Shonda Rhimes may be busier with her Netflix projects these days. But that doesn’t mean that she’s forgotten about her hit medical dramas. Long before Rhimes made her move to the streamer, the highly successful showrunner had produced a series of television hits for ABC. And while it’s only Grey’s Anatomy that remains on the air today (it’s already on its 19th season), there was once a time when the hit medical drama ran alongside its spinoff, Private Practice.
Recently though, Rhimes has commented on rebooting the show. But would its lead star, Kate Walsh, be up to returning?
Shonda Rhimes Says Private Practice ‘Didn’t Finish’ Telling Its Story
While discussing her new Bridgerton book on Good Morning America, Rhimes was also asked about which of her ABC shows she would love to bring back. And that’s when the showrunner revealed her thoughts on Private Practice.
“I miss my Scandal family so badly that I would come back with them at any point, but I actually feel like we didn’t finish telling our stories on Private Practice,” Rhimes revealed.
“We had so many more stories we could tell … I just felt like we had so much more to say with those characters and so much further to go, and that also felt like a show that had endless possibility where you are learning and seeing things happen at the same things happen medically.”
Producer Betsy Beers, who was with Rhimes, agreed. Having served as an executive producer on Private Practice, she also added that there are still “many many more possibilities to come with them. “
Why Was Private Practice Canceled?
Back in 2012, it was announced that Private Practice would end after six seasons. “I’m sad to say that Private Practice’s run will end after episode 613 this season,” Rhimes confirmed on Twitter.
“There was a lot of discussion and debate but, in the end, the guys at the network and the studio and I all decided that Private Practice was reaching its finish line. Creatively, we are all extremely proud of the show and especially proud of this season — which you will all soon discover is a creative renaissance. I can’t wait for you to see it.”
The decision to end Private Practice after the series somewhat struggled during its fifth season. The medical drama had a bit of a ratings struggle after it was moved from Thursdays to Tuesdays, following Dancing with the Stars instead of Grey’s Anatomy.
The move was done to make room for Rhimes’ other show, the Kerry Washington-led Scandal.
At the same time, the decision to renew the show for just a 13-episode season came after Walsh announced that she was only going to stick around for 13 more episodes.
“This is my last season for Private Practice,” the actress confirmed on Bethenny Frankel’s daytime talk show, Bethenny. “It's been an incredible journey and an amazing ride. It's been a long time being Addison and I feel incredibly grateful to Shonda Rhimes and all the fans. ... I'm really excited about the last season.”
That said, even back then, there was also some hesitation to completely pull the plug on the series.
“I’ve been told I’m not allowed to approach this as the final season, that the network does not believe that approaching it as the final season is the way they want to go,” Rhimes revealed.
“If I get some amazing idea that really excites me, then I will go to the network and say we should continue and here’s how I’d like to continue…”
Would Kate Walsh Be Open To Returning For A Private Practice Reboot?
Although she may have signaled a desire to move on to other projects towards the end of Private Practice, it seems Walsh is more eager to return to Shondaland these days. And when asked about the prospect of doing Private Practice again, the actress admitted that “anything is possible” even if there’s no official announcement from Rhimes or ABC yet.
Walsh even revealed that she’s had some discussions about a reboot with former castmates already (although she didn’t specify who).
“We’ve always—amongst the cast at least—talked about that, but Shonda [Rhimes] hasn’t really delved into that, so I don’t know,” the actress said.
Even without the reboot though, Walsh has been spending a lot of time in Shondaland lately as she has been playing Dr. Addison Montgomery once more in Grey’s Anatomy, the show which originally introduced her character.
And after being away from Shondaland for years, Walsh said that it felt good to be back. “It’s great. It’s like slipping into an old comfortable pair of jeans in the best way,” the actress remarked.
“You’re just like, ‘Ah, this is comfy, and this is cozy.’ But also, I just love it. The writing has never been better. Krista Vernoff is running it, and she’s just got a great solid stable of writers.”