Private practice

I love this show. I know that it’s getting widely panned, and I suppose it won’t last much longer. But it has a host of really interesting characters, with complex lives, and I think eventually the stories could stretch out a bit now that more of the “back story” has been filled in.

And then there are the wonderful little pieces. Like the fact that the most stable and substantial love relationship on the show is that of an African American couple. In the episode I just watched (yes, I record them and watch only when I have time) we learn that this couple is Catholic, and we encounter a group of nuns and a priest. I can't remember the last time I saw a positive portrayal of African American Catholics -- or ANY portrayal, for that matter!

I've always been curious that so little of Grey's Anatomy (written by the same woman, Shonda Rhimes, as Private Practice) has any explicit religious content (situation or character). So it's even more interesting to me that the first major portrayal of religious characters on Private Practice is that of an African American Catholic couple. Indeed, the whole episode was thoughtful, not exploitive, etc.

It's also always interesting to me that in both these shows -- Grey's and PP -- the most messed up characters are white. I think it's an appropriate portrayal.

I really want this show to survive. I think it's got far more complex and interesting characters -- with more potential -- than much that's out there. If only our hyper competitive tv market would give shows time to develop!

Anyway, I guess I betray here my personal foibles... I'm back in the states (although not yet home, because of yet another meeting) and I'm totally jet-lagged and woke up at 3 am this morning, but instead of doing work I'm watching tv!