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‘Private Practice’ Recast: Merrin Dungey out, Audra McDonald in, on the ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ spinoff

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“Private Practice” is getting a new fertility specialist, even though 21.2 million “Grey’s Anatomy” viewers already met her original incarnation.

ABC Studios, which produces “Grey’s” and its fall spin-off, confirmed Friday that four-time Tony winner Audra McDonald has been hired to play Dr. Naomi Bennett, Dr. Addison Montgomery’s best college pal.

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Naomi, who was played by Merrin Dungey in the May episode that introduced the new characters, talks Addison (Kate Walsh) into moving to California to join a health cooperative where she works with her ex-husband (Taye Diggs) and colleagues played by Tim Daly, Amy Brenneman and Paul Adelstein. Dungey, who starred in ‘Alias’ and “Summerland,” has also guest-starred on several television series, including “The King of Queens” and “Malcolm in the Middle.”

McDonald, known mostly as a Broadway actress, has guest-starred on several television series and was nominated for an Emmy in 2001 for her supporting role in the made-for-HBO movie, “Wit.”

No reason was given for the change in direction.

But in a press conference at the network upfront presentations in May, ABC Entertainment President Steve McPherson said “Private Practice” would be fine-tuned before it premieres on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. in September.

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‘They were spending a lot of time on introducing the characters and not enough time on the stories,’ said McPherson of the two-hour “Grey’s” episode that served as the pilot. ‘We’ve really got to get the stories stronger.’

Will the talking elevator also be recast?

-- Maria Elena Fernandez

For the Record: Thanks, vigilant posters, for pointing out an error. An earlier version of this story said that ‘Wit’ was on USA Network. ‘Wit’ was an HBO movie.

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