GREY'S ANATOMY AND PRIVATE PRACTICE: WILL THE SHARK JUMP FAR?

I almost had a hernia when I found out that Kate Walsh was leaving Grey's to head for the sunnier skies of Los Angeles. It spelled out an imminent case of shark-jumping and a move from ABC that one would only have expected of Disney (High School Musical 1000, anyone?).

Addison is – or should I say "was" – my favourite character on Grey's. She was the antagonist we turned into a protagonist – sometimes, for me, she turned me against MerDer (who are starting to tire me). Sure, she got around in Seattle Grace, but who didn't? The place was a circus. And, now, with Addison gone, I'm afraid that SGH will become more of a raging, uncontrolled carnival than it was before.

Season three of Grey's was relatively horrible. It revived itself a bit in the episodes just before the faux-pilot of Private Practice, but it tanked again – especially during the finale, which I actually liked initially because of Alex's uncharacteristic (but intrinsic) sweetness having a chance to shine through. Added to the controversy over Isaiah Washington's unforgettable fag-stab at T.R. Knight, which resulted in his contract getting axed (or simply not renewed), season three was like a beaten up Lada Stationwagon trying to race a Murcielago on the Top Gear test track. It might not have been that extreme, but it came pretty damn close to writing itself off at times. Shonda Rhimes says that season four will signal a return to its roots, i.e. more of the humour and atmosphere in seasons one and two, but she's said a lot of things already.

So, Private Practice (couldn't they have come up with something better?). Private Practice boasts a cast of very respectable names, including Taye Diggs and Tim Daly. Now, don't get me wrong; I love Tim Daly as much as other people who love him, but all his shows have gotten cancelled in the recent past – Eyes, The Nine… and Taye Diggs had Kevin Hill and Day Break (D for Disaster in the Ratings). It doesn't matter if they were really good shows (I wasn't an avid follower, so I don't really know), because when have TV networks ever sensibly cancelled a show (with the exception of the O.C)?

Personally, I can't stand Shonda Rhimes, who helms these two shows with enormous potential to succeed. She has already shown us that she can make an absolute cock-up of a winning formula, so what will she do with a spin-off (and spin-offs have never had very excellent track records)? She's also a wishy-washy, flip-floppy walking contradiction. But, masochistically, I like to watch train wrecks (after all, destruction is a form of creation), so I'll tune in to the premiere of Private Practice. I'll stick by Grey's. What relationship doesn't have a rough spot? You just keep on keeping on and hope it gets better, with time.

But, then again… how much time will ABC give Private Practice and Grey's?