Grey's Anatomy spinoff in the works

22.02.2007 20:06 Arts - Source: cbc.ca

U.S. television network ABC confirmed on Thursday that it is testing the waters for a spinoff of its sexy medical drama Grey's Anatomy.

Rumours about a possible new series grew out of a report from the Wall Street Journal and internet chatter that said series creator and writer Shonda Rhimes was working on a two-hour Grey's episode that sets the stage for a spinoff starring actress Kate Walsh.

ABC said Thursday that the two-hour episode will air sometime this season and that film, stage and screen actor Taye Diggs will guest star.

Walsh, who portrays a glamorous neonatal surgeon, was introduced in the final episode of the show's first season and has garnered a strong fan following. Her character spent most of season two at the centre of a love triangle involving her estranged neurosurgeon-husband and his surgical intern girlfriend, before then becoming entangled when an old flame — a plastic surgeon — showed up in town.

ABC hasn't given details of the episode, but previous reports had said the storyline would feature Walsh's character on the verge of leaving the Seattle hospital where Grey's Anatomy is set.

Ratings star

Since its debut as a mid-season replacement in March 2005, Grey's Anatomy has become one of the most popular shows in North America, winning praise for its multi-racial cast and picking up a host of prizes, including Emmy, Golden Globe, People's Choice and Screen Actors Guild awards.

The show — which centres on the lives of a group of surgical interns — consistently ranks alongside American Idol and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation in the audience ratings, with more than 20 million people regularly tuning in each week.

Rhimes, who co-wrote the screenplay to the acclaimed television movie Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, is also reported to be working on a new series about a group of female journalists and war correspondents.

  Add comment

Name:
E-Mail:
Comment:
Enter code: