QUICK TAKES - Feb. 7, 2009

“Private Practice,” the “Grey’s Anatomy” spin-off starring Kate Walsh, got off to a rocky start last season, with disappointing ratings and then a long absence due to the writers strike.

But “Private Practice” has been on the mend since ABC moved the show to 10 p.m. Thursdays this season, right behind “Grey’s.” This week, the show zoomed to its best-ever ratings in the advertiser-friendly demographic of viewers aged 18 to 49, according to early data from Nielsen Media Research, dominating the slot against NBC’s soon-to-end “ER” and a repeat of CBS’ “Eleventh Hour.”

Some of the momentum is due to intertwined story lines that for the next few episodes will see cast members traveling back and forth between the two medical dramas.

-- Scott Collins