From the creator of ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ comes a story about starting over with the rest of your life. This new television series ‘Private Practice’ premieres on Wednesday at 9:00 pm on ABC. The main character in the show is Dr. Addison Forbes Montgomery, a renowned neonatal surgeon. Addison decides to leave Seattle Grace after realizing her life was not advancing and moves to Santa Monica to start a new life. There she reunites with her med school friends, Naomi and Sam Bennett, who are divorced and others at the Oceanside Wellness Center.
Each of the characters in the series has a story of their own to tell. For example, the center’s resident pediatrician Dr. Cooper Freedman is successful in his profession but has a rocky personal life where he is always attracted to the wrong women. Then there is Dr. Pete Wilder, an alternative medical specialist, who has caught Addison’s eye. His confidence conceals a man reeling from his wife’s tragic death. An individual who is unable to connect with a woman since his beloved wife passed away.
This new beginning for Addison gives her the chance to start on a clean slate. A new life that is full of promise and surprises. The show’s content seems to be another medical series tied in with the drama of each of the character’s life. The storyline illustrates the idea that everyone gets a chance to start over with the knowledge of their past experiences.
The biggest appeal of the show is Montgomery. As Addison, she is able to bring out the potent combination of a woman losing the dream of having a husband and her children, and the playfulness of a woman who is becoming younger every moment. She flirts, but holds back, blushing like she would if Wilder were a college frat boy completely out of her league. Her friendship with Naomi, Freedman’s ex, is a genuinely warm-hearted instance of (perhaps, the only) stable relationship in Addison’s life.
The biggest turn-off though is that this show is hardly original. Sure, all stories are the same. But there are actual medical cases here that are taken out from the trash of other ones only to be mended for a distasteful second version – from the undesirable pregnancy case to the little head-to-head over sperm and of course, the quintessential woman completely torn by a breakdown. Honestly, is there anything new?
Perhaps, Addison’s most famous line in the show is ‘everyone screws up once in a while.’ And that is the only redeemable quality of the show. Second chances. After all, who wouldn’t waste a few minutes of their day for watching something hopeful. What better delivers sugar-coated truths than television? To be honest, I personally think that if you have that much time on your hands, I would recommend picking another hobby. But this show will definitely gain a following, and if you want to join in, go for it.
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