These elements will heighten conflicts at Oceanside Wellness Group, putting pressure on personal and professional relationships between doctors and friends. "I look at this sort of like a family business. I wanted the stories to challenge the family and how they deal with one another," Rhimes says.

"Practice" arrived last season amid high expectations as a spinoff from ABC's top-rated drama, Rhimes' "Grey's Anatomy."

Despite lackluster early reviews, it ranked among the most-watched freshmen (10.8 million viewers).

Rhimes disputes critics' notions that Addison in "Private Practice" was a weaker version of her fiery surgeon in "Grey's Anatomy," but says a year can make a big difference when adapting to a new environment. "I always felt that Addison was a very strong woman, but she'd just left her marriage and transplanted herself from Seattle to L.A. She was on new ground with a bunch of people she really didn't know. She's finding herself on much surer footing this season."