'Private Practice' To End This Season, After 13 Episodes (original) (raw)

The doctors are out.

Ending five months of speculation, ever since ABC renewed Private Practice for just a 13-episode Season 6, Shonda Rhimes on Friday evening announced online that the show will not continue beyond that point.

Traditionally, the 13th episode of any Private Practice season airs during the first week of February. This season’s Episode 13 was also to mark series lead Kate Walsh’s exit from the Grey’s Anatomy spin-off.

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Rhimes’ full statement is below:

I’m sad to say that _Private Practice_‘s run will end after episode 613 this season. There was a lot of discussion and debate but, in the end, the guys at the network and the studio and I all decided that Private Practice was reaching its finish line.

Creatively, we are all extremely proud of the show and especially proud of this season — which you will all soon discover is a creative renaissance. I can’t wait for you to see it.

It’s heartbreaking to end. Truly. I feel so lucky to write for these characters and tell these stories and I truly feel this show has taught me so much as a writer. And there’s a family here, of crew and cast, people who have bonded over these past five-and-a-half seasons. It’s rare for a show to go for more than 100 episodes and we are incredibly proud to have been such a show. And we’re grateful to all of you for spending time with us for an hour every week for the last six years. It’s meant the world.

On the heels of recently marking its 100th episode, Private Practice will use much of its remaining run to present character-centric episodes told from the specific POV of, say, Sam, or Addison (tentatively set to air Nov. 13).

_Private Practice_‘s end frees up room on ABC’s slate for any of its midseason hour-longs, including Body of Proof Season 3 and the new dramas Mistresses, Red Widow and Zero Hour.