Kate Walsh will star in a new spinoff from ABC's hot hospital drama "Grey's Anatomy," reports the Washington Journal. Her character Dr. Addison Montgomery-Shepherd, the sexy neonatal surgeon, will lead the new cast, although details are sketchy at this time. The character may remain in Seattle, giving ample opportunity for ratings-blessed crossovers, or she may return to New York with a whole new cast of characters. The pilot may air as early as May.

"Grey's Anatomy" has scored well in the ratings, even among genre fans, for its soap-opera storylines and sharp dialogue. In turns clunky, funny, and quirky, the series has garnered a large if occasionally disgruntled fan following, if the TWOP boards are any indication. Still, as long as James Parriott stays well clear of the show he helped launch, it may yet survive even as it sets out its first fledgling spinoff to fly or drop.