5769 replies to this topic

[Reality-OD]

So, do you think she's going alone, or some other characters going with her? Will she be in a different city, or a different hospital in the same city so they can have cross-over action?

[manual]

From Reutuers: "ABC is preparing a Grey's Anatomy spin-off centered on Dr. Addison Montgomery-Shepherd, the neonatal surgeon played by Kate Walsh, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday. The two-hour pilot could run as soon as this May and will be written by Grey's writer and creator Shonda Rhimes. ABC could not be reached for comment."

This is quite exciting for Kate Walsh--she deserves it. I hope the show can find the same success as Grey's.

So, do you think she's going alone, or some other characters going with her? Will she be in a different city, or a different hospital in the same city so they can have cross-over action?

Hmm. I think it would be smart to take another character--it would be nice for viewers to have a familiar face. I wonder what the timeframe on this will be... I guess she will be leaving Seattle Grace so it will be after that move? I am guessing it wont be a "before Derek" show in New York. I am a little nervous about this spin-off thing, but it has worked for some successful shows in the past, and considering that Shonda Rimes is a good writer--hopefully she can work her magic again!

ETA because sometimes I don't make sense after just waking up...

Edited by manual, Feb 21, 2007 @ 11:29 AM.

[gymclassreject]

From the press release it sounds like she's going alone. Which sucks, because I love Addie's relationships with almost EVERYONE on the show.

Ideally, as an Addisex shipper, I'd like for Alex to go with her. Not as her boyfriend but as her student with potential to become her boyfriend. They could be the next great will-they-won't-they supercouple. But on the other hand, that would separate him from the other 4 interns, and I truly enjoyed Alex's interactions with each one of them (his playful competitiveness with Cristina, his teasing/mockery of George, friendships with Izzie & Meredith). He doesn't have much of a relationship with anyone else on the show like Addison does, but it would be those intern relationships that I'd miss the most.

Instead of having her go back to her life in NY, I'd love to see a Port Charles/General Hospital-esque spinoff where she's in the same hospital, just working with a different set of doctors. That would leave room for plenty of crossovers, and seeing Alex or even Mark on the spinoff would make a whole lot more sense.

[ShepherdSquared]

I'm torn. I love this new development, but I'm also very skeptical about it.

Crossover action within SGH between Grey's Anatomy and Addison's show sounds kinda fishy to me, I'd rather not see it go that way. But crossovers between two different locations in Seattle...that could be interesting. I would love to see NY Addie, though.

[contradicto]

As much as I think that Addison is ten kinds of awesome, I think a spin off is a bad idea.

[manual]

Instead of having her go back to her life in NY, I'd love to see a Port Charles/General Hospital-esque spinoff where she's in the same hospital, just working with a different set of doctors. That would leave room for plenty of crossovers, and seeing Alex or even Mark on the spinoff would make a whole lot more sense.

Great idea. And this could mean essentially two hours of Grey's--which would surely be a goldmine for ABC (I am going to assume they'll initially air the spinoff immediately following its predecessor.

Also; as much as they pretend it isn't the case--there are more than 10 doctors at the hospital.

Hmm just had another thought... I guess it means Addison wont get chief, unless they could do a show with this and then not have interaction with the GA cast? Hmm no that probably won't work...

[crispay]

YES!!!!!!!!!

I love Addison and Kate Walsh!!!!

[GreyGirl24]

This just seems really ill-conceived to me. My fear is that the show will be written by the same writers, and their attention will be split now, and both shows will suffer.

On the other hand, I think that in the hands of a different group of writers, it would be terrible. Addison is who she is because she's written in a very original, unique way. I just see her becoming a walking cliche in the hands of less-talented writers.

On the other other hand, maybe this is the reason they brought all the newbie writers on board this season -- to train them and then have them write the Addison show.

I can hear a collective sigh of relief from the Addie fans who have basically been tolerating this show just to watch her. And I can hear Team Intern fans squeeee!ing over the fact that the show will go back to be focused more on them.

So much for Addie as chief, I guess...

[jcpbmg]

I'd like some confirmation from either ABC/ABC Television Studios, Shonda or KW before I believe this show is for real.

[milyvan]

One of the good things about the show is that the cast (personal problems aside, and problem of size aside) works really well together. Addison is a great character, but she has developped relationships with Alex, Mark, Callie, Derek, possibly Meredith, the Chief... it's just difficult to picture her apart.
She did leave her NY life to be with Derek, and i have no doubt she can do it again, but still.
She cannot take Alex with her, he's an intern, and originally Grey's Anatomy was about them, not the attendings, or residents, he's part of the core, which is why she should stay in Grey's, so they can explore that relationship, and that mentor/mentee relationship.
She can't take Mark either, he is in between her and Derek, moving Mark away from Derek would just mean one unfinished storyline (and Derek lacks storylines).

I am skeptical about this. I really hope they won't make her leave Grey's.

Anyhow, I don't really see what the show could be about, apart this idea of 40 year old divorcée, trying to live a new life, but that's not very original. Another medical show would overkill IMO. and Grey's is already quite soapy, this would only reinforce this idea.

But who says it has to be medical? Maybe Addison Forbes-Montgomery will quit surgery, and will take up farming: now that I would want to see. Addison in her fabulous outfits milking a cow.

[Leighton]

According to this, the show is already in production.

[Detsl]

From the press release it sounds like she's going alone. Which sucks, because I love Addie's relationships with almost EVERYONE on the show.

Yeah that's my problem too. I don't care about new characters. Especially many new characters.
I also need some cofirmation.

[hypertwink]

That sounds trainwrecky. Real trainwrecky.

[milyvan]

That sounds trainwrecky. Real trainwrecky

You mean like two people attached by a pole in their abdomen and only one gets to live?

[Detsl]

You mean like two people attached by a pole in their abdomen and only one gets to live?

I am thinking Kate's show? it will be Bonnie.

[alrunya]

I can hear a collective sigh of relief from the Addie fans who have basically been tolerating this show just to watch her.

I'm kinda one of those, but you're not hearing a sigh of relief from me, you're hearing a desperate, pained crying out.

I love Addie a lot, but especially her interactions with the other characters. I love how bitchy she can be if she wants, and how "soft", emotional and personal on the other hand she can get with, for example, Alex. How she's handling the whole Meredith/Derek thing, her snarky friendship with Callie...the whole attending friendship thing...

If they want to do an Addison spin off, then please after GA is over. I'm really not liking this development at.all. I mean, I'm happy that Kate Walsh is getting the recognition she deserves, but still, I want more of her INSIDE GA and not outside of it.

I like GA, but I live for the few Addison scenes we get every week, and that's mainly what keeps me watching. Having GA without Addie again would suck so much to me, I probably wouldn't be able to watch it and burst into tears after the first Addie-less episode or something.

I hate you ABC. Hate hate hate. You ruined Alias for me, and now you're once again screwing with my favourite television character ever. I really shouldn't get this involved with ABC shows.

[marty118]

I'm sure Kate Walsh can carry a show. I'm not so sure Addison can. But maybe it will work like Law and Order--there are a lot of medical stories to tell, and this lets them get another hour to do so.

As for existing relationships--Addison is clearly the kind of chracter who can form new relationships. Say she gets passed over for Chief at Seattle Grace, she realizes that Derek truly loves Mer, she's pretty tired of Mark. She decides to move on, make a new life professionally and personally.

Give her some very cool Mark Harmon type guy who's interested in her and have her hold back, and a supporting cast with at least one younger person she can mentor, and it might work very well.

[milyvan]

I am thinking Kate's show? it will be Bonnie.

Yes she's the younger one, she has more "wounds", they are going to decide to remove her first, and then she'll be gone, but don't worry, if love were enough, she'd still be with us. (that's too much metaphors, even for Grey's)

In the case it doesn't do well, any possibility of bringing her back to Grey's?, because I like Addison, but I like her better in Grey's Anatomy.

Edited by milyvan, Feb 21, 2007 @ 12:12 PM.

[jcpbmg]

According to this, the show is already in production.

I think you mean pre-production. If the show is real it's in pre-production. Production is when they are actually shooting it and pre-production is when they are working out the details, casting, finishing scripts and building the sets and such.

There is no way, absolutely no way this show is shooting already. It's just impossible, because if it was we would have known about it quite a while ago.

[adfan]

You mean like two people attached by a pole in their abdomen and only one gets to live?

Grey's will get to live. ABC will put more effort into what they know than what they don't.

I'm in-between on this entire thing. One one hand, I applaud them for acknowledging that the cast is too large now and it needs to be shrunk to focus on characters more deeply again.
On the other hand, a spin-off rarely works and unless they intend to give it the Ugly Betty time slot ot the 10pm timeslot I don't think it could really achieve the ratings they are hoping for.

With Grey's being the only ABC show gaining ratings while the others are all dropping, it seems to me they are trying to kill two birds with one stone. Shrink the Grey's cast while getting a show that they hope will have killer ratings.

[Ripley68]

I'd like to see her and Callie go off on a show. I love her and Callie's friendship.

[ShepherdSquared]

The buddytv article that was linked here, for whatever it is worth and a huge grain of salt, said the show was in production.

[theobviouschild]

Hm.. While I think KW could carry her own show really well, I'm just not sure how I feel about this. It's like Grey's is a bloated amoeba and it's dividing in half. It could work. Or it could crash and burn KW's career.

Do we know if they've decided on a title? Or what they're bouncing around the room?

[kel]

I'm in-between on this entire thing. One one hand, I applaud them for acknowledging that the cast is too large now and it needs to be shrunk to focus on characters more deeply again.

My question is, how has SR not picked up on the fact that you don't have to write for all 12 leads every week? ER seldom writes for all their major characters every week and that show's been on for eleventy billion years now.

Not EVERYONE needs a story every week.

If they're gonna steal ideas from ER, this is the one I'd advocate.

[alrunya]

Good question. I've seen it done on Heroes and it's working quite well. The last episode was done so well, I didn't even notice that my favourite character wasn't even in it at all until after I finished watching.

So, that would probably the most awesome and best solution.

[ShepherdSquared]

Not EVERYONE needs a story every week.

If they're gonna steal ideas from ER, this is the one I'd advocate.

Yeah. Amateurs!

[debbie too]

I can't really blame ABC for trying this. Let's face it, ABC is in trouble in the ratings. Lost and Desperate Housewives are losing steam (both are down by about 4 million viewers compared to last year) and their schedule is so full of holes they have to be plugging them with reruns. Most if the new shows they have tried this season have sucked in the ratings and all the momentum they had winning november sweeps is now gone. Grey's anatomy is the only ABC show that is actually thriving compared to last season, the ratings are not only up from last season, they're up from this season's premier episode (the last 2 eppies have been behind only the post superbowl episode as the most watched Grey's episodes ever) and no other non-new series on any network can say that.

ABC is desperate and I don't blame them for trying this spin off idea. Grey's is their best performing show by a mile, it makes sense that they'd try to capitalize on that. And despite the way most of us bitch and moan about the writing for Grey's, the fact remains that Shonda has created characters that we love and that entertain us, ABC is just wishin and hopin (pun intended) that they can catch lightning in a bottle again.

Hey, a lot of us thought they were suicidal moving Grey's to thursdays to take on CSI this season and look how wrong we were. Maybe ABC is right again.

[utrippin]

I'm one of those Addie fans that watch GA for her but I wouldn't paint everyone with that very tiny brush. Most Addie fans are fans of the show first. I'll proably go back to my pre-Addie levels of interest because at this point the only other characters I love are Callie and Alex..and if Alex is with Izzy who I hate with the fire of 10,000 suns..well...

Anyway, I'm excited for the possibilities but who knows how it will fare. I won't worry about that just yet but just be thrilled to know that Kate is being recognized as someone who should be pitching, not playing right field.

There are so many ways they can go that it's hard to speculate. NYC seems easiest. But I think I'd prefer fish out of water Addie so instead of like head of the best neonatel unit in the country, perhaps she takes something at a county hospital on its last legs...more of a St. Elsewhere than GA. Excuse me while I laugh at the though of Shonda writing something as grownup as St Elsewhere.

The key here will be of course the concept and casting. The show needs to be different from GA and with Addie as the lead character it can be.

Yep, it could also be a trainwreck. The one thing that bugs me is that they seem to be rushing for May. Why? Why not end the season and work everything into the fall. I don't like the idea of rushing.

NO MARK PLEASE. Sorry..he's cute but he simply can not act.

[TeeVee329]

Like many, I'm torn. I love Kate Walsh and I love Addison and the prospect of two hours of "Grey's" goodness each week takes me back to that golden time when "Buffy" and "Angel" aired back-to-back when I was in high school. It could be very awesome.

Or, as some have said, it could be a big ol' mess. And then what? Could Addison be brought back to the main show? It's actually a big gamble for Kate Walsh. Right now, she's an acclaimed member of a hot hot hot TV show that's won all types of awards and fans. All that could end for her if "Montgomery's Medicine" lasts three eps.

E! Online has a nice article up about this. They say ABC has confirmed that Rhimes and Walsh are signed on for the spin-off, but neither would comment. Also, they confirmed the Addison-centric ep for May. Read on!

http://www.eonline.c...0c-6f46e62adbe3

[wolverinegirl53]

I really hope that if/when this new show flops, they bring Addison back somehow. I guess that would work better if she stayed in Seattle, maybe have her open a private practice and every once in a while show up at SGH to do one of the 19 billion speciality surgerys she can do, then she could still be involved in Grey's as well if the show does well.