Private Practice - The Complete Fifth Season

"Private Practice" may have slowly grown into the red-headed stepbrother to "Grey's Anatomy." However, it does manage to deliver some entertainment value with its shocking storylines and has also found a niche in exploring medical debates. The show has also re-focused on star Kate Walsh and her character, Addison's goal of having a child.

The fifth season, available on DVD, focuses on children. All of the characters on the show slowly become confronted at some point with having, raising, or losing children. The DVD has a special featurette, "The Practice of Parenthood" where all the actors discuss how children affect the show.

The season also takes a dark turn with a story involving most recent addition, Amelia Shepherd (Caterina Scorsone), whose battle with drugs goes to a dark place. The show also includes the surprise addition of a son for Cooper (Paul Adelstein) which brings not only baggage but a little bit of heartache. The addition of the super sexy Benjamin Bratt to the cast also adds some new drama to Addison's relationship with Sam (Taye Diggs).

The DVD set also includes deleted scenes. As expected, these tend to be pretty dry and are often cut to avoid redundancies. The bloopers, however, always seem funnier in a drama. With actors trying to convey serious emotions, it can be funny to watch them screw up a line or stumble as they walk into an office.

"Private Practive" has become its own show independent of "Grey's Anatomy." It doesn't have the same lightning in the bottle as "Grey's" but it still manages to deliver an entertaining, emotionally-driven and mostly upbeat show. As the show approaches the final season, the fifth season manages to give audiences a very entertaining ride toward the end.

"Private Practice: The Complete Fifth Season"
DVD
$ 39.99
PrivatePractice-DVD.com