AOL TV has learned that Shonda Rhimes' newest ABC series, 'Scandal,' will share a lot more than a creator in common with the network's medical soaps 'Grey's Anatomy' and 'Private Practice.'

Many of the guest stars booked to appear in the first season of 'Scandal,' which is scheduled to debut in early 2012, have also roamed the halls of Seattle Grace. Kate Burton and Jeff Perry, otherwise known as Ellis and Thatcher Grey, will both play Washington D.C. higher-ups in the new series, which stars Kerry Washington as Olivia Pope, a PR crisis management consultant who specializes in ushering politicians and other celebs through very public scandals.

Burton will recur as the Vice President starting in episode 5, while Perry plays the White House Chief of Staff. JoBeth Williams, who played Addison's mom on 'Private Practice,' will appear as a major client during the series' third episode.

There's nothing better than leaving the office at the end of the workday. Sure, there are still minor nuisances: powering down your computer, gathering up your stuff ... Still, you're essentially free -- freed from drudgery. Unless something goes wrong.

[Warning: Spoiler alert.]

Charlotte King (KaDee Strickland) thinks she's free. But nothing could be further from the case. She tries to leave at the end of the day on 'Private Practice' (Thu., 10PM ET on ABC). Not only does not she make it out the door -- she might not make it out alive.

Ms. King is the Chief of Staff at St. Ambrose Hospital. She's just finished a night of work on Halloween Eve -- she had to stay late on the holiday, but soon that minor annoyance will be the least of her worries. Charlotte and her fiancée Cooper (Paul Adelstein) had a fight earlier in the day. But Coop made it up to her with a gift; a miniature layer cake in a tasteful box. She glances at her fiancée's photo, grabs the box ... And then she's walking out of her office.

And that's when it happens.

Let's be honest: Last season of 'Private Practice' was a real downer. But this season is starting off with a bang, a surprise and some life-changing orgasms, according to the cast.


I stopped by the set while they were shooting their farewells to Dell over his grave (we'll miss you, Chris Lowell!), and they were all incredibly eager to talk about the theme of Season 4: adult relationships.

Check out what Kate Walsh, Taye Diggs, Amy Brenneman, Tim Daly, Audra McDonald, Paul Adelstein, KaDee Strickland, Caterina Scorsone and Brian Benben teased about the sexy new season (premieres Thurs., Sept. 23, 10PM ET on ABC), wedding bells and more.

'Private Pracitce' has had some pretty great guest stars over the last three seasons. JoBeth Williams, Stephen Collins, Grant Show, Jay Harrington, Rosanna Arquette, D.B. Woodside and star Taye Diggs' wife Idina Menzel have all stopped by to play, not to mention certain members of the 'Grey's Anatomy' cast.


So it got me thinking: Are there any celebs the cast is dying to have on the show? I visited the set to find out and got answers ranging from an Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning actress to an outpouring of love for Alec Baldwin.

And all that guest star talk prompted Tim Daly to get fired up and say this: "Oh, I can kick Kevin Bacon's ass!" Watch and see why.

'Grey's Anatomy' and 'Private Practice' boss lady Shonda Rhimes is one of my favorite people to follow on Twitter (hi @shondarhimes!). She answers fan questions in what can only be called entertaining bursts of rapid-fire tweeting, then often puts an abrupt end to things when she's sick of answering the same "when will AddiSam happen for real?" question over and over agian.

While we all know the 'Grey's' cast is pretty anti-Twitter, the gang over at 'Private Practice' is much more tech-savvy and loving the instant connection with the fans. I hit the 'Private Practice' set -- a full set visit video is coming closer to premiere -- and the amount of Twitter talk warranted its own post.


Kate Walsh (@k8_walsh) says she treats it like her diary, while Tim Daly (@TimmyDaly) says he can't stand people who do that. Amy Brenneman (@TheAmyBrenneman) gives us the real reason Taye Diggs won't tweet, while Taye just tries to come to terms with the word tweet. And Audra McDonald (@AudraEqualityMc) reminds us that sometimes there's more to the oft-maligned social media tool than meets the eye.

Also of note: Caterina Scorsone (@caterinatweets), a.k.a. Amelia Shepherd, is also on. And since my visit, KaDee Strickland (@KaDeeStrick) has joined the ranks as well. I'm not taking credit or anything, but ... well, you're welcome. Enjoy!

Sometimes the doctors at Oceanside Wellness seem like they're in the third grade. We can't even recall how many times fist-fights have broken out on 'Private Practice' (Thu., 10PM ET on ABC), but suffice to say they happen quite often.

This week, Cooper and Sheldon got into a wrestling match in the break room, and the rest of the staff started gathering outside the window until Charlotte broke it up. Awww ... we wanted to see who would win!

Watch the video after the jump.

(S04E21/S04E22) "I don't want to run anymore." - Michael

I'm happy that Prison Break is over. I've been a fan since the beginning, and even though it tested your threshold for absurd and ridiculous TV moments on more than one occasion, Prison Break was still one helluva ride. While part of me wishes that it had gone out on a creative high after maybe a season or two, I still appreciate what Paul Scheuring, Matt Olmstead, and Co. tried to do in season three and on some level, I even respect what went down here in the final season - arguably the drama's worst. That being said, tonight's two-hour finale offered some solid closure while wrapping up most everyone's story in ways that actually felt believable.

(S01E09) "He's fighting for her." - Dell about Sam

What could be the last Private Practice episode in a long while (this was the last episode completed before the writers' strike) finally gave Dell a good amount of screen time. However, it felt like it was too little too late.

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(S01E08) "If they talk about us, we should talk about them." - Sam to Pete and Cooper

I'm not sure I like the port Cooper found in his storm and I'm pretty sure I'm not alone thinking this (let your voice be heard in our poll). It's clear they are trying to make Charlotte more meaningful but for me, it's too little too late. The character was almost as poorly introduced and as useful as Nikki and Paulo were on Lost. Let's hope that the Private Practice writers know where they are going with this because it could ruin the show's best character: Cooper.
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(S01E06) "Don't wake the tiger." - Pete about Charlotte

And down the rabbit hole Charlotte went. (For those who didn't get the title twist, it refers to Alice in Wonderland in which Alice goes down a rabbit hole and ends up in a fantasy/dream world.) Per our poll in last week's review, out of the 306 people who voted by the time I typed this line only 1 said they liked Charlotte the best. I'm not sure that this somewhat Charlotte-centric Private Practice episode will have viewers relate more with the character.

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(S01E05) "You guys are so not friends. You are like a corporation." - Violet to Sam

In case you didn't know, Private Practice was picked up for a full 22-episode season. That means more Pete and Addison flirting, Cooper and Violet circling around one another, and, sadly, more of angry Naomi! Even if reviews of the first episodes were not stellar, the show has been improving. Most importantly, Private Practice has been strong in ratings, which led to its pick up.

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Kristin from E! Online reports that ABC has picked up Grey's Anatomy spin-off Private Practice for a full season. Even if fan comments (including my own) about the first episodes were not all positive towards the writing and acting of the show, enough of viewers watched the series (that's 12 million viewers just last Wednesday) to grant the show a pick up.

Yep, that means we are stuck with angry Naomi for a complete season! It also means that Addison will not go back to Seattle Grace, something a good number of Grey's Anatomy fans wanted to see happen.

(S01E04) "If I were a patient, what would I tell myself?" - Violet

I have to agree with the majority of people who voted in our last Private Practice poll: I, too, watch it mostly because it's the Grey's Anatomy spin-off. I also watch the show for Kate Walsh and Tim Daly. Last week, I asked you to tell me if I was too harsh when critiquing the show. Not surprisingly, most commenters seemed to be in the same boat I find myself in: we are disappointed with the show and don't really know if we should stick with it or not.

In order to see the show differently, which may help me like it a little more, I decided to tackle my review duties differently this week. I usually take notes about the events and my thoughts throughout the show. Not tonight. Let's see if me not analyzing everything as I watched helped me enjoy the ride!

The Grey's Anatomy boards and blogs, and even some of our articles here at TV Squad, have been experiencing a surge in negative comments and posts. Those comments are directed at solely one thing: the potential spin-off featuring the character of Addison.

Why are fans so unhappy with the end result? Will fan comments have ABC not pick up Private Practice?

Let's analyze a few of the negative comments left by the TV Squad visitors in our "Grey's Anatomy vs. the spin-off -- Part 2" post.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, actor Tim Daly is poised to take a leading role in that spinoff to Grey's Anatomy that everyone is all hyped up about. He'll guest star in a two-hour episode that is meant to be the launching point for the spinoff. His character is described as "handsome, sincere, like a McDreamy." He'll have some competition for Resident Hunk because Taye Diggs has already signed on to the spinoff.

Series creator Shonda Rhimes is reportedly planning a spinoff to Grey's Anatomy, starring Kate Walsh, whose character Addison Shepherd is about to leave Seattle Grace Hospital. The spingboard episode is set to air in May.

Paul Adelstein, formerly of Prison Break, is also set to co-star in the two-hour episode though his role is not clear. There will also be a female psychiatrist and a female fertility specialist in the springboard episode and (presumably) the spinoff.