The latest on Private Practice

First sneak peek --- This isn't the Addison (post-Seattle Grace) I am expecting and I'm sorry...I'm not liking what I see. But then again, let me back-pedal a bit --- this is really just a short preview, so maybe it's unfair to base everything on it. But just between you and me, she looks really silly dancing with just a towel on. And maybe that's the point. Moving from Seattle to California has liberated her or something.



Second sneak peek, with more from the cast members reacting to Addison's arrival:


Something could be wrong with the balance in my world today because I'm loving the Grey's Anatomy previews I just saw and I'm loathing this one! I'm getting the impression the doctors at Oceanside are acting like post-pubescent kids, what's that about?? And it's funny because TV Guide has this:

Will Private Practice be the next Joey?
Ah, the much maligned spin-off. The answer is no. The audience still has a lot of good will towards Grey's Anatomy. ABC has surrounded it on Wednesday with two of its strongest pilots, Pushing Daisies and Dirty Sexy Money. It has a solid night, with Private Practice as a presold tent pole to hold it up. But expect the veteran cast on PP to attract an older audience than the Grey's mother ship.

Not like that, they won't! I'm "older audience" and I'm not happy. :(

Anyway, ABC already posted the description for Episode 1: "In Which We Meet Addison, A Nice Girl From Somewhere" - At the invitation of her friend, fertility specialist Naomi Bennett, Addison leaves her job in Seattle and heads to Los Angeles to start a new job at Oceanside Wellness Group and to begin a new life. Not expecting Addison's arrival are Naomi's business partners at the co-op wellness center, her ex-husband, internist Sam Bennett, psychiatrist Violet Turner, pediatrician Cooper Freedman and alternative medicine guru Pete Wilder (who is convinced Addison is there because of their recent kiss). On her first day, Addison is presented a case that could make or break her acceptance among the Oceanside staff.

Also, tons of Private Practice set photos here. Dig in!

Private Practice premieres Sept 26 on ABC at 9 PM.

Good luck, Addie! Prove me wrong.

[Private Practice]

Preview: Private Practice Season 1 Episode 1

I just watched the first episode of Private Practice in its entirety and my initial reaction still remains ---- I'm not happy. But let ye judge not the first episode....the show is experiencing birth pains, I recognize that. The bright spot is, I hear the second episode is so much better.

Still, if I had been happy, I can probably write a much better entry for this. And since I'm not (happy), I'll just present some screen caps using old spoiler entries from Spoilerfix. Note that spoilers aren't always accurate, but Spoilerfix got nearly everything right.

PRIVATE PRACTICE SEASON 1 EPISODE 1
In Which We Meet Addison, A Nice Girl From Somewhere Else

The cops are called to a supermarket when a woman, Jenny Banks, sits on the floor and keeps repeating the same sentence over and over again. One of her neighbor is also called in. The manager wants the crazy woman out now but the neighbor wants to take his time to calm her down.




A woman named Leslie is at the hospital watching doctors try to resuscitate her soon-to-be fiancé. A woman named Maria goes to a courthouse so that another woman her now dead husband wanted to marry doesn't get his money.



A father gets mad when he doesn't know the doctor who is about to remove his 17-year-old daughter's appendix. The father is also angry at his daughter for having eloped without telling him. Note: This is the only spoiler that wasn't clear and accurate. The father in this story did get mad. His daughter told him too late that she was pregnant.




As seen in the sneak peeks, the group initially question Addie's arrival at Oceanside. I don't remember them not liking the idea of Addie working with them in the pre-pilot (from Grey's Anatomy last season), but this time they were pretty adamant of their dislike...or I just did not get that. :P

Anyway, Addie gives a speech at the end of episode 1, addressing her new colleagues:


ADDISON: I have been working here less than 24-hours, and in that time I discovered that I am not welcomed here...I learned that I am a one-man gyn-ie show...and I performed crazy MacGyver surgery. Plus, Sam saw my booty! So, this has not been a great day for me. The day kinda sucked. But you know what? I had one patient, one patient the entire day. And I loved it. So you want me gone? Too bad, I'm in! See, I'm putting my foot down. Foot down. I'm not going anywhere. So.....yeah. I thought I had a big finish but...maybe I don't. So...I'm done.

What I liked?
- the replacement actress for Naomi
- KaDee Strickland's character, the blonde doctor, which was an addition to the show.

What I did not like?
- Writing.

What will make me continue watching?
- Addison (Kate Walsh)
- Cooper (Paul Adelstein)
- Charlotte (KaDee Strickland)

Private Practice premieres on ABC, Sept 26 at 9 PM.

[Private Practice]
----------------
Watching next:
Rules of Engagement - The Complete First Season

Private Practice Theme Song, More Dish for Ugly Betty, Grey's & Heroes

Disclaimer: I am not an official source, just passing what I read from all over.

Private Practice
Rumor has it that the theme song for this show is What I've Done by a band called Until June.

S in New York City: Hey, ladies, I just wanted to let you know they've already picked the theme song for Kate Walsh’s new show, Private Practice. It’s officially "What I've Done" by Until June. I work for the company that works closely with the band, and this is a definite yes! If you could let fans of the show know this we'd really appreciate it. Thanks!
According to the studio, as of yet, no theme song has been selected, but since you seem so sure, we’re puttin’ it out there...but officially, it’s still a rumor. --- Watch with Kristin of E!

If you're curios about the band...I, for one, do not have any idea who they are because my music IQ is quite low... here's a clip of one of their video performances:

Here's a fanvideo of What I've Done/Private Practice:



Grey's Anatomy
As of last weekend, Lexi Grey is officially a main cast member. Dun-dun-dun!!!!

Heroes
There could be Twin Heroes for Season 2.

Ugly Betty
No soy Santos....or something like it. The actor has signed up for Shark, James Woods' TV show, and actors usually can't take jobs for two series at a time, perhaps because of a scheduling conflict. Waaah... so sad for Hilda. :( I hope this isn't true.

[Private Practice], [Heroes], [Grey's Anatomy], [Ugly Betty]

Addison finds love in Season 2 of Private Practice

David Sutcliffe is best known for his role as Rory's daddy on Gilmore Girls (never saw this show completely, I know I should...one day I will!). But Private Practice viewers should recall he also appeared on the Grey's Anatomy spin-off as guest.

He tried to date Addie and nothing happened. But he will be back to woo Addie in Private Practice Season 2.

11 episode guest stint, The Hollywood Reporter says:

David Sutcliffe will return to ABC's "Private Practice." Sutcliffe, who guest starred on the medical drama in the fall, will appear in 11 episodes next season, reprising his role as Officer Kevin Nelson, a new love interest for Dr. Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh). He is repped by WMA and Robert Stein Management.

I remember David Sutcliffe on Friends. He dated Phoebe, while his ex-wife dated Ross.

I also remember him in this old series from 2003 called I'm With Her. It had that Notting Hill vibe to it and was based on Brooke Shield's life (ordinary guy meets a superstar). Too bad it only ran for one season.

Now, this is something to look forward to on Private Practice. Wasn't so excited then. I am now. Addie finds a new love!

October 10 - Wednesday's Ratings

In color = shows that I actually tune to weekly

1. “Criminal Minds” (CBS) 14.47m
2. “CSI: NY” (CBS) 13.31m
3. “Deal or No Deal” (NBC) 12.49m
4. “Private Practice” (ABC) 12.21m
5. “Bionic Woman” (NBC) 10.10m
6. “Pushing Daisies” (ABC) 10.07m
7. “Dirty Sexy Money” (ABC) 8.86m
8. “Life” (NBC) 8.14m
9. “Kid Nation” (CBS) 7.01m
10. “Back to You” (FOX) 6.55m
11. “Til Death” (FOX) 6.48m
12. “Kitchen Nightmares” (FOX) 6.45m
13. “America’s Next Top Model” (CW) 5.29m
14. “Gossip Girl” (CW) 2.87m

Whoowee....The shows I tune to follow each other in the ratings. But I'm really more concerned for Pushing Daisies, which lost 2 Million viewers this week. :( They had a fantastic episode! It's still winning with its key demographics (viewers 18-49 years old) though, so it's not bad. Recaps here.

Private Practice and Back To You had decent episodes, which is a great thing. I'm still on the ship. Private Practice, in particular, toned down on the cheesy-ness. It's hopefully finding its heart. It remains the new show to beat on Wednesdays. Yay for Addison!

Dirty Sexy Money's episode this week was so far the best (out of 3 already shown). This show is picking up steam.

I've yet to watch Life and Bionic Woman but now I'm curious as to why BW's rating has picked up.

Busy long weekend ahead. I'd be lost in a flurry of activities. It's a good thing I'm superwoman. Haha!

- Today's a holiday which means anyone from my family is going to drop by anytime.
- My baby niece is here for a visit and I can't get enough of her.
- And my son is turning ten years old on Monday, so this week's gonna be all for him.

Breathe...breathe....breathe...

[Pushing Daisies], [Private Practice], [Dirty Sexy Money], [Life], [Bionic Woman]

Kate Walsh on Private Practice

Just something I read from E!Online...a preview of what to expect from Private Practice, through Kate Walsh:

"There's going to be some drama and some funny for sure, but I think instead of more surgery focus like Grey's, this is a group of doctors. They're not interns or struggling to compete in the surgical world and get their specialties and residencies and all of that. These are people who are successful in their professions. They've chosen their careers. They've chosen to become part of a private co-op of doctors in this old-fashioned way of medicine, doing house calls and really treating patients. And yet it's in Santa Monica, in California, and there's a lot of Botox and a lot of fun and funny. I think also that all of the characters are sort of at crossroads in their lives. They're all sort of starting over in some way or another, so that'll be a lot of interesting, fun stuff to do."


[Private Practice], [Kate Walsh]

Private Practice S1 E5: In Which Addison Finds A Showerhead

This week on Private Practice, I learned that:

1) Addison does not masturbate. And I'm guessing if you had a McDreamy and a McSteamy, you wouldn't need to.

2) She constantly dreams of Pete passionately kissing her.....the effects of a McDiet!

3) The girls, Violet and Naomi, encourage self-gratification....and Naomi needs to get some real soon. The other week it was cakes and now this?

4) Naomi and Sam handle their daughter like grown-ups this time around.

5) Violet handles work as a therapist as efficient and professional as possible, despite going through some emotional issues with her Ex-husband. Allen, shooo!

6) Cooper is a sweetie. I learned that before, so I'm just stressing the fact.

7) Addison shows why she's a board-certified neo....something. When advising boy nurse Dell on what to do before going down on Lady Town (i.e. papsmear), Addison exuded credibility. There's that the doctor I learned to love on Grey's Anatomy!

8) This I learned not from the show, but from googling --- Pete, or the actor who plays him, Tim Daly, is 51 years old!!!


[Private Practice]

October 17 - Wednesday's Ratings

1. “Criminal Minds” (CBS) 14.87m
2. “CSI: NY” (CBS) 13.86m
3. “Deal or No Deal” (NBC) 12.29m
4. “Private Practice” (ABC) 11.81m
5. “Pushing Daisies” (ABC) 9.75m
6. “Dirty Sexy Money” (ABC) 8.83m
7. “Bionic Woman” (NBC) 8.52m
8. “Life” (NBC) 7.66m
9. “Kid Nation” (CBS) 7.41m
10. “Til Death” (FOX) 6.98m
11. “Back to You” (FOX) 6.91m
12. “Kitchen Nightmares” (FOX) 6.88m
13. “America’s Next Top Model” (CW) 4.97m
14. “Gossip Girl” (CW) 2.42m

Ayayay. It upsets me to see Pushing Daisies losing viewers week after week (Week 1 - 12M, Week 2 - 10M, This week - 9M). While the over-all numbers remain in good standing, the drop isn't.

Private Practice, while experiencing a slight drop, still leads in its key demographics (target audience) every time, with this week being its best one yet. The episode I saw sure was better. WTG, Addie!

Bionic Woman has lost a total of 35% of its audience after 3 episodes.

Freshmen shows started out promising, but surprisingly, this week, their ratings are disappointing.

Losses:
“Dirty Sexy Money” (ABC) -0.34%
“Deal or No Deal” (NBC) -1.60%
“Private Practice” (ABC) -2.80%
“Pushing Daisies” (ABC) -3.18%
“Life” (NBC) -5.90%
“America’s Next Top Model” (CW) -6.05%
“Bionic Woman” (NBC) -15.64%
“Gossip Girl” (CW) -15.68%

By the way, Kid Nation has began airing on Studio 23 (Sundays 730 PM). I'm now going to follow it on that channel with my 10year old. The show has about 10 episodes so far and guess what? It's getting positive feedbacks. Damn be the moralist critics!

Catch up on Private Practice!

I haven't had the chance to blog about Private Practice enough, have I? Season 2 is airing in a couple of weeks and we've got to do some catching up by starting with the summary from last season. It's been so long since the last episode aired. I think I have forgotten most of it. So this one should help:



For Season 2, the show has hired Grant Show to play Addison's brother.

I've previously written about Addison's new guy/old guy. But you know who else is heading in the same direction? According to E!, Cooper and Charlotte, you know the doctor in the hospital ER. Did they have something going on before? I think I missed that or forgot about that.

What else is happening in Season 2? This is from Shonda Rhimes, the creator of Private Practice ---

Dr. Addison Montgomery - "You actually start to see Addison have a personal life. Addison has never been happy: Derek was always like, 'Get away,' Sloan was just after one thing, and Karev was just this curmudgeon. Now there's some fun and romance for her."

Dr. Sam Bennett - "It seems as if we're going in a direction where you see the inner workings of Sam, which are not like his outside, where he seems calm, cool and collected. It's been really fun to play."

William "Dell" Parker - "I want to find a way to make his midwifery stories interesting and compelling."

Dr. Naomi Bennett - "The Sam-Naomi-Dell triangle fallout gets fairly interesting, complex, charming and funny."

Dr. Cooper Freedman - "I think it's ironic that Violet has been pushing Cooper to get serious about a woman, and when he does, she feels abandoned. He is starting to realize the deficiencies that he has. Where we start this season is that he takes a step toward Charlotte, and that pays dividends, but it also has bad effects with his friends."

Dr. Charlotte King: "Playing opposite this guy [points to Adelstein] this season is just a dream come true."

Dr. Violet Turner: "In her mind, she has lost Cooper, and she is still recovering from her relationship ending, so she is dealing with that."

Dr. Pete Wilder: "TV romances are like really good sex; you do everything you can before you finally consummate it," Daly said about the continuing will-they-or-won't-they tension between Addison and Pete.

Spoiler Alert: Private Practice cast revamp

DISCLAIMER: I'm not an official source, just passing what I read from all over.

Addison's best friend on Private Practice?

Not her:

Nope. Not her. But yes, we saw her initially in the spin-off feature they did on Grey's Anatomy. But her role is re-cast. Since test audience thought she and our girl Addie weren't believable as Best Friends.

And the new actress playing Naomi is her:

Audra McDonald

Full report here.

[Private Practice], [Audra McDonald]

Heroes Season 2 Promo, Private Practice Cast Photo

Problematic superheroes and basket cases...take your pick!

Heroes Season 2 Video Promo

Private Practice Cast Photo

Chris Lowell: William "Dell" Parker, KaDee Strickland: Dr. Charlotte King, Amy Brenneman: Dr. Violet Turner, Tim Daly: Dr. Pete Wilder, Audra McDonald: Dr. Naomi Bennett (does her figure seem odd to you? It's as if she was just added to the photo, her lighting is different!), Kate Walsh: Addison Forbes Montgomery, Paul Adelstein: Dr. Cooper Freedman, Taye Diggs: Dr. Sam Bennett

[Heroes], [Heroes Season 2 Promo], [Private Practice]

Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice Cast sing for charity

Cast of Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice came together to do Good Medicine, a show that would help raise funds for the show's writers (who had no pay for the last three months).

True "Grey’s" fans know that Sara Ramirez, who plays Dr. Callie Torres, won the 2005 Tony for her role as 'The Lady of the Lake' in Monty Python's "Spamalot." I knew this, but I still had no idea how well this chick can sing! Her booming voice brought the house to its feet with a performance of the song "Meadowlark."

[snipped]

T.R. got his start in musical theater and has appeared on Broadway. Just before he tackled the song "Losing My Mind/You Could Drive A Person Crazy" from Sondheim’s "Follies" he begged for a little understanding, "It's been 13 years since I've done something like this and I'm following Sara Ramirez."

[snipped]

Not to be outdone, the "Private Practice" docs had their chance to show off their stuff. Paul Adelstein, who plays Dr. Cooper Freedman, picked up a guitar and sang "Slip Slidin Away" and later busted out on the piano to "California Stars" as his co-star Tim Daly played guitar, Amy Brenneman braved vocals (and the tambourine) alongside Chris Lowell, who as it turns out can play a mean harmonica.

Read more of what happened to that charity event here. But watch the video below:

House, Private Practice, Back To You

Last night I saw three shows that presented average episodes and one show I decided to completely drop out of my list (Reaper).

Things are beginning to calm and slow down now....no more hypes, no more hooplas.

House S4 E2 - The Right Stuff

Episode Guide from TV.Com
House is secretly trying to treat a fighter pilot who is a candidate for NASA's astronaut training program. Her diagnosis will be the test to choose which ones of the 40 applicants are going to take the empty spots in his team.

House: Did you just see a blonde guy with a pretentious accent?
Amber: You can’t see an accent.
House: Good point.

Cameron: Three weeks. Wow - for someone that doesn’t miss anything, you missed something really big.
House: What are you doing?
Cameron: My hair, the ER, or both?
House: Your hair makes you look like a hooker…I like it.

Chase is working surgery. Cam is heading ER. Foreman....is in New York, but House also saw him pass by the halls.

As for the new students, #13 is already a favorite.


Private Practice S1 E2 - In Which Sam Receives An Unexpected Visitor

Episode Guide from TV.Com
Two couple are involved in an unfortunate baby switch, and the doctors must handle and solve it. Sam treats a client that may upset Naomi. A grandmother goes to extreme lengths to stop her son killing himself with alcohol, but her plan backfires.

The second episode was a notch better than last week. But I still don't like how the lines are written. And going with the baby switching angle was a ploy, I think --- using a very emotional story to appeal to the viewers. Anyone with a mother (and that's like every person born in this world!) will feel for this episode, regardless if you hate your mom or not. But that was the only thing worth caring about in this episode. The rest of it? ZZzzzzz...

This was supposed to be Episode 3 but they switched the orders. Episode 2 is next week's story.

I'm still sticking by this show though, the same way I'm sticking by this next one below. Below I love their central characters.

Back To You S1 E3 - The First Supper

Third episode down and Kelly (Patty Heaton) is still as uptight as someone who has had too much botox treatment. She's always mad or annoyed at Chuck (Kelsey Grammer). I think that would have to be getting old by now. When is she ever going to be fun to watch?

The whole episode was a disappointment, since the plots felt "recycled" from an 80's sitcom.

[House], [Private Practice], [Back To You]

TV Round Up, Part 2: Greys and Practice Crossoever, Aniston Does a Monroe, Lost Returns and more!

I am pretty beat. I've a few show backlogs I have to get to this weekend (or what remains of it). So, why don't I keep this short and I'll just give you all the good stuff, eh?

Jennifer Aniston previews on 30 Rock over here. She did a Marilyn Monroe of sorts and sang Happy Birthday To You. The episode airs this coming Thurs.

Crossover for Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice. Addie is going to visit Seattle Grace, McSteamy to Oceanside??

Speaking of, I saw this week's episode of Grey's Anatomy. Man, does it suck to be Denny! To have to come back to the show again and just stand there with different expressions on your face? Waste of talent! Also? Creepy! I wonder how much they paid him for it. He had one line though. Why oh, why can't I quit this show! Oh yeah...Owen Hunt.

And Private Practice...Sam and Naomi? How did they ever get to med school, own what's supposed to be a successful business (until this season) and be that stupid about everything else?

Life is given a full season order. Did I ever say how modestly brilliant this show is?

Lost returns January 21, for a two hour fifth season premiere. I love that it is coming back. I am eager for it. But what does this mean for this other show I love, Pushing Daisies? which also airs Wednesday? Is it going to be its lead-in? Will they change Daisies' slot?

Casting news:

• Chuck Casts Jenny McCarthy and Andy Richter
• Exclusive: Heidi & Spencer To Guest Star on 'How I Met Your Mother'?!
• 'Lost,' '24' beefing up casts
• Emilio Estevez Joins Brother Charlie Sheen on TV

Fall Season Episode Reviews

It's mid-week of fall season's kick-off. I've skipped watching the other episode premieres, since it's been pre-viewed before. Just to recap:

• Private Practice Season 1 Episode 1 - In Which We Meet Addision, A Nice Girl From Somewhere Else
• Life Season 1 Episode 1 - Pilot
• Journeyman Season 1 Episode 1 - Pilot
• Chuck Season 1 Episode 1 - Pilot
• Reaper Season 1 Episode 1 - Pilot
  

[Private Practice], [Life], [Journeyman], [Chuck], [Reaper]

TV Ratings [10.22.08]

I continue to be sad about the state Pushing Daisies is in. Last night was another great story few people saw. I have stopped asking what is going on and will instead just focus on the remaining episodes yet to air.

On the other hand, Gary Unmarried continues to surprise me. The characters aren't easily likeable but I keep finding something funny about it.

Also watched Private Practice. Third episode down, and the show has really been improving its stories.

New show Stylista premiered this week, don't really care for it.
Still haven't seen this week's Lipstick Jungle nor DSM since I picked up my backlogs' from Tuesday's line up with Eli Stone, Privileged and Greek (ABC Family, cable).

8.00 Block
World Series Fox 13.10 M
New Adventures Of Old Christine CBS 8.01 M
Gary Unmarried [8.30] CBS 7.85 M
Knight Rider NBC 7.23 M
Pushing Daisies ABC 5.67 M
America’s Next Top Model The CW 4.38 M

9.00 Block
Criminal Minds CBS 14.72 M
World Series Fox 13.64 M
Private Practice ABC 7.78 M
Deal Or No Deal NBC 7.60 M
Stylista The CW 2.46 M

10.00 Block
CSI: New-York CBS 14.24 M
Dirty Sexy Money ABC 5.86 M
Lipstick Jungle NBC 4.19M

Private Practice Sneak Peek

Okay, this one is a bit better than the last preview I saw. Whew.



But still not as good as I've expected.

[Private Practice]

What's On Thursday's TV Schedule Fall 2009?

I used to love Thursday night line-ups from two or three years ago. But when net execs started shaking up this day's schedule, it stop becoming the TV day I look forward to (now it's Mondays & Wednesdays!).

• 8:00 Flash Forward (ABC), Survivor: Samoa (CBS), SNL: Thursday Update then Community by 10/15 (NBC)/Parks and Recreation (NBC), Bones (FOX), Vampire Diaries (CW)
• 9:00 Grey’s Anatomy (ABC), CSI (CBS), The Office (NBC)/Community or 30 Rock (NBC), Fringe (FOX), Supernatural (CW)
• 10:00 Private Practice (ABC), The Mentalist (CBS), The Jay Leno Show (NBC), It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FX)

I am excited over: Flash Forward.

I am glad it's back: The Mentalist... and with a new character to boot, yeah?

I am curious to see PB & J's wedding on The Office.

I have already stopped watching Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice altogether and I think I'll check out Fringe now and then, not necessarily gonna tune to it weekly.

I wish I could already finish the back episodes for It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia so I could catch up. Obviously I can't do that right now...

Private Practice Set Photos

So why are these two dressed in just bathrobes?



1. The costume people forgot their outfits.
2. That's the fashion statement they are making. The wet look is back and a "bathrobe" is the new little black dress.
3. Him and her get it together, a secret rendezvous by the beach? (So very Grey's Anatomy, switching partners and all that!)
4. The scene calls for a "very casual get-together" at the beach?

More photos from Kate Walsh Uncut


[Private Practice], [Kate Walsh], [Taye Diggs]

Fall TV 2007: Wednesdays

So where will you tune to Wednesday Nights?

8-9 p.m.

No new series this fall has garnered more early critical acclaim than "Pushing Daisies," a forensic fairly tale that looks like nothing else on television. In a perfect world for ABC, this would become the procedural hit it's been seeking while also generating the kind of buzz that also accompanies its biggest hits.

Strongest competish for "Daisies" figures to come in the opening half-hour from Fox's "Back to You," the kind of traditional laffer that would really percolate in CBS' Monday lineup, but is asked to pull off yeoman's duty here for Fox. "Til Death," while not a great show, is a good choice for the 8:30 slot, and should be able to hold onto much of its lead-in.

At CBS, "Kid Nation" will garner some press for its premise of letting kids aged 8-15 take over a New Mexico town without adult supervision. It's tough watching 10-year-olds on television doing anything but enjoying themselves (see Fox's fun "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?"), so this may prove uncomfortable for auds. It's also not your typical elimination-style reality contest, so it's tough to imagine that the show's best numbers won't come in week 1.

CW's "America's Next Top Model" should remain the hour's leader in adults 18-34 as it kicks off its ninth cycle, while the available remaining aud will go to Mandel's gamer "Deal or No Deal." Latter, which seemed to lose some steam as last season wore on, moves over from Monday night and could be formidable if the timeslot's new shows fail to catch on.

9-10 p.m.

This is one of fall's most interesting hours, with femme-fronted drama entries bowing on ABC ("Private Practice"), NBC ("Bionic Woman") and CW ("Gossip Girl"). Each also has name recognition with auds, but clearly all three can't work in the same hour.

CBS' mainstream "Criminal Minds," which does decently among men, could benefit in such a femme-focused hour. Same could hold true for Fox's unscripted "Kitchen Nightmares" (not available for review), a spinoff of its summer smash "Hell's Kitchen."

10-11 p.m.

"CSI: NY" is the last and least of the Eye's "CSI" franchise, but it should have enough to hold off a pair of shaky rookies in ABC's "Dirty Sexy Money" and NBC's "Life."

Bottom line

ABC and CBS should be in a tight battle for the night's 18-49 lead for fall, while NBC looks to be in for a rough ride.

Variety

[Variety], [Pushing Daisies], [Private Practice], [Back To You], [Kid Nation], [Life], [Dirty Sexy Money]