THE TV COLUMN

Expect emotional, tidy end to Private Practice

— Whether or not you’re a fan of ABC’s Private Practice, you should rejoice in its ending. A veteran drama is being allowed to end its run on its own terms after six seasons.

Closure is good news in this age when networks are quick to unceremoniously pull the plug on what they believe are losing propositions. They bank on viewers having short memories.

The result of such a practice is that viewers are reluctant to commit to new programs until they know their emotional investment won’t be wasted. Too many promising programs are dumped way before they have a chance to find their legs and attract an audience.

The other shoe is that networks put on a lot of questionable shows hoping somehow they will resonate with an audience, realizing that if they don’t, a show can be quickly kicked to the curb with a minimum loss in investment.

Not a particularly good way to do business - throw a dozen shows up on the wall and hope a couple stick.

But at least Private Practice gets to bow out in style at 9 p.m. today. Season 6 may have only been 13 episodes,but at least the series gets to wrap things up.

In the episode “In Which We Say Good-bye,” Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh) gets hitched to Jake Reilly (Benjamin Bratt). Grab your hankies and see how creator Shonda Rhimes ties a bow on the package.

Fans of the Grey’s Anatomy spin-off know this will be Addison’s second trip down the aisle. She was previously married to Grey’s Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey), who broke it off after Addison had an affair with Derek’s best friend, Mark Sloan (Eric Dane).

It all worked out for the best since that freed up Derek to be with Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) and sent Addison off to the private practice in Los Angeles.

Of course, Mark is dead now following a plane crash and Derek’s hand is still dicey after being crushed in the crash and ... Wait. If you’re a fan, you already know all this. If not, then you don’t care.

Private Practice fans will also be pleased that Audra McDonald (Dr. Naomi Bennett) will return for the finale. Naomi was Addison’s best friend and was married to Dr. Sam Bennett (Taye Diggs) and left at the end of Season 4.

About the ending, Walsh told The Hollywood Reporter, “It was clear [Shonda] wanted to give Addison her happy ending. After all Addison has suffered and struggled with throughout the series - all the heartache and hardship - Shonda really wanted to have her find a meaningful relationship and she got to have her child and find a guy that was her match.”

Addison started the process to adopt her son, Henry, last season.

Walsh added, “The finale is a wrap-up of the entire series. [The wedding] is certainly part of it but it’s very profound and meaningful the way Shonda wraps up all the characters and story lines. It will be very emotional for fans and very satisfying.”

Unhappy fans. I’ve gotten a dozen e-mails complaining about KATV, Channel 7’s, decision to air the sitcom According to Jim at 10:35 p.m. instead of Jimmy Kimmel Live. On. Jan. 8, ABC moved Kimmel up to air at the same time as The Tonight Show With Jay Leno (NBC) and Late Show With David Letterman (CBS). KATV, however, delays Kimmel until 11:05.

According to Jim is syndicated. Local stations buy the rights to run such shows, and get to sell the commercial spots that run during the shows and keep all the money.

Disgruntled? If you have a programming suggestion for KATV, there’s a “Contact Us” link on the station’s website at KATV.com.

Happy fans. Contrary to what we all assumed, the outstanding noir drama The Killing has not been killed. After months of silence, AMC announced it has ordered a 12-episode Season 3 for the drama starring Mireille (pronounced MEE’ray) Enos and Joel Kinnaman. Production begins Feb. 25 for a premiere date yet to be announced.

The first two seasons dealt with the murder of Rosie Larsen. Season 3 will feature a new crime.

No brainer. The Associated Press reports that Britney Spears called it a “difficult decision,” but she’s bailing out as a judge after one season on The X Factor.

Difficult? Spears, 31, was a lackluster (even boring) panelist and was paid $15 million while ratings dropped. She had reportedly requested a $3 million pay raise to come back. She says she plans to concentrate on her music.

With L.A. Reid also departing the show, that leaves only Simon Cowell and Demi Lovato as judges. There’s no word yet on replacements.

The TV Column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. E-mail:

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Style, Pages 22 on 01/22/2013

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