‘Private Practice’: Paul Adelstein on ‘really big’ finale cliffhanger. Plus, will Cooper and Charlotte ever have children of their own?

In tonight’s season finale of Private Practice, the Sam-Addison-Jake love triangle will “come to a head big time.” That’s what Paul Adelstein promises.

“There are a couple of cliffhangers — one really big one that had a lot of us gasping at the table read,” he reveals. “And it’s a very emotional episode across the board and definitely wraps some stories up and opens up a lot of new directions.”

And because of the show’s recent renewal, fans will get a chance to see those new story lines take flight. The show’s future was in limbo until Friday, when the network picked it up for another season.

Just a few weeks ago, Private Practice moved to Tuesday, and the move resulted in a ratings decline; though, it has still averaged 8.1 million viewers and a 3.0 rating this season.

Creatively, however, this season has surged, and Adelstein says it has been “really fun” exploring Cooper’s life as a father to son Mason, who the character was only introduced to this season. The end of the season, he adds, will find Cooper, Mason, and Charlotte making their way as a trio. “In the finale, I think you really see them coming through the other side a bit and starting to jell as a family unit,” he says.

But after this season has seen Charlotte taking to motherhood with Mason more than she — and the audience — ever expected, could the couple start a brood of their own next season? Adelstein says it could go either way. “I know that Cooper  has always expressed a desire to have his own children and Charlotte, as I said, has always been ambivalent about that. I think the question becomes if having Mason will fulfill that desire on Cooper’s part fully or make him want kids with Charlotte. And from Charlotte’s perspective, she’s surprised herself with how well she’s taken to motherhood but whether that means going on to have a biological child of her own and do all that with Cooper is a big question mark,” he says. “That’s yet to be determined.”

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