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« Roush Dispatch
Anatomy of a Spin-off: A Rocky Start
Tim Daly and Kate Walsh by Ron Tom/ABC
Watching Thursday night's underwhelming, overly frenetic "backdoor pilot" setup for the seemingly inevitable Grey's Anatomy spin-off, I was reminded how blown away I wasn't by the original Grey's pilot as well. The Grey's pilot had its problems, but this glossy new twist on the formula seems much more problematic.
When Grey's first appeared, with the pilot held for mid-season in a year when Lost and Desperate Housewives exploded on the scene and turned ABC's fortunes around, my initial thoughts were: Loved the cast. Liked the characters. But at first look, the reliance on heavy-handed voice-over (since dialed back a bit) and woe-is-me, life-as-an-intern-is-hard whining obscured many of the charms that would soon emerge, and it felt a bit generic.
By the end of that first half-season, though, I was hooked. The heightened mix of hospital drama and romantic comedy, lathered in torrid and twisty soap operatics, was infectious, and the wonderfully blended (by sex and race) cast pulled it off. At the very end of that mini-season, we were introduced to Addison (Kate Walsh), a significant spoiler in the Meredith-McDreamy relationship. And in one of the show's more pleasant surprises, what could have been a cliché (the brittle bitch of an ex-wife) evolved in the following season into one of Grey's richest characters: a brilliant but vulnerable woman picking up the pieces of her shattered personal life while acting as one of the more exacting yet compassionate mentors to the driven medical students on her watch. (That she took her attraction and flirtation with Alex to the next level? Well, this is Grey's Anatomy, with an emphasis on anatomy.)
Of all the characters on the show to build a spin-off around, Addison makes sense. She is still a bit of an outsider, and since there's no real future for her with Derek or the other horndogs on Seattle Grace's staff, let's see where her quest "to be happy and free" (the Chief's words) will take her.
Unfortunately, it took her to the New Age-y, touchy-feely Oceanside Wellness Group, which might as well be renamed L.A. Sex-pital. Grey's sometimes gets knocked for its Ally McBeal tendencies, but this place is infected by Ally-itis, with cringingly cutesy flourishes of forced whimsy at every turn. Everyone on the staff seems on the verge of a perpetual emotional breakdown or crying jag, and upon arrival, Addison launched into a silly stream of infantile babbling like an overripe Ally. Around the third or fourth time the elevator talked back to Addison, I found myself wondering where the unisex bathroom was. When Addison actually apologized to the elevator (before being introduced to the unseen security guard on the other side of the creepy surveillance camera), I really missed Seattle. (Although the stories going on back home at the mother ship weren't exactly inspired this week, either. Tell me you didn't see Mare Winningham's hours were numbered when she came in with that tragic case of hiccups.)
Back at Oceanside, the writing was forced, the chaotic atmosphere was instantly tiresome, but the cast couldn't be prettier. Tim Daly (who deserved a hit in Eyes and possibly The Nine), Merrin Dungey (looking luminous), Taye Diggs, Amy Brenneman, junior beefcake Chris Lowell, and my favorite — because Shonda Rhimes writes nebbishes so well — Paul Adelstein (a world removed from his Prison Break villainy) as a sad-sack doc who's turned to Internet dates that tend to backfire. Pretty solid ensemble there, although it's unclear if any of these characters (including Addison, as written in this episode) could actually carry the show. I'm not sure any one character has to. I just wish they'd all let up a bit.
Did I really need to hear Violet the neurotic shrink (Brenneman) describe her ex as "smelling like pee"? Or "Dr. Feelgood" Diggs remark, "Don't talk about your penis while you hug another man." And so on. I almost expected to see Denny Crane as a guest patient. Maybe for November sweeps.
"It's more fun than a stuffy hospital," Naomi (Dungey) told Addison about life at Oceanside. Which may be true, but one person's fun is another person's migraine.
Ordering up a Grey's Anatomy spin-off is, in business terms, a no-brainer. Does that mean the show has to be as well?
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May 4, 2007 1:18 PM
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Matt, I didn't like it either. As a matter of fact, I kept running to the basement to do laundry whenever the Oceanside plot came on. By 10:15 I was seriously considering washing the kitchen floor instead of finishing the show. I'm one of the ones who was all for an Addison spin-off. I hope that they can find a way to salvage this.
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May 4, 2007 1:32 PM
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I already wrote my opinion on TV Guide's "Grey's..." blog page, but Matt, you hit the nail on the head. I even said to my sister last night, "This feels like a medical version of Boston Legal." (The term 'medical' was used loosely.)
It's a shame to so tragically misuse a terrific cast for such prepubescent drivel. Truly.
The only bright spot in the Addison storyline was seeing "Francie" and "Sark" together again. 
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May 4, 2007 1:56 PM
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I didn't like it either. The characters were too emotional, beautiful and unbelievable. I like them all individually but together it was like spontaneous de-combustion. The set was too pretty and the storylines were too pretty as well. Seemed to me that they super-rushed this pilot through writing and production and then poorly edited it into the originally filmed episode. It just didn't fit. I gave the original Grey's pilot a 6.5 for potential. I give the spin-off pilot a 4 for trying too hard and unfortunately (b/c I really wanted to love it) low on potential.
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May 4, 2007 1:59 PM
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I have to agree. The plot did seem forced. And while I had the breakdown of my washing machine to distract me from the plot somewhat, I can't picture Taye Diggs as a touchy-feely doctor, he's a cop! (Day Break, anyone?) He just looked to weird walking that itty-bitty dog (was it just me, or did he look uncomfortable?). And what was with the ladies lining up on the waiting chairs to watch the 'receptionist' walk thru with his surf board? Bleech.
Salvagable, probably. Good start, not so much. Leave Addison at Seattle Grace, please.
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May 4, 2007 2:05 PM
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Matt, what are you talking about? Seriously, what are you talking about?
If anything, the Grey's bits sucked last night. I'm just glad the writers are coming up with this fresh new show where the characters aren't pissing me off anymore. The George/Izzie thing is just ridiculous. The writers might have just messed up those characters for good. And I thought the Susan thing wasn't handled well,
I loved Addison and her character was just fun to watch. She was going through a hard point in her life and her trip to LA was eye-opening. Ya, the show was full of sex and well, that's what Shonda is all about. The actors are all good-looking and personally, I would have loved to see some more Addison action. But the characters are great. I love Merrin Dungey and I love Taye Diggs. It's a more mature, LESS WHINY, version of a show we've all grown to love...
Private Practice is going to rock next season and I can't wait to tune in every week.
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May 4, 2007 2:06 PM
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I watched the NBC line-up (gotta have my sitcoms), but even with channel flipping, the L.A. scenes didn't impress me. Everyone looked great, but that was about it. The scene in the elevator with Walsh and Daly was ridic, it's called subtle writers, look it up !
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May 4, 2007 2:25 PM
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I have to say, I seem to be one of the few people that absolutely loved it. Then again I'm also a fan of Boston Legal and Ally. I don't quite understand why something being goofy means it has no brain. I think that, if anything, successful, character-driven comedy is harder to write, and the spin-off scenes had me consistantly laughing and already caring about this group of characters. I think life is a little goofy sometimes and wish more shows didn't take themselves so seriously cough**heroes**cough.
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May 4, 2007 2:33 PM
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I was curious to read your thoughts on this 'new' show - glad to know I wasn't the only one watching the clock. There was nothing appealing about the show - it was but another stereotyped view of L.A. life; all characters were self absorbed, one-dimensional, and predictable.
The 'shock value' of the humor was missing (most of us have and watch cable): fart logic, a penis, a horny elevator, and (my favorite) 'wood' - very tasteful!
Talk about degrading women: as if three intelligent women would sit in a row, watching a male/surfer dude receptionist parade through a medical establishment carrying/waxing a surfboard. Hey dude, not cool.
If GA (a show I think has already killed itself on the vine) loses Addison, that's okay with me; people make stupid mistakes. The new show will die a quick, painless death - a befitting ending for a briliantly casted, embarrasingly poorly written, unnecessary waste of money and the public airwaves.
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May 4, 2007 2:38 PM
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I enjoyed Private Practice and most of GA, however, if GA continues with the George/Izzie storyline I will completely stop watching that show. That storyline has run its course & it's time to move on.
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May 4, 2007 3:08 PM
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It wasn't perfect, but I enjoyed the Addison spin-off a great deal last night. I'm so there if/when ABC picks it up.
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May 4, 2007 3:10 PM
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thank u...every review i've read on this site and others has been of people loving it. i thought it was SO painful to watch..i most definitely will NOT be watching PP next year.. the only reason i watched for the full two hours was for the brief seattle scenes. ughh...i was so happy when it ended!
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May 4, 2007 3:13 PM
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but one person’s fun is another person’s migraine.
So funny, and sooo true! I think that also sums up comments from all the blogs I have read. It was absolutely migraine-inducing for me, but see that it was fun for others, which I respect.
What was with that cringe-worthy line in the elevator that poor Tim Daly was forced to utter to Kate Walsh before he kissed her? They must have had a contest in some Jr High writing class somewhere in which the winning line would make it into this episode.
Oh, and I love Chris Lowell, but stop the Mrs Robinson storyline stat. Eewww!
As for Grey's itself, eh. I think they need to try and get back on track somehow. I'm not against George / Izzie, but they are just dragging it on and on. Resolve it already.
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May 4, 2007 3:24 PM
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I am assuming it will be picked up, but a good idea might be to wait until mid season and establish some sort of relationship between McDreamy and McSteamy and Taye Diggs and Merrin (after all, I am been under the impression that Derek and Addision met in med school, where he was already friend with Mark, and she with Tony? And Naomi?) And assuming so, perhaps because he was so good in Prison Break, and I believe Addison deserves better than another emotional broken man in her life, I am all for a Cooper/Addison match up (and I couldn't help notice the nod to Friends first episode, when was being talked to about a grown up, then next scene was Addision). I am reserving full judgment on the series because, well, Grey's was very depressing last night and so the L.A. bits were a bit, hmm, lighter, but I guess that is the Boston Legal angle everyone is talking about. And, well, to any woman who hasn't done the stare down, well, have you ever had anyone as cute as Chris Lowell to stare at?
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May 4, 2007 3:25 PM
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I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it either. It felt "too", as in too much, too forced, trying too hard to be Grey's Lite, which I'm not sure is necessary. I guess I will tune in next fall if they go ahead with it, but...I'm wishing they would just keep Addison in Seattle and have Tim Daly join her!
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May 4, 2007 3:27 PM
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