After eight seasons on two networks, Scrubs is saying goodbye tonight, if not necessarily farewell. It may come back in a new form, but it won't be the same without its truly talented cast, who ran with every zany idea that the inspired writing staff threw at them. 30 Rock gets all the credit for its innovative structure, and all the Emmy glory besides; all I can say is that I never missed an episode of Scrubs, even when it occasionally flagged, and have never made it through an entire episode of Tina Fey's critics' darling. (It tries too hard; Scrubs was breezy.) At its best, Scrubs struck a perfect balance between broad, often fantastic break-the-fourth-wall comedy, and affecting drama--it was sort of the Barney Miller of hospital shows, with an equally unbeatable ensemble across the board. Not a "numbskull" in the bunch.
2 comments:
Agreed. Scrubs could irritate as easily as it charmed but its aesthetic was like New England weather... wait five minutes and you'll get something else. I also think the series was Sarah Chalke's vindication after being trucked in as a replacement on Roseanne and then dismissed after a season or two. And I'm in full agreement with you about 30 Rock's deficits and debt to Scrubs, which seems to me a success more of engineering than nature. But I digress.
And, to the strains of Peter Gabriel's "Book of Love," it's over. It was time--indeed, it was borrowed time, given at least two near-death experiences--but I'm a little sad to see it go.
It always bugged me that from year to year they never changed the titles montage. But the early clips shown indicated that the cast was remarkably well-preserved from 2001 to 2009. Then again, series creator Bill Lawrence doesn't seem to have begun shaving yet.
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