Spinoff of ‘Grey’s‘ being considered

Addison may be hopping a ferry out of Seattle – and off of “Grey’s Anatomy.”

ABC is considering a spinoff of its No. 1 drama around the character of neonatal surgeon Addison Montgomery (played by Kate Walsh).

“Grey’s” creator Shonda Rhimes is preparing a two-hour episode for May to serve as the pilot. If the network approves, the spinoff will be considered for next fall’s schedule.

Reports are that Addison, unhappy with ex-husband Derek “McDreamy” Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey) and former lover Mark “McSteamy” Sloan (Eric Dane), will get an out-of-town job offer as this season ends.

The two-part cliffhanger will have her mulling this new offer. If the spinoff goes forward she’ll start next season there. If it doesn’t, she’ll have decided not to take the offer and stay put at Seattle Grace.

“Grey’s,” which premiered in April 2005, remains hugely popular. Last week’s episode averaged 25.8 million viewers, its largest audience ever aside from last year’s post-Super Bowl airing.

New ‘Loser’ leader

NBC’s weight-loss reality show “The Biggest Loser” is gaining a new host.

Alison Sweeney, a star of the network’s daytime drama “Days of Our Lives,” will replace Caroline Rhea as host of the show next season.

The 30-year-old Sweeney has played Sami Brady on “Days of Our Lives” since 1993. During that time she’s won several Soap Opera Digest Awards, including one for best supporting actress in 2005, and a fan award of “America’s Favorite Villain” at the 2002 Daytime Emmys.

She has struggled with her own weight issues in the past, writing about that in her memoir “All the Days of My Life (So Far),” which was published in 2004.