Naomi Bennett
Encyclopedia
Naomi Bennett is a fictional character
on the Grey's Anatomy
spin-off
Private Practice. She was played by Merrin Dungey
in the backdoor pilot episode "The Other Side of This Life
", but was replaced by Audra McDonald
prior to the show's first season. Naomi is a obstetrician/gynecologist and founding partner of the Oceanside Wellness Centre in Los Angeles
, where the series is set. She is the best friend of central character Addison Montgomery
(Kate Walsh), and was married to the practice's internalist Sam
(Taye Diggs
), with whom she has a daughter. She left Private Practice at the end of Season 4.
, California
, where she works as a fertility specialist, board-certified in reproductive endocrinology, obstetrics
and gynecology. She attended Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
, and is a member of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, the Society of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. She works alongside her health guru ex-husband, Sam
(Taye Diggs
) who divorced her prior to the beginning of the series. Together they have a teenage daughter named Maya (Geffri Maya Hightower), whose godmother is Naomi's best friend from medical school, Addison Montgomery
(Kate Walsh). The latter seeks medical advice from Naomi as she wants to get pregnant. After running some tests, Naomi concludes that Addison is unable to have children because her antral follicle
count is two.
Naomi's relationship with Sam is relatively amicable but often strained. The reasons for their divorce are relatively unclear, with Sam saying he was "unhappy", but also that he had "no good reason" for asking for a divorce, with Naomi seemingly resentful of this. However, in "In Which Sam Gets Taken For A Ride", the two have sex in the conference room at the practice, after Sam is involved in a hostage situation. Naomi later calls this incident a "slip-up" but the two have sex again in the episode "In Which Cooper Finds A Port In His Storm".
Dell, the office receptionist, has a crush on Naomi, and often shows it by getting her coffee, bringing her home-baked chocolate cake and generally complimenting and adoring her. Naomi doesn't take his crush too seriously, calling him a "child". In "Down the Rabbit Hole," Naomi has her first date since college, which doesn't go that well because all she can talk about is her job. For a short time, she also dates Addison's brother, Archer Montgomery (Grant Show
).
In "Another Second Chance" and then later in "Best Laid Plans" it is revealed that her daughter Maya is pregnant. Naomi is at first unable to deal with this, and walks out on her daughter, leaving Sam to deal with it. Later she storms back and even slaps her when Maya refuses to have an abortion. Violet and Addison are worried about her, as Naomi was always very much against abortion, but Maya finally agrees to have it. When Addison is about the perform the abortion Maya changes her mind, which further upsets Naomi. In "Love and Lies" in a heated argument with Sam, Addison, and Fife, she states that the practice is not the same as when she started it and said that she didn't want to stay a part of it anymore. This comes as quite a shock to them. She also dumps Fife. This scene gives us an insight as to how she is leaving the show. After Betsey's foster brother is revealed to have been abusing her, her foster parents abandon her at the hospital to focus on their son. Naomi decides to take Betsey home with her forever. At the end of the Season Four finale, Naomi chases Fife to the airport and says goodbye to Addison. Fife proposes to Naomi and she says yes but also says they are moving to New York so she, Fife, and Betsy can live nice normal lives. This is her last appearance as a series regular in the show, but it has been stated she may return later in the series for occasional guest appearances.
, who wanted the show's central character Addison to have a close friend from her college days. The character is based on a friend of Rhimes', who "married her college sweetheart and is strong and smart and funny." Naomi was played by Merrin Dungey
in the backdoor pilot episode "The Other Side of This Life
", but was replaced by Audra McDonald
prior to the show's first season. Rhimes explained that the production team "wanted to put an edge on Naomi that we could define more clearly." McDonald assessed that Dungey's dismissal was hard as a result of its having been so public, but commented that she herself had once been similarly replaced, having played Bill Cosby
's daughter in the pilot episode of Cosby
, only to be replaced thereafter.
Cynthia Littleton observed: "I can definitely see why creator/exec producer Shonda Rhimes made the call to recast Audra McDonald in the key role of Naomi Bennett". Fellow Variety critic Brian Lowry was more negative in his consideration of the episode, noting that Naomi and Sam's "'No, you left me first' interaction already feels tedious." Jon Caramanica of the Los Angeles Times
has criticized McDonald's performance as Naomi in the show's first season, writing that: "she was rigorously firm, almost dispassionate. As people bed-hopped and were emotionally flimsy around her, she remained stern at the center [...] McDonald is a strong, vivid actress, but such gravity felt at odds with the breezy tone of Private Practice." Caramancia opined that "the tougher Naomi became, the lighter Addison had to be to keep the show's balance", and that as a result the series "regularly felt unmoored and became something of a critical punching bag". He was much more positive regarding her performance in the second season premiere episode "A Family Thing
", observing: "Toward the end of the episode, there is a brief scene in which she, beleaguered and on her last leg, utterly melts into Sam. In those 15 seconds, McDonald's genius as an actress is clear, communicating with just a few facial movements and shading of the eyes a world of hurt and letdown. [...] And later in the episode, when she thinks things are falling back into place, her soft, knowing, warm smile is one of the show's greatest victories, even though it comes just before everything goes wrong once again."
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
on the Grey's Anatomy
Grey's Anatomy
Grey's Anatomy is an American medical drama television series created by Shonda Rhimes. The series premiered on March 27, 2005 on ABC; since then, seven seasons have aired. The series follows the lives of interns, residents and their mentors in the fictional Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital in...
spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
Private Practice. She was played by Merrin Dungey
Merrin Dungey
Merrin Dungey is an American film and television actress, best known for her roles on the television series The King of Queens, Alias and Summerland.-Early life:...
in the backdoor pilot episode "The Other Side of This Life
The Other Side of This Life
"The Other Side of This Life", which aired as the 22nd and 23rd episodes of season 3 of the TV series Grey's Anatomy, is a backdoor pilot episode for the spin-off show, Private Practice. The episode was written by Shonda Rhimes, the creator of both of the series, and the episode was directed by...
", but was replaced by Audra McDonald
Audra McDonald
Audra Ann McDonald is an American actress and singer. She currently stars in the ABC television drama Private Practice as Dr. Naomi Bennett. She has appeared on the stage in both musicals and dramas, such as Ragtime and A Raisin in the Sun...
prior to the show's first season. Naomi is a obstetrician/gynecologist and founding partner of the Oceanside Wellness Centre in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, where the series is set. She is the best friend of central character Addison Montgomery
Addison Montgomery
Addison Adrienne Forbes Montgomery , was a fictional character on the ABC television series Grey's Anatomy, and is currently starring on its spin-off show Private Practice. Addison is a world-class neonatal surgeon with board certifications in both Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Maternal and Fetal...
(Kate Walsh), and was married to the practice's internalist Sam
Sam Bennett (Private Practice)
Dr. Samuel Bennett is a character on the Grey's Anatomy spin-off, Private Practice. He is played by actor Taye Diggs.-Character history:...
(Taye Diggs
Taye Diggs
Scott Leo "Taye" Diggs is an American theatre, film and television actor. He is perhaps best known for his roles in the Broadway musical Rent, the motion picture How Stella Got Her Groove Back, and the television series Private Practice...
), with whom she has a daughter. She left Private Practice at the end of Season 4.
Storylines
Naomi is a founding partner of the Oceanside Wellness Centre in Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, where she works as a fertility specialist, board-certified in reproductive endocrinology, obstetrics
Obstetrics
Obstetrics is the medical specialty dealing with the care of all women's reproductive tracts and their children during pregnancy , childbirth and the postnatal period...
and gynecology. She attended Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, often known as P&S, is a graduate school of Columbia University that is located on the health sciences campus in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan...
, and is a member of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, the Society of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. She works alongside her health guru ex-husband, Sam
Sam Bennett (Private Practice)
Dr. Samuel Bennett is a character on the Grey's Anatomy spin-off, Private Practice. He is played by actor Taye Diggs.-Character history:...
(Taye Diggs
Taye Diggs
Scott Leo "Taye" Diggs is an American theatre, film and television actor. He is perhaps best known for his roles in the Broadway musical Rent, the motion picture How Stella Got Her Groove Back, and the television series Private Practice...
) who divorced her prior to the beginning of the series. Together they have a teenage daughter named Maya (Geffri Maya Hightower), whose godmother is Naomi's best friend from medical school, Addison Montgomery
Addison Montgomery
Addison Adrienne Forbes Montgomery , was a fictional character on the ABC television series Grey's Anatomy, and is currently starring on its spin-off show Private Practice. Addison is a world-class neonatal surgeon with board certifications in both Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Maternal and Fetal...
(Kate Walsh). The latter seeks medical advice from Naomi as she wants to get pregnant. After running some tests, Naomi concludes that Addison is unable to have children because her antral follicle
Ovarian follicle
Ovarian follicles are the basic units of female reproductive biology, each of which is composed of roughly spherical aggregations of cells found in the ovary. They contain a single oocyte . These structures are periodically initiated to grow and develop, culminating in ovulation of usually a single...
count is two.
Naomi's relationship with Sam is relatively amicable but often strained. The reasons for their divorce are relatively unclear, with Sam saying he was "unhappy", but also that he had "no good reason" for asking for a divorce, with Naomi seemingly resentful of this. However, in "In Which Sam Gets Taken For A Ride", the two have sex in the conference room at the practice, after Sam is involved in a hostage situation. Naomi later calls this incident a "slip-up" but the two have sex again in the episode "In Which Cooper Finds A Port In His Storm".
Dell, the office receptionist, has a crush on Naomi, and often shows it by getting her coffee, bringing her home-baked chocolate cake and generally complimenting and adoring her. Naomi doesn't take his crush too seriously, calling him a "child". In "Down the Rabbit Hole," Naomi has her first date since college, which doesn't go that well because all she can talk about is her job. For a short time, she also dates Addison's brother, Archer Montgomery (Grant Show
Grant Show
Grant Alan Show is an American actor best known for his role on Melrose Place as Jake Hanson, which he played from 1992 to 1997.-Early life:...
).
In "Another Second Chance" and then later in "Best Laid Plans" it is revealed that her daughter Maya is pregnant. Naomi is at first unable to deal with this, and walks out on her daughter, leaving Sam to deal with it. Later she storms back and even slaps her when Maya refuses to have an abortion. Violet and Addison are worried about her, as Naomi was always very much against abortion, but Maya finally agrees to have it. When Addison is about the perform the abortion Maya changes her mind, which further upsets Naomi. In "Love and Lies" in a heated argument with Sam, Addison, and Fife, she states that the practice is not the same as when she started it and said that she didn't want to stay a part of it anymore. This comes as quite a shock to them. She also dumps Fife. This scene gives us an insight as to how she is leaving the show. After Betsey's foster brother is revealed to have been abusing her, her foster parents abandon her at the hospital to focus on their son. Naomi decides to take Betsey home with her forever. At the end of the Season Four finale, Naomi chases Fife to the airport and says goodbye to Addison. Fife proposes to Naomi and she says yes but also says they are moving to New York so she, Fife, and Betsy can live nice normal lives. This is her last appearance as a series regular in the show, but it has been stated she may return later in the series for occasional guest appearances.
Development
Naomi was created by Shonda RhimesShonda Rhimes
Shonda Rhimes is an American screenwriter, director and producer. Rhimes is best known as the creator, head writer, and executive producer of acclaimed television series Grey's Anatomy and its spin-off Private Practice. In May 2007, Rhimes was named one of Time magazine's 100 Time 100 people who...
, who wanted the show's central character Addison to have a close friend from her college days. The character is based on a friend of Rhimes', who "married her college sweetheart and is strong and smart and funny." Naomi was played by Merrin Dungey
Merrin Dungey
Merrin Dungey is an American film and television actress, best known for her roles on the television series The King of Queens, Alias and Summerland.-Early life:...
in the backdoor pilot episode "The Other Side of This Life
The Other Side of This Life
"The Other Side of This Life", which aired as the 22nd and 23rd episodes of season 3 of the TV series Grey's Anatomy, is a backdoor pilot episode for the spin-off show, Private Practice. The episode was written by Shonda Rhimes, the creator of both of the series, and the episode was directed by...
", but was replaced by Audra McDonald
Audra McDonald
Audra Ann McDonald is an American actress and singer. She currently stars in the ABC television drama Private Practice as Dr. Naomi Bennett. She has appeared on the stage in both musicals and dramas, such as Ragtime and A Raisin in the Sun...
prior to the show's first season. Rhimes explained that the production team "wanted to put an edge on Naomi that we could define more clearly." McDonald assessed that Dungey's dismissal was hard as a result of its having been so public, but commented that she herself had once been similarly replaced, having played Bill Cosby
Bill Cosby
William Henry "Bill" Cosby, Jr. is an American comedian, actor, author, television producer, educator, musician and activist. A veteran stand-up performer, he got his start at various clubs, then landed a starring role in the 1960s action show, I Spy. He later starred in his own series, the...
's daughter in the pilot episode of Cosby
Cosby
Cosby is a situation comedy television series broadcast on CBS from September 16, 1996 to April 28, 2000, loosely based on the British sitcom One Foot in the Grave. The program starred Bill Cosby, Phylicia Rashād...
, only to be replaced thereafter.
Reception
Discussing the first episode of the show following the pilot, Variety'sVariety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
Cynthia Littleton observed: "I can definitely see why creator/exec producer Shonda Rhimes made the call to recast Audra McDonald in the key role of Naomi Bennett". Fellow Variety critic Brian Lowry was more negative in his consideration of the episode, noting that Naomi and Sam's "'No, you left me first' interaction already feels tedious." Jon Caramanica of the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
has criticized McDonald's performance as Naomi in the show's first season, writing that: "she was rigorously firm, almost dispassionate. As people bed-hopped and were emotionally flimsy around her, she remained stern at the center [...] McDonald is a strong, vivid actress, but such gravity felt at odds with the breezy tone of Private Practice." Caramancia opined that "the tougher Naomi became, the lighter Addison had to be to keep the show's balance", and that as a result the series "regularly felt unmoored and became something of a critical punching bag". He was much more positive regarding her performance in the second season premiere episode "A Family Thing
A Family Thing (Private Practice)
"A Family Thing" was the second season premiere episode from the Grey's Anatomy spin-off show, Private Practice. The episode aired on October 1, 2008 in the United States on ABC.-Plot:...
", observing: "Toward the end of the episode, there is a brief scene in which she, beleaguered and on her last leg, utterly melts into Sam. In those 15 seconds, McDonald's genius as an actress is clear, communicating with just a few facial movements and shading of the eyes a world of hurt and letdown. [...] And later in the episode, when she thinks things are falling back into place, her soft, knowing, warm smile is one of the show's greatest victories, even though it comes just before everything goes wrong once again."
External links
- Naomi Bennett at ABC.comAmerican Broadcasting CompanyThe American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...