Scrubs, Television's Best Show, Returns in Peak Form

"You're in medicine, you gotta accept the fact that everything we do here -- everything -- is a stall. We're just trying to keep the game going; that's it. But, ultimately, it always ends up the same way."
- Dr. Cox - "My Old Lady" - Ep1x04 - 10/16/01

"I just can't get over the fact that one minute I'm here, and the next I am not."
-George Valentine - "My Last Words" - Ep8x02 - 01/06/08

For all the wackiness, for all the in-jokes, fantasy sequences, for all the musical numbers, and puns, Scrubs has always been about death. While ER got credit as the first hospital show where patients regularly died, Scrubs surely was the comedy with the highest body count. And it was the specter of death, the understanding that hospitals are merely a stop-gap, a place where life begins and ends, that gave the show its core power. And its relatively casual attitude towards the grim reaper has been one of the reasons why Scrubs remains the most realistic medical show on television according to most actual doctors and nurses.

For the last eight years, Scrubs has taken turns being either the best comedy or best drama on television, depending on the given episode. While it's best known for its outlandish humor and the arbitrary fantasy sequences of its lead (Dr. John Dorian, played by Zach Braff), it remains one of the most brutally heart tugging shows on television. It has never been a winner at the Emmys, nor a kingpin in the Nielsens, and it's been off its game for the last few years just a bit, if only compared to itself (too much zaniness, with the drama sometimes being too on-the nose). Creator Bill Lawrence has used the last-minute rescue by ABC (which owns the show and distributes the DVDs) to correct said flaws. For those not in the know, after years of NBC renewing it at the last minute just so ABC couldn't steal it, then treating it like garbage, NBC finally let it go last season. Aside from the obvious difference of Scrubs finally airing in widescreen high-definition, the results of the tinkering appear almost immediately (the issues are directly referenced in a witty post-credits bit after the first episode).

The show is a calmer one, the action less frantic, and the humor less outlandish. The drama is far less on the nose than in seasons 5 and 6, and much more succinct hearkening back to seasons 1-3. And, most importantly, the characters feel as old as they are. JD starts the new season with a five-o'clock shadow, and it really feels like he's been doing this for eight years. The passage of time has always been a theme on the show (characters have gotten married, gotten divorced, moved away from each other, changed jobs, and started families), and the core of the first episode concerned JD and Dr. Cox's shared frustration that the same things kept happening (lazy interns and barbaric chiefs of medicine). In a welcome nod to the fact that this wasn't season 1 anymore, Cox and JD actually had a normal, honest conversation about their issues that was more like two colleagues rather than the usual student/mentor relationship that has struggled to remain plausible since season four.

The second episode, "My Last Words", was the true powerhouse, and frankly one of the finest episodes of the series run. The premise is classically simple, as is the follow-through. JD and Turk decide to cancel their decade-long tradition known as 'steak night' in order to keep a dying patient company. For literally the entire second half the show, it's pretty much just JD, Turk (Donald Faison), and George (Glynn Turman from The Wire) sitting in a hospital room talking about George's life, and their feelings about death. No broad gags, no fantasy sequences, just three guys in a room talking about mortality, with one guy who won't make it through the night. And because this is Scrubs, George's death was sad but not tragic. There really weren't any lessons to be learned, and in the end it was just Turk and JD sitting on the hospital roof; possibly, to hearken back to "My Old Lady" 'thinking of all the things they still have yet to do'.

For eight years, Scrubs has been arguably the best show on television, even with stiff competition at times. At its peak, it was funnier than Arrested Development and 30 Rock, every bit a geek wonderland as The Big Bang Theory, smarter than House, and more emotionally compelling than Six Feat Under. And it is certainly preferable in every way to Grey's Anatomy ("It's like they've been watching our lives," JD remarked in season five, "and put it on TV").

Creator Bill Lawrence originally stated that he wanted a live-action version of The Simpsons. And he has succeeded. Like that animated masterpiece, Scrubs is both one of the funniest comedies ever made and one of the most moving dramas ever aired. It single-handedly kept me out of a serious funk during my first few months in LA (no job, few friends, etc), and apparently many fans have similar claims on the almost spiritual effect the show has had on them. If this is to be its final season, I will mourn the show, but it will not be a tragedy. It has done its duty and deserves to go out on whatever terms it chooses. I just hope its last thought is a good one.

Scott Mendelson

Watch both of last night's episodes on ABC's streaming website.

Comments

[Dlahoda]

Most TV medical shows I can do without. I have to admit I like "House" better for the quirky characterization"or is it personality disorder"but I squirm when I see situations in medical shows that fly in the face of reality and healthcare regulations. For an example, see "For safety's sake, follow "House" and "Scrubs" on the tube; not in your practice" at www.oshahealthcareadvisor.com.

[Infostream]

I tuned in out of loyalty and was surprised to find myself laughing out loud, and then being really moved, just like the good old days of Scrubs and MASH. Glynn Turman was amazingly good.

About the detractors, I have noticed a trend in comedy since Seinfeld and that is the self-appointed cool people can't like a show unless all the characters are self-absorbed a-holes, if the characters dare to try to be likable, or do something meaningful with their lives, they dismiss the show as "unsophisticated and stupid". And that is a pretty sad statement about where our culture is at.

[YeahDonkey]

In a wasteland of bad shows, Scrubs is still not in the very small group that is T.V.s best.

Maybe it's one of the better shows on network T.V., but it doesn't come close when you factor in cable.

As for ABC getting scrubs, it must be nice having NBC as your competition.

[Forsetti]

"Scrubs" is a great show that reminds me a lot of "MASH"; great cast, great humor mixed in with serious topics. Most of the Scrubs detractors I've encountered have a problem with the show's pace. The dialogue is fast-paced and you need to pay close attention to catch all the inferences, references and humor. There is not a weak-link in the entire cast. Each character is extremely well played and can carry any episode on their own at any time.

For whatever reason NBC screwed "Scrubs" once they took it out of the time slot following "Friends". I always thought it was the logical choice to take over "Friends'" time slot on "Must See TV Thursdays". The idea that "Joey" was more deserving of a decent time slot than "Scrubs" is the best indicator of NBC's judgment.

I own all 7 seasons available on DVD and no matter how many times I watch any episode there just get better.

[qfm213]

The show is very funny .....but close to reality? No. I have been a nurse for 22 years working in hospitals and mostly the ICU. I have never seen a medical or sugical resident spend more than 5 minutes at a patients bedside. I have never seen them walk a patient in the hall, push a wheelchair, help change bed linen or in general, give physical care outside of a procedure or an assessment. Residents work between 80 and 120 hours a week and any spare time they have is spent sleeping. Nurses are the ones who spend the time with the patients staying at the bedside and talking with them or the families.

[rini]

Yeah, the doctors do things that they wouldn't do in a real hospital. The reality comes from the characters. I feel like they are more fleshed out than those in shows like "Grey's Anatomy" where the characters always have to keep an element of cool.

[TheBaffler]

The first few seasons were okay, but it was never anywhere close to being a great show, much less the best one on TV.

Flight of the Conchords, The Sarah Silverman Program, The Office all destroy it.

[rini]

I love Flight of the Conchords. The dry humor gets me, every time..and the songs are amazing.

"Why did I get double stuffed??"

[rini]

I am a physician and Scrubs is, hands down, my favorite medical show.

I think that the characters, while wacky, are more human than doctors in any other show. They actually seem like real people/physicians that you would know, but slightly more bizzarre.

The medicine is not too off base and the issues that they do deal with are real. I love the whimsical nature of the humor.

Oh, and the show really has a heart.

[oxfordreader]

Better than 10 Items or Less???

have you seen it mr. mendelson?

thoughts?

it kicks ass in my humble opinion.

[LiberalBuzz]

The show is one of the best on TV and reading about those who just don't get it, I believe, shows why TV has gone so far downhill.

I watched the episode My Last Words and it darned near brought me to tears. And for those who don't get it, one must wonder why it is such a hit with those it is about.....the real doctors and nurses.

One of the best and I hope it is around for a while.

[CreoleLady]

Mr. Mendelson: I agree wholeheartedly with your article! I didn't start watching this show until around Season 4, but when I did, I thought it was really good. Working in a hospital and dealing with death on a daily basis myself, I love the way that Scrubs has handled death because it has given me a new way to deal with it as well. Dealing with the deaths of Laverne and George (as you mentioned) was touching, realistic in many ways, and just respectful.

I will definitely get all the seasons of Scrubs on DVD! And I will miss it greatly after the end of this season!

Here's to one of the most understated and yet best written, most touching, heartfelt, and sincerely funny shows on TV!

[magneato]

This is one of those shows that I really wanted to like because I actually like everyone in it, but it just comes off too gimmicky for my tastes.
Maybe because it's setting that gets me. I mean if these wacky hi jinks were taking place at a car dealership or even a dentists office, I'd buy it. But they just don't seem believable as doctors.(for the record I don't like House or ER either, so maybe I have a personal stigma about doctor shows)
My favorite comedy right now is coming from Ricky Gervais.
His stuff can be abrasive in the tradition of many great British comics (Benny Hill not withstanding), but he tempers it with real pathos and emotion.

[rini]

Why do you think that a hospital is different than anywhere else, magneato?

I love Scrubs because the doctors are actual people with embarrassing foibles and real personalities, Yes, some physicians are painfully shy or nervous. Some physicians are ditzy and some are obsessed with sex (The Todd.) They are not all perfect models with professional attitudes except when having sex with each other.

Oh, and I am a physician.

[magneato]

I'm not saying physicians aren't as diverse as you say, or that wackiness (is that a word?) can't take place at a hospital. Something about this show just feels labored and unfunny to me.
I'll ask my doc what he thinks of it next time I see him. He seems to have a good sense of humor.

[southwindow]

i thought it was charming the first few seasons, then it got progressively more slapstick and unevenly dramatic.

[rini]

The slapstick is what makes the drama more tolerable.

[plzchuteme]

Oh my God!! It just goes to show that there are truly different strokes for different folks. I think Scrubs is absolutely, positively, and unequivocally, the worst series on TV. I get hives just hearing the title song.
Reading mytwosense's post, and then my own, makes me shake my head and giggle. Could we be any different?

[AnneOlivia]

Love, love, love this show.

[mytwosense]

YTup. The show has all the ABC's of sitcom success: Adult situations, Brilliant dialogue, Champion cast/characters.

[rini]

I wish ABC hadn't taken the Todd's banana hammocks away.