a badass, and precisely the kind of womanwe all wish we had as aunts. This woman is the kind of 'fabulous' Sexand the City's little girls only wish they could be. Taye Diggs rocks. Proving here once again he's not just a pretty face,his acting improves with every season. He's got the chops to match theextraordinary talent present in the women of this show, and that'ssaying a whole lot, considering who he's matched with.Amy Brenneman rocks my world. Thank you God for women capable of beinggorgeous, sexy without needing to take off a stitch of clothing to doso, down-to-Earth, and emotionally present in absolutely every momentof every scene this show does. Amy is ridiculously underrated as anactress. She is the kind of woman Holly Hunter, for all her glamour andhamming for the camera and blatantly overt sexuality, has not yetdiscovered herself to be. I wish we lived in the kind of world wherewomen like this got the credit they deserve. Amy is a trulyprofessional actress, the kind of person who is a welcome addition toany team yet is rarely ranked as high as the 'starlets' whoseself-destructive antics have misogynist's eyes glued to the screen andthereby increase rankings. Amy is the kind of ass-kicking superheroinecapable of playing women in touch with their own issues, rather thanavoiding them--she is in other words genuinely emotionally mature, andthat is a rare but lucky find. Talk about a diamond in the rough.Speaking of credit where credit's due, Audra McDonald can ACT! Thewoman is one of the best singers currently alive, says I, AND she hasexcellent dramatic skills and comedic timing. WHOA! You make the restof us look like underachievers, regardless what we are doing with ourlives...you also inspire us to be better than ever we thought ourselvescapable of before. Thou art amazing.The rest of the people on the show rock too. However, they are allwhite, and most are men. They affect my viewing experience less, andhence I will suffice it to say they do not get in the way of myenjoyment of the show. That's high praise in this company. This isbetter than most prime-time television shows, as much as it is alsomore enjoyable than most prime-time shows are. It is easily dismissablebecause it is headlined by female actresses, and I will say that gladlyin the face of any "official" or "critic" who knocks it as being too'emotional'. That's what life is about--our emotional experience of it.The show can be smart AND funny, snappy AND full of genuine catharsis.I for one absolutely adore it, and I'll go to bat for it any day.

Cris_Drg

(2012-04-05 20:58:38)

re episode "War"

this started really well. drama was dealt with nicely, not too much,not too little. strong, deep characters and well coordinated characterarcs. this lasted for like 2 series. afterward, it turned into thisidiotic fruit salad, where everybody sleeps with everybody and nobodyneeds good reason to say or do anything. character arcs anddescriptions were thrown into the garbage bin and I struggles hard tokeep watching what used to be one of my favorite shows. so this is about the episode entitled "War". from the writing of this episode, I get it that the target audience isIQ bellow 80, with lots of prejudice and repressed mother issues. thewriting is so bad in this episode, I have to wonder if it was writtenby or for monkeys. by the info they show in this episode and others, Violet IS ready. shedid indeed "the work". so what happens goes against what the audienceKNOWS, but nothing on the screen acknowledges this. the only problem I can think of is Violet did "the work" someplace else(not on display for her "friends"). By all possible judgment, she didwhat a responsible adult should do when faced with such a terribletragedy, and what a therapist knows she needs to do to make it right.nice writing so far. very smart and it shows someone did theirresearch. as we've got accustomed with, Violet is a great professional,even when dealing with personal issues. then it all goes rotten when the plot is twisted so that the moststupid conclusion seems to be right - except nothing in the plotsupports it. other than the awful writing. (what happens when a plotgoes a way that is not natural for the characters, but pushed by thewriter's agenda).- the Judge says something really stupid - which basically means "I'mnot gonna do my job and judge this, I'm gonna let your friends do it(despite their obvious personal agendas and emotional problems)".right. because "judges are...stupid"? -No specialist is called to testify, by either party. Seriously?although there are specialists there, their opinion should NOT count,and should NOT be aloud by the Judge because they are interestedparties - yet it does and it is (hello bad writing).-the point where the "friends" are not ready to accept Violet has dealtwith the attack, because the friends have not dealt with their ownemotional stakes in it and because they has not witnessed her processof recovery - this is so obvious, yet it is not even mentioned in thefilm. why? the characters have been really smart, quite brilliant sofar. the lawyers are presented as smart. and this is such an obviouspoint that the whole plot revolves around it. the "ordinary" person may not know that the way Violet dealt with thethe attack is actually quite right, but the ordinary person is NOT atherapist, or a specialist. but there are such people in the film -that could and should have brought it up. there's a (formally)brilliant therapist - Violet herself, and her therapist from NY (who'sNOT being called to testify for mysterious reasons). also her ex by,Sheldon?, who's never been an idiot before in this film, but nowsuddenly is - or simply acts out of character, by judging it as anuneducated person would instead of what the character is. so- what could've been a great episode, and a great lesson for theaudience about how to best deal with personal tragedy, turned into afruit-cake. lots of sugar, bad for your health. I guess the targetaudience is neither smart, nor educated - and they need to keep it likethat. smart, educated audiences would cost more, and these writerswould lose their respective jobs. had this been a producer's decision, I apologize to the writers. theyhad to sell their souls for food, cos that's the (real) world we livein, right?

amandalves_1

(2012-03-28 23:13:26)

Does anyone know?

Was the show canceled or what? I actually liked it, and I mustconfess:I sure miss it!! When is it coming back? Does anyone know?Addison was such an unpredictable character....and there was a veryinteresting chemistry between Kate Walsh and Tim Daly! Anyway I stillthink that Grey's Anatomy is a great show, but it was getting a bitboring! Private Practice is a brand new show, it's fresh, and we werejust getting to know the characters and their secrets! I think thatthis is the main advantage of this show, they should give it a chance!I'm sure the fans would appreciate it! I hope they didn't cancel the show....it was great!

Imurmysterygurl18

(2012-03-28 12:23:09)

Private Practice

This is a GREAT show.People need to just sit down and watch it withoutcomparing it to Grey's Anatomy. It is a totally different show. Theonly reason the pilot aired the way it did was to basically let peopleknow where Addison went and why. Other than that common factor therereally isn't much the same about the two shows. But most of the time itis hilariously funny. The producers of this show-I believe- picked theperfect cast.They all mesh well together...like they are old friendswho were meant to work together. And Addison is still as crazy as everon this show, she just has men in her life that actually act like meninstead of teenage boys. But really people just give this show achance.You might be surprised and like it.

jpashlock

(2012-03-21 23:26:36)

Bad. Just really, really, bad.

This is another show following the formula of Socially awkward doctorshelping patients through abnormal dilemmas. Only these doctors are sosocially inept that it stretches the boundaries of belief. It's painfulwatching them struggle to perform the most simple basic task thatshould be integral to their craft, stalling to the point where you areglad you Tivo'd the show, so you can fast-forward past their ridiculousindecision, to their inevitable saving the day.I also resent being tricked into watching the "True" first episode asan episode of Grey's anatomy, and I hope that this does not become acommon marketing ploy for new shows. It is almost as sleazy as productcommercials at the beginning of movies in the movie theater.The only saving grace for this show is the cast. I love all the actorsand actresses. Were it not for them I might not have made it throughthe pilot episode. However, I hate that their talent is being wasted onthis half-assed spin-off of a show that was going downhill already.I love medical drama's and I have loved Grey's Anatomy first twoseasons. But skip this one. Seriously, it's just that bad.

dolphin18paradise

(2012-03-21 16:39:59)

Great actors not so great writers.

This show has the potential to be great in the hands of better skillfulwriters. The set of veteran actors have all proved to have their actingchops, the writing however needs work.I think the show will grow in time, the pilot was so-so but the secondepisode was definitely better and hopefully the trend of 'the newepisode being better than the last' will continue.I'm not a Grey's Anatomy fan, I actually can't stand watching that showfor a full hour but this show I can take, that's gotta be worthsomething.The hardest thing that this show has to fight with is the preconceivednotions and expectations of people because of the mother show. Thecomparisons and the instant haters or those that just want thecharacter back on Grey's Anatomy means instant less viewers. You gottakeep an open mind for this show on how Addison, the beloved GAcharacter, turns to a new leaf and is indeed not going back to Seattle.Another great thing is this show is sandwich in between Pushing Daisiesand Dirty Sexy Money, that makes for a good 3 consecutive show run.