Private Practice series premiere “In Which We Meet Addison…” airs Wednesday, September 26 @ 9PM ET/PT on ABC.

Producers gave Merrin Dungey the boot and replaced her with Audra McDonald (pictured). It is not clear why Dungey, who played Addison’s best friend Dr. Naomi Bennet, left the series.

“As [creator Shonda Rhimes] has said, Grey’s was like high school,” Kate Walsh recently told TV Guide. “But the group at the Oceanside Wellness Center are like a big, grown-up family. They’ve already been through the wringer together. Well, me, of course. I’m the newbie again, a fish out of water, just like at Seattle Grace.”

20+ Private Practice promos inside… More Here! »

Private Practice, the working title for the Grey’s Anatomy spin-off, is kicking off with it’s very own 2-hour Addison spin-off episode in May. The subsequent two episodes of Grey’s won’t feature spin-off star Kate Walsh .

The Private Practice cast known so far: Kate Walsh (Dr. Addison Montgomery), Timothy Daly (Pete), Taye Diggs (Jackson), Amy Brenneman (Violet), Chris Lowell (Dell), Merrin Dungey (Naomi), Bellamy Young (Kathy) and Jane Clark (Nurse).

Previous TV show affiliations: Lowell (Veronica Mars), Brenneman (Judging Amy), Daly (The Nine) and Adelstein (Prison Break).

Grey’s Anatomy episode “The Other Side of This Life” airs on Thursday, May 3 @ 9-11PM ET/PT on ABC. Here’s are some known tidbits:

• Kate Walsh just filmed this Porsche scene on Wednesday, and there’s already a promo picture for it!
• The bridesmaid dress scene was filmed last week for Katherine Heigl, Sara Ramirez, and Ellen Pompeo. Promo pic here.
• Meredith gets slapped by someone close to her (from the pictures, it looks like her father). Sniff.
• Addison will be reunited with her god-daughter, daughter of Addison’s best friend (Merrin Dungey)
• As Meredith continues to bond with her stepmother, Susan, Cristina reluctantly plans her wedding with the assistance of her mother, Helen, and Burke’s mother, Mama Jane.
• Derek must perform emergency surgery on Ava/Jane Doe, as Alex continues his unfailing bedside manner with her
• Addison takes temporary leave from Seattle Grace and makes a road trip to Los Angeles in order to visit some old friends from medical school.

40+ Grey’s Anatomy spin-off spoiler pictures inside… More Here! »