Blogging the TCA

On Duty Actress Kate Walsh and Executive Producer Shonda Rhimes of "Private Practice" explain to critics that the show will focus more on the medical setting and less of the soap opera this season.

In a growing trend, “Private Practice” creator Shonda Rhimes described the first episode of her returning show after the strike as having a minimum amount of learning curve.

Several showrunners and executive producers of sophomore series have explained at the TCA the difficulty of returning after the strike-shortened season.

Ms. Rhimes said “Practice” has the advantage of airing on Wednesdays with other shows, including “Dirty Sexy Money” and “Pushing Daisies,” that will use ABC’s ad department to full effect for a relaunch.

But, in this returning season, Ms. Rhimes said while “Grey’s Anatomy” is all about surgery, “Practice” tells the stories of moral and ethical dilemmas and the high-stakes medicine in people’s everyday lives. However, the show will focus more on the medicine this season than last year, as the soap opera stuff tended to outweigh the medical setting.

The panel marked the first time this TCA where the phrase "Grey's Anatomy" didn't force an inevitable question about Katherine Heigl.

—Andrew Krukowski