‘Addison's Anatomy’ will only hurt ‘Grey's’

Guest stars also provide possibilities for spin-offs. Finn, the veterinarian who briefly dated Meredith, could power his own series. And the chemistry between Jeffrey Dean Morgan (as Denny Duquette) and Kyle Chandler (as bomb squad leader Dylan) in Meredith’s dream sequence is enough evidence to justify a series set in the afterlife, “Grey’s Anatomy: Dead Men Talking.”

But all of these options, like the Addison Montgomery-focused option, create “Grey’s Anatomy 2,” not a separate series. While carbon-copying a series for a spinoff has worked for “CSI” and other network dramas, procedural dramas are different creatures. “Grey’s” is much more of an evening soap opera than anything else, and disrupting its dramatic core by pulling Montgomery from it would be a mistake.

Upon her introduction, Walsh’s chracter was peripheral, a device used to create tension in Meredith Grey and Derek Shepherd’s relationship. She was cold and unforgiving, and offered little beyond provoking a reaction in others. Had the show decided to spin off the character then, before she became entangled in the melodrama of life at Seattle Grace, the new series would have had a better chance of succeeding.

As the second season unfolded, however, the writers quickly softened the character, and she was pulled into the fold. Currently, there’s sexual tension between her character and three others: her former husband, Derek Shepherd; the man she cheated with, Mark Sloan; and intern Alex Karev. She’s also now fully integrated into the hospital’s politics, particularly as a contender to replace Webber as Chief of Surgery.

Removing her from those characters' lives now will significantly impact the dynamics of the show. Perhaps that's the point. Maybe "Grey's" creator Shonda Rhimes and her capable writers recognize that they can't sustain the current narrative, with its precariously balanced Jenga cube of twisted plotlines and intertwined relationships. But pulling one out might just make the whole story collapse.

Andy Dehnart is a writer and teacher who publishes reality blurred, a daily summary of reality TV news.

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