Private Practice won't be returning to ABC until the fall, but in the mean time, fans of Kate Walsh, popularly known as Dr. Addison Montgomery, can catch her when she returns to Grey's Anatomy for at least one of the five new episodes slated to begin this spring.

Last time we saw Addison walking the hallways of Seattle Grace was in the series debut of the Grey's Anatomy spin-off Private Practice, which is this season's second most-watched new drama with an average of more than 10 million viewers per episode.  In the Private Practice pilot, Addison said goodbye to Seattle Grace to start a new life and career at the Oceanside Wellness Center in Southern California.

As Walsh makes her much-awaited come back to Grey's Anatomy, executive producer Shonda Rhimes explains that her character Addison will be exploring “the thought that you can never go home again.”

In the episode “Piece of My Heart," which is expected to air on May 1, Addison flies to Seattle Grace at the request of the Chief (James Pickens Jr.) to perform a groundbreaking surgery.  While she's determined to set a few people straight, she is also struck by the changes among her old friends.

“There are some things only Addison can do surgically, but there are also things that she can say to people that nobody else in that world will,” Rhimes explained.

Prior to Private Practice, Walsh was cast in Grey's Anatomy in 2005 as Dr. Addison Montgomery, the estranged spouse of Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey).  The role of Addison was originally conceived as a short-term role that was planned out for five episodes but the audience's positive response to Walsh, and to the Derek/Meredith/Addison triangle, convinced series creator Rhimes to expand the role and make Walsh a series regular.  As she noted in an interview she's "The house guest who never leaves" referring to her extended role on both Grey's Anatomy and The Drew Carey Show.



-Kris De Leon, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: ew.com, TV Guide
(Image courtesy of ABC)