Private Practice returns for its fifth season in this DVD set from Disney|ABC as they present us with the season’s twenty-two episodes in a set that remains consistent with that of the previous four years.

Private Practice just gets better and better with each passing season, and this most recent year is the most addicting yet. The doctors of the newly-renamed Seaside Health & Wellness have a brand-new series of obstacles to face this year, as Addison finally becomes a mother while having to choose between two potential suitors, Amelia must deal with a painful loss and a slip back into drugs, Pete and Violet face a failing marriage, Sam reconnects with his trouble-riddled sister, Cooper must deal with the sudden appearance of an illegitimate child, and Charlotte must come to terms with this revelation. This year, the doctors of Private Practice almost seem to grow up more than they have in the past four seasons and it’s the most intriguing bunch of episodes yet.

The fifth season of Private Practice comes packaged in exactly the same manner as that of the third and fourth seasons, though there’s one interesting aspect to this release: it looks almost exactly identical to the first season set of the series. The shade of orange chosen appears to be the same exact color, and the styling is so similar between all of the sets that when I opened it up, I actually had to do a double-take to make sure it actually was the fifth season and not the first season. It’s interesting that Disney|ABC would repeat a color so similar, but it is what it is, and it’s a pretty set that matches perfectly in line with the previous four sets, so there’s not much to gripe about. One interesting flub, however, can be found on the inside cover, where the eighth episode of the season is mistakenly referred to as “Who Are We,” rather than the episode’s actual title, “Who We Are.” The mistake seems to be contained solely to the insert, as the disc itself correctly lists the title. Here’s the disc-by-disc breakdown:

Disc One

• 1. God Laughs
• 2. Breaking the Rules
• 3. Deal with It
• 4. Remember Me
• 5. Step One

Disc Two

• 6. If I Hadn’t Forgotten…
• 7. Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough
• 8. Who We Are
• 9. The Breaking Point
• 10. Are You My Mother

Disc Three

• 11. The Standing Eight Count
• 12. Losing Battles
• 13. The Time Has Come
• 14. Too Much

Disc Four

• 15. You Break My Heart
• 16. Andromeda
• 17. The Letting Go
• 18. It was Inevitable

Disc Five

• 19. And Then There Was One
• 20. True Colors
• 21. Drifting Back
• 22. Gone Baby Gone
• Bonus Features
  • The Practice of Parenthood
  • Deleted Scenes
  • Bloopers

The Private Practice sets have never been big on the bonus features front, and this time around is no different. The highlight of the set is most definitely the blooper reel, which is surprisingly quite hilarious and features a few really great moments that really demonstrates how well this entire cast gets along and how much fun they have with each other. There’s also a decent selection of deleted scenes that range from episodes throughout the season, even including Amelia’s intervention two-parter “Who We Are” and “The Breaking Point,” as well as two additional scenes from the season finale, “Gone Baby Gone.”

There is also a 12-minute featurette included on the set entitled “The Practice of Parenthood,” which features interviews with the cast and crew behind Private Practice that talks about the sudden influx of children to the series over the course of the fifth season, and the decisions and emotions revolving around that. It’s an interesting feature to take a look at, though it doesn’t contain much new information, but it remains always entertaining to what interviews with this cast and crew. Even young Griffin Gluck gets in on the interview action for this featurette, so it’s worth a look.

Overall, the Private Practice Fifth Season set doesn’t contain a lot in the way of bonus features, as is usual at this point, but the real worth itself is contained in the season’s twenty-two episodes which contain the most addicting, harrowing season ever delivered by the series to date. The show continues to get better and better with each passing season and this most recent season is no different. So, of course, the fifth season of Private Practice comes highly recommended – just don’t expect to be spending a lot of time playing with bonuses.