What ‘Private Practice’ Gets Right That ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Doesn’t

The big picture

• Private practice
  offers a grounded and raw description of life as a doctor and tackles taboo subjects that most shows shy away from.
• Private practice
  delves into heavier, more bleak stories as it progresses, providing a unique and poignant perspective on medical dramas.
• Private practice
  highlights the consequences of the characters' actions, showing their flaws and struggles realistically, unlike
  Grey's Anatomy
  .

Chances are, if you're a fan Grey's Anatomyyou've probably watched it too Private practice. After all, it is a sequel to of Grey and another phenomenal addition to Shondaland. Private practice follow Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh) as he leaves Seattle for California and joins a small medical practice. It's quite a remarkable change from his time of Greyas the practice is smaller and more intimate, its patient volume is substantially lower. Private practice allowed fans to spend more time with Addison and get to know her outside of Derek (Patrick Dempsey). We get to see her more playful side and see how brilliant of a doctor she really is, and we also get to see the deeper, emotional side of her life and really connect with her throughout the series. But it wasn't just Addison's character that gave us this change, but the show as a whole. Private practice itself is a much more grounded and mature version of Grey's Anatomy. While both shows are medical dramas filled with romance, scandal, and some pretty wacky storylines, Private practice took a different route than its sister series and gave us a much more raw depiction of life as a doctor.

“Private Practice” isn't afraid to be real

when Private practice began, seemed a little more peculiar than Grey's Anatomy. We've moved the location from rainy and gray Seattle to sunny California, and the scripts felt brighter and more lively as a result. And since the cast was substantially smaller than that of of Grey, there was a lot more room for humor because the show wasn't bouncing all the time. We met these characters right away and settled in immediately, and saw that they were more of a family than just colleagues. Most of the first season is laying out those foundations, so by the time Season 2 rolls around, the show is able to delve into more detailed stories and more complex character development. He still maintains the hilarity, but chooses to use it as a break from the heavier moments of the episode.

As of season 2, Private practice takes on a more mature role. He begins to introduce more bleak stories and investigate topics that, at the time, were quite taboo. Issues like abortion, addiction, and PTSD were things you didn't often see represented on television at the time, and Private practice deepened them frontally. we see violet (Amy Brenneman), the practicing psychologist, deals with her own trauma and PTSD, and we go through all the stages of healing with her. Meet Amelia Shepherd (Caterina Scorsone) and stay with her through her battle with addiction and ultimately the death of her baby. We hold Addison's hand through her fertility issues and adoption journey. And we see how Charlotte (KaDee Strickland) and Cooper (Paul Adelstein) become parents when it is revealed that Cooper has a child and the child's mother is dying. And that's just to name a few. Private practice he never shied away from delving into the subjects that others kept hidden. They always went into it with 100% confidence and affection for the story they planned to tell. It was often heartbreaking and hard to watch, though it allowed the show to feel much more grounded and moving.

“Private practice” pulled back the curtain on the medical spectacle

Apart from dealing with the most taboo subjects, which at the time were not often addressed on television, Private practice it also offered a new perspective on medical dramas. With medical shows, and honestly most shows based in some sort of reality, there has to be a suspension of disbelief. If everything went according to plan and was done completely by the book, it just wouldn't be good television. Private practice he knew it, but he chose to deal with it differently. Instead of letting your characters whine when they do something wrong, pull back the curtain and show you what happens next.

One of the practice's doctors, Cooper, often finds himself in trouble with the law or the medical board. He really cares about his patients and will do anything he can to help them, though his devotion often lands him in hot water. There was one time he vaccinated a child against the mother's wishes because her other child was dying of measles. And the time he was arrested for refusing to reveal the whereabouts of one of his patients who had run away from his stepfather. We see the ramifications of Cooper's actions, and the show doesn't try to sugar coat it or hide the fact that what he did was wrong, and it's a fascinating twist. We see stories similar to Grey's Anatomy but you don't always get to see their ramifications. Instead, we are shown that what the character did was heroic and seemingly above any sense of wrongdoing. And while it's good television, it gets a little stale. Private practice allows you to see the flaws of these doctors. They're not perfect, and they're not without obstacles, and it's a really unique perspective that we don't often see on medical shows. These doctors do not always come out with their execution of the rules as in Grey's Anatomy They are not above the consequences, and we often see the ramifications of cases gone wrong or questionable decisions made during them.

'Grey's Anatomy' addresses an issue that 'Private Practice' does not

Of the two shows, Private practice tends to portray vulnerable and real-world subjects more often than Grey's Anatomy does. But there is a case where of Grey address a topic Private practice it rarely does, and that is domestic violence. Aptly titled “1-800-799-7233” which is the domestic violence hotline numberepisode features the return of Jo Wilson (Camilla Luddington) estranged and abusive husband, Paul (Matthew Morrison). He has come to Seattle because he is engaged to a woman named Jenny (Joy Lenz), and they want to get married, only he's still legally married to Jo, so he tracked her down despite the name change and location change.

Jo makes it her mission to try and save Jenny from Paul before it's too late, and although she initially denies the abuse, she later goes to the hospital with Paul after he is involved in a hit-and-run and confirms to Jo that he had done it hurt him too It's an extremely heavy episode arc, but it's also one of the most powerful and important stories Grey's Anatomy has said.

The show may not always delve into the biggest storylines, but when it does, it does so with such finesse and care, creating a memorable and deep episode in the show's history. This does not mean Grey's Anatomy he was without his powerful moments, but he doesn't prioritize them as often Private practice he did, which is a shame. A show as popular as Grey's Anatomy telling stories like Jo and Jenny's allows these issues to reach a wider audience and create useful awareness for those who survive in silence.

'Private practice' prioritizes emotional stories

one of Private practiceThe most memorable episodes of ''Did You Hear What Happened to Charlotte King? in which Charlotte is brutally attacked by a patient. It's an extremely difficult episode to watch, but the show handled it gracefully. Shonda Rhimes and KaDee Strickland worked closely with RAINN (Rape Abuse Incest National Network) on the story to best portray the arc with as much care and dignity as possible, while staying true to the experiences of the actual victim. The result is a heart-wrenching yet beautiful story that remains one of those Private practicethe best and the most impressive.

At the end of the day, both Private practice i Grey's Anatomy they are brilliantly made shows and follow a fairly similar story and format. But it ishow the two shows approach their stories and characters sets them apart. Of course, they have two completely different settings, which certainly adds to the differences in storytelling. But Private practice she consistently prioritized the vulnerable side of things over the dramatization, which set her apart. It was still full of drama (because this is still a Shonda Rhimes show), but compared to Grey's Anatomy, it is much more subdued. Both of us of Grey i Private practice make for fascinating television, though Private practice he consistently demonstrated his ability to tell raw and emotional stories and did it better than Grey's Anatomy.

Private practice is available to stream on Hulu in the US

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