Private Practice (2007–2013) User Reviews (76)

Give It A Chance

[nameless_jag · 7/10 · 4 October 2007]

This is one of those shows that has been discredited by many viewers as a simple spin-off. Think it not a spin-off, but an extension. Before simply saying, "I have to make a choice between Private Practice and Grey'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 that she is in her element with actors and characters who are her age, and act like it. Grey's Anatomy's story now seems immature, and repulsively similar to high school in comparison to Private Practice's adults in their late thirties/early forties who are fed up with the crap of relationships. These characters have been divorced, been broken up with, and are looking for something of substance and meaning to add to their lives.

Yes, the individual episode format of medical conflict is similar to that of Grey's Anatomy. But more than just surgery plays its part in this show; therapy, alternative medicine, pediatrics and simple family medicine can be just as complex as surgery; often more-so since the patient is conscious and often fuels the issue with their personality problems.

So give this show a chance. The cast is great and the storyline is much more mature than Grey's Anatomy. If you don't try it, you won't know if you like it.

each episode gets better

[Leslo2626 · 8/10 · 17 October 2007]

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

I actually like it

[papagena_1 · 7/10 · 10 October 2007]

I actually enjoy this show and I was doubtful when I heard about it. Has ANYONE worked in a place with friends and NOT had personal dramas? I doubt it. We all know it's there. The cast is incredible. There are some amazing performances by some very notable names. These are believable characters with believable faults and believable problems. It's humorous, dramatic and it pulls you into the stories. It's got heart wrenching stories without being far-fetched and odd, but believable cases. OK, it's not Grey's Anatomy, but let's face it. It wasn't meant to be.

I would recommend at least watching a few episodes yourself, then stopping and see if you aren't drawn back to the stories. You will be.

Simple Characters

[monkey_936 · 28 April 2008]

This show is really just completely average, which may be better than many shows on television currently, but it is not that good. All of the female characters especially are so one-dimensional. Kate Walsh is great and I like the rest of the cast, but Adison has lost all of the complexity and interest that she had in Grey's Anatomy and now is some pathetic woman who just wants a baby. All the women in this show are going through mid-life crisis' or something and are not realistic or complex at all. If this show would just get canceled Grey's Anatomy might get back to the good quality that characterized the first three seasons.

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

[redmaryroses · 6/10 · 3 October 2008]

I have been watching since the back door pilot, which should have warned me how the show was going to be. Even so there are such good actors on the cast that I ignored my initial impression of the slow, dragging storyline of Private Practice and watched anyway. I loved Amy B on Judging Amy and Kate Walsh was enjoyable enough on Grey's. I'm also a fan of Taye Diggs. Still there's something missing from the show. 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 premiere just proves that even the best of actors can't make do with a so-so plot line. I know Shonda Rimes means well but I'm not interested so far. I guess I don't know where she's going with this. I'll still be watching and expecting more but only to see the actors I love suffering in their roles. Hopefully the writers will give them the gift of better storyline soon.

Its not that bad!

[alcelik-82799 · 7/10 · 5 July 2018]

I am kind of ambivalent about this one. I don't watch many tv shows and neither do I engage in movies or block busters but I do have a certain standard.

I wanted to watch private practice because of Addison like many other people as well. She was this very strong woman, who had her own little mistakes and new how to own up to them. Therefore, I expected her to be just like that in this show, but I was wrong. Instead of embracing a very well balanced character like her, who had a lot of potential, Shonda and her team decided it would be best if they just simply did her a sexually frustrated old woman, whose only purpose was for comical relief. Addison made a huge fool out of herself by repeatedly committing same mistakes. Nevertheless, the actress Kate W. did a fantastic job at delivering each and every line!

I especially enjoyed Charlottes development, although I resented it at the beginning, because it seemed like Cooper was forcing a relationship onto her. But at the end, she took over the role I would have expected Addison to have. She became a strong woman, trying her best to have a good relationship with everyone around her, engaging for her children and caring for her husband, while at the same time managing a whole hospital and the ocean side wellness. A really good and slow paced development, I liked watching.

For the most part I could not care less for the others. But I have to admit, that I liked the ending. It seemed relatable that they would not all live happily ever after and that they would not end up as a whole family. Its relatable that people divorce, find new love, get remarried, have children, maybe even problematic ones or just end up alone like Violett. All the characters had different outcomes, different struggles and were over all very different. I really looked forward to each and every continuing story of each and every character.

However, the introduction of Jake was unnecessary. He was this last minute character, because Shonda couldn't leave Addison alone. He of course needed to have a rather tragic background like most people in the show, what I really disliked, but it came upon me too drastic. The producers knew, that the show was about to end, so they rushed his entire story and forced it kind of, which was sad, because it took down the show's slow and (MOSTLY) good pacing in the last few episodes.

I know most people did not like the fact that the people in the show were 35 to 45 years old but it really appealed to me. In GA I was feeling very uncomfortable, because everyone was very immature. Not that in PP they were much wiser and not stupid but these characters kind of handled their problems calmer. Like Addison said in of her very unnecessary therapy sessions: Life hits us and we learn to cope with it.

What I really wanted to stress on are the insides that Sheldon and Violette constantly delivered. I observed the way they talked to their clients and I tried to learn from them. They had a very forthcoming and caring relationships (MOSTLY not always, Violette did get carried away a couple of times) with their patients and even I learned a few things.

I liked the idea of Petes funeral and I loved the way Violette exploded, a very memorable scene in show!

Now two points I just hated: Emilia Shepherd, a very dislikable character. A know it all, who doesn't know anything, snobbish, with a terrible attitude and just hard to watch. And the slightly pointless ending, because Sam got back with Naomi, although the series started with them braking up, Addison being alone and kind of having a last second husband, Emilia having a boyfriend, who she broke up with anyway later on, Violette still being self conscious and alone and Sheldon again not being there. The only one, whose ending I truly appreciated was Charlottes.

All in all: I liked it. The show had some hideous and unlogical moments but thats just Shonda R. I guess. But other than that - if you like dramatic doctor shows. who are not as quirky as GA, then watch it!

Private Practice

[Imurmysterygurl18 · 10/10 · 30 March 2008]

This is a GREAT show.People need to just sit down and watch it without comparing it to Grey's Anatomy. It is a totally different show. The only reason the pilot aired the way it did was to basically let people know where Addison went and why. Other than that common factor there really isn't much the same about the two shows. But most of the time it is hilariously funny. The producers of this show-I believe- picked the perfect cast.They all mesh well together...like they are old friends who were meant to work together. And Addison is still as crazy as ever on this show, she just has men in her life that actually act like men instead of teenage boys. But really people just give this show a chance.You might be surprised and like it.

Private Practice

[avidmoviewatcher1221 · 7/10 · 26 July 2016]

***Potential spoilers - only read if you've watched Grey's Anatomy***

I embarked on a Grey's Anatomy marathon, rewatching the seasons I'd already watched, then the seasons I hadn't, but when I reached Season 10, I decided to take a break, to watch its spin-off, Private Practice. I'd been wanting to watch it for a while, ever since I saw the back-door pilot.

And I am going to be completely and utterly honest . . . I enjoyed Private Practice more than Grey's Anatomy. I loved how we stuck to a smaller main cast, to the majority of them who were from the beginning. I found Grey's Anatomy a little overwhelming from the large cast, the thousand different story lines we followed - and there were so many devastations.

Anyway, I loved the cast; I loved Addison - her very first line has stuck to me (something along the lines of "You've been screwing my husband"), but it is her character development, her change from a cold person to someone who is more complex, who displays emotion, that I truly appreciate about her. Of course I loved the other characters, their story lines; Naomi, Violet, Sam, Cooper, Violet, and Pete won me over just as much as Addison.

Unlike Grey's Anatomy, I think I will be able to revisit Private Practice, to rewatch the entire series. Not that I'm saying Grey's Anatomy is a bad show - it isn't - but Private Practice isn't as overwhelming and I enjoyed much better.

Worth Watching

[lilrabbitangel14 · 9/10 · 4 October 2007]

This is not Grey's anatomy. I think one of the most important you have to do in order to appreciate this show is to not compare it to Grey's Anatomy.

This show had a bad start when the pilot within the two hour special Grey's was hated by many fans and critics. However, now that this show has became an individual show with its own time slow, it has improved dramatically. The first episode was a huge step up from the two hour special. The second episode was even better than the first. This show has the potential to become a hit, if only people would give it a chance.

Kate Walsh, Tim Daly, Amy Brennemen, and Paul Adelstein all deliver great performances every episodes. The group itself contain a lot of chemistry and whenever they work together, it makes you feel all buddy buddy. Though i don't particularly like them, Taye Diggs and Audra McDonald gives decent performances weekly.

Just give it a chance, and if you stop comparing it to Grey's, its actually a pretty decent show with a chance to thrive.

Better than Grey's anatomy

[stenbommartina · 7/10 · 28 July 2019]

Really good. More mature than Grey's. This is for grownups. The characters are good, annoying, stupid, lovely, angry, irrational - just like real people.

Doesn't have what it takes

[linak11 · 4/10 · 14 October 2007]

It looks like the brilliant team of Shonda Rhimes outsourced the writing of this one somewhere offshore, maybe to the MediocreLand? "PP" reminds me any one of the many tedious, promising at first but predictable within 1 season David Kelly flicks (Picket Fences, Ally McBeal, and now Boston Legal). The crazy cases they get are so outlandish, they barely evoke sympathy or sadness. And that's what actually makes good medical dramas tick - dramatic situations you are afraid of, "This could be me" sentiment. They are not funny either.

The actors are quite good, but the plot lines are dead and cannot be brought back to live. I'm a therapist, and let me tell you - Amy Brennan plays the most unbelievably incompetent, unethical, untrained therapist. Whoever writes her stuff flunked the ethics and the transference/counter-transference courses in Stanford. Somebody should give them a Code of Ethics to read (the episode with the nose-bleeding wife and the therapist's involvement in it). No therapists are that bad.

Women yearning for men who have moved on - had been done to death, we've all graduated "Sex and the City". Addison in her youthful aggression towards the guy she likes - very age-inappropriate, looks so unnatural on a woman over 40, and this otherwise talented actress doesn't believe it herself and doesn't deliver it very well. The only successful/palatable developments are Addison struggling with her decision to move to LA, and the "Voodoo Dr" and his coping with widowhood.

This concept might work with a whole new writing team.

Good show

[jeff68137 · 9/10 · 30 March 2021]

I didn't watch it when it came out but I binged it on Netflix recently and loved it. Private Practice ended much too soon for my liking but I do understand why it lost viewers at least IMO. The death of this show was making Addison and Sam a couple. It just didn't click. They should have just remained friends and neighbors. Del and Pete both leaving also added it to its demise. Other then that the Cooper, Charlotte romance was great and they stayed together even with various problems which was a breath of fresh air for an evening soap. I wish there was a few more seasons to enjoy.

Shorter but better...

[m-47826 · 7/10 · 10 December 2020]

It's one of those rare times, a spin off series really captures its original show feel, and gives it a new edge. I always preferred Addison. She's classy, naturally gifted, and a lot more sympathetic heroine than Meredith Grey. Also, California beaches are more enjoyable than Seattle's wooded landscape, to me. Storylines strayed in very questionable and over the top dramatic plots, only never the way Grey's Anatomy did and still do. Season 6 is clearly not the show's best, but that series finale was worth the wait. Regulars are great, even when they're flawed. And Amelia shined there, which is a shame her joining the original series cast, spoiled that. To me, the show was at its peak during seasons 2 to 5. Coincidentally back when ABC was as well. The music, the cast and the acting, were reasons I always preferred this over Grey's, and love rewatching both shows back to back, a lot more than what is currently showing on the network. I was a whole different time for both the franchise and the show runners, where ideas were still fresh. Which made Private Practice, Sondaland's most accomplished series.

Mindless fluff and not in a bad way

[xhidden99 · 5/10 · 11 August 2014]

OK it's got the depth of a puddle and the nuance of an angry 15 year old girl. But that's the demographic sweet spot. I'm sure it's fine in that sense. You can't judge trash by the standards of anything other than trash and this is pretty good trash. OK so all the men are women and the women are insane. But only in that high school chick movie way. In the real world you'd run screaming for the doors if any of these borderline narcissists came at you with a scalpel or medical help. Assuming of course any of them could pull their respective genitals out of each other long enough to see patients. But so what? Oceanside Wellness careens from one improbable medical disaster to the next. And it always ends well or tragically. Which is the same as ending well. I feel that the only moral dilemma they left out was having a suicide bomber show up demanding to be artificially inseminated with the sperm of dead cloned Rabbi so she could go off and detonate in a glorious spectacle of female empowerment. Maybe they did that one. I forget. At any rate, give it watch. It's stupid mindless fluff that will leave you asking the TV whether they're retarded or you are. And the answer does not matter. I rate this a 5/10 because it aims for silly mediocrity and hits it perfectly.

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

[Buttonsmum · 5 September 2008]

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 was pleasantly surprised.

I was drawn to the series following the character... Dr. Addison Montgomery played by the lovely Kate Walsh. Again I didn't know if she alone 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 I think a stunning series in its own right. Well worth watching, and looking forward to seeing the next series.

So glad I don't have a Sam in my life.

[sallymichellenelson · 7/10 · 21 February 2022]

There's a lot going on with this series. If u like watching middle aged people cheating on each other, rushing to get married, talking abortions while also being baby mad then u will love this.

I like the series well enough but I'm so done with Sam. He's a condescending selfish brat of a man disguised as a calm stable man.

I've watched him repeatedly chose himself while making the women in his life have to compromise. He's always gaslighting ppl in his super calm manner. The last straw was his repeated firm stance on not wanting to have any more children- which his partner accepts but has to go off birth control for her own reasons- then he whines like a 14yr old boy complaining about how much he dislikes the feel of condoms. He's awful. Just awful. Such a shame.

Enjoyable

[lez-martin · 7/10 · 16 December 2021]

On the whole, the show was an enjoyable watch, it at time seemed to go off on a tangent, but reigned itself back in.

At times it seems to dwell on sadness and adversity, but at the same time helps us to find something to smile about.

Least said about the Musical episode the better... Season 6 was a bit of a disappointment, with its format a bit of a hotchpotch at times.

Private Practice time factor

[AngelTrisha9 · 8/10 · 31 October 2007]

It gets much, much better with time. Lame cliché, but true. Why is that? 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 show with a character that USED TO BE on GA. Huge difference. Which, unfortunately, made the pilot/episode of GA almost un-watchable. It was really bad because we got a bunch of new characters tossed at us in two hours with a: this is the new show, like it! Almost impossible in those circumstances seeing as they are extremely different shows. So the first episode on it's own made me go: huh! better than I remembered. So distance: good.

Secondly, the characters are getting more interesting. Not only are the actors obviously... getting to know who their characters are, but so am I. Violet is getting past the stalking thing. She now has a personality that doesn't involve stalking Allan (big plus). Cooper is getting over having sex with women of dubious nature and becoming a very caring character who wear wings to discover the source of little girls illness (major plus). Dell is passed the surfer dude stage, gotta love the happy pap! And so on. I'm not sure I'll ever get to like Charlotte though I do have to say that the urge to hit her over the head with a large stick has mostly passed... So, they are getting past their starting point and I like that.

Thirdly, and final point, the writing is better. It's directly relating to second point, and the story line are interesting. They do only have two patients an episode, so not a whole lot of medicine, most of the time not even Addison's, but it doesn't matter cause they are good story lines. And they are getting explored now. They use more of their potential and that's very nice. It seriously makes for an enjoyable watch. Give it another chance, you might actually be surprised at what you'll find.

Great start but...

[isaacsdaughterryn · 6/10 · 20 September 2020]

As it went along it became more about who was having sex with whom and less about medical drama.

Amazing Show

[pistilli_noelle · 9/10 · 3 November 2007]

Really great drama, that has everything that Grey's Anatomy doesn't. Great characters that are complex yet very relatable. Story line is always fresh and unpredictable. Each episode gets better and better. Definitely didn't have any expectations for this show since it was considered a spin off, but it's not like that at all. Nothing about it reminds me of Grey's except for Addison's character, who was great on Grey's and even better on this show. Not cheesy or over the top like Grey's can be, it reminds me of House but w/ more likable and interesting characters and better stories. If you haven't watched this show yet, catch up on old episodes online. This show puts Grey's to shame, especially this season. Hoping Private Practice makes it for another season.

It had so much potential.

[jmurdaj · 6/10 · 15 November 2023]

This really could have been one of the best shows and could have been up there with Grey's. The production was good. The set, the wardrobe, the lighting, all amazing. Good acting, good cast. But the script. It's painful. From everyone in the practice sleeping with each other, to the doctors having shouting matches in the office as if the glass offices are soundproof, to Sam signing the paper for her his 15 year old daughter to get married. They actually showed a 15 year old's wedding on this show. Disgusting. They never report child abuse which is disgusting again. Shouldn't these shows be somewhat believable? I'm only on season 3 and it's getting unbearable.

Boring, unrealistic, irrelevant

[adevic · 3/10 · 17 June 2008]

Private Practice is supposed to be a medical drama. So I guess my biggest complaint is the lack of originality in the medical story lines. Just by watching House, I "solved" two (out of nine) medical mysteries before the doctors did. Boooring. Seriously, if you are a lazy writer, why not copy some cases out of older ER episodes or some obscure Brazilian medical soap? House is recent and popular - recycling their ideas is hard to get away with...

Second biggest complaint: these people are supposed to be forty-somethings, right? Then why do they have to behave with the emotional maturity of 15-year-olds? Is three weeks (ie. three whole damn episodes) of intense thinking really necessary to understand that if your best friend doesn't want to be your "friend with benefits", it's maybe not because he wants to hurt you, but because he doesn't want to risk your friendship? The character doing all the thinking is a psychiatrist by the way - the whole storyline is just so unrealistic that you can't really buy into the supposed "drama".

And I won't even start complaining about what the show did to everyone's favorite Addison as we got to know her in Grey's Anatomy... On a sidenote, don't you think it's funny the way Addison ends up lusting after loser Pete (sorry, but everyone who tries to cure insomnia with Mozart's Requiem is a loser, PhD or not) and Derek ends up entangled in a relationship with whiny, irritating Meredith miles away in rainy Seattle? Apart from that little fling with Mark, they seemed to be perfect for each other. Sometimes I think Shonda Rhimes' subconscious is trying to tell us that in relationships, our first choice is often the right one...

Great actors not so great writers.

[dolphin18paradise · 8/10 · 4 October 2007]

This show has the potential to be great in the hands of better skillful writers. The set of veteran actors have all proved to have their acting chops, the writing however needs work.

I think the show will grow in time, the pilot was so-so but the second episode was definitely better and hopefully the trend of 'the new episode being better than the last' will continue.

I'm not a Grey's Anatomy fan, I actually can't stand watching that show for a full hour but this show I can take, that's gotta be worth something.

The hardest thing that this show has to fight with is the preconceived notions and expectations of people because of the mother show. The comparisons and the instant haters or those that just want the character back on Grey's Anatomy means instant less viewers. You gotta keep an open mind for this show on how Addison, the beloved GA character, turns to a new leaf and is indeed not going back to Seattle.

Another great thing is this show is sandwich in between Pushing Daisies and Dirty Sexy Money, that makes for a good 3 consecutive show run.

Bed hopping medical drama

[gailmck-62224 · 7/10 · 16 July 2022]

I got drawn into this series and enjoyed it in the main. Could have been more realistic than a bed hopping, self absorbed group of Doctors who seem to spend most of their working lives eating in the staff room and getting involved in each other's lives. Amy Brenaman's character, Violet, drove me mad with her neediness and manipulation. It also drove me mad that she always was outside the door listening in.

Private Practice

[notar0b0t · 5/10 · 29 March 2021]

Private Practice had its moments. At times, I loved it, at times, I hated it.

What made me love it? The character development of Addison, Cooper, Charlotte, Amelia and Jake. They actually managed to be likable, interesting and grow.

What made me hate it? Well... almost everything else. The characters are so one-dimensional (excluding the ones mentioned above) and overall unlikable! They fall in and out of love so quickly, everyone's slept with everyone, they're shallow, materialistic and snobby! They're selfish and judgmental, too!

Naomi's the worst offender of them all, and the biggest hypocrite and judgmental person in this show:

• saying she's against abortion but then tries to force her 15-year old pregnant, MARRIED (!!) daughter have one,
• judging and essentially cutting off Addison for falling in love with Sam, her ex-husband whom she was divorced from at the time (by the way, is she punishing Sam for falling in love with Addison? No, because apparently Addison was the only one at fault here!)

I'm mad at the writers for getting Sam and Naomi back together in the series finale. It undid everything the show had worked towards. It takes back the sliver of character development Sam & Naomi had.

Remember when Addison wanted a baby and he didn't and apparently that was THE deal breaker? Well, no, it wasn't a deal breaker when Naomi was pregnant! He just didn't want Addison's baby and only wanted a baby with his ex-wife (whom he marries again).

He later states he never loved other women, scrubbing Stephanie and Addison from his memories. Did someone say trashy?

All this aside, the actors were good. Kate Walsh, Taye Diggs, Caterina Scorsone and KaDee Strickland really made their mark.

I don't understand people who compare it to Grey's Anatomy. It would be like comparing, say, chocolate cake and blueberry pie! It is not comparable.

This review is all over the place, which is somewhat fitting for Private Practice!