The new cast of "Scrubs"
I’ve always been a fan of “Scrubs.” Sure, like any show with eight seasons under its belt, it’s had its ups and downs, but you could always count on the medical sitcom for laughs and well-defined characters. “Scrubs” was also never afraid to veer into dramatic territory, and when it did, it handled the storylines with incredible skill. In fact, some of the best episodes are those that dealt with the sad realities of life and death in a hospital, like Dr. Cox’s breakdown after a bad organ transplant.
Now, the show is mixing things up. After seven seasons and a lot of bad treatment by NBC, ABC picked up the show for an eighth (and presumably final) season last year, so creator Bill Lawrence could finish the show on his terms. (The seventh was planned to be the last, but was interrupted by the WGA strike.) ABC was pleased enough with last year’s ratings, though, to renew the show for another season of 13 episodes.
Many fans did not react positively. They feared the show would be outstaying its welcome, especially since last season finished with what appeared to be a series finale — and about as perfect a finale as one could imagine. Lawrence defended the renewal, though, because it means most of the “Scrubs” crew will keep their jobs, and because the new season will really be more of a new series. He told the NJ Star Ledger:
“It is a new show,” he insists, though he was unable to convince ABC boss Steve McPherson to change the title to “Scrubs Med.”
“Scrubs” 2.0 will now be set at med school instead of Sacred Heart hospital, but,
“What we’re implying is that the hospital is still moving forward and existing, and you’ll never notice it,” he says. “Turk will be in most of the stories, and then one day, very casually, he’ll run into his wife at a nurse’s station, and it’ll be as if she’s been working there the whole time.”
The change in setting will also bring changes in the cast. Donald Faison (Turk) and John C. McGinley (Dr. Cox) will be the only returning series regulars, now acting as med school professors, and Eliza Coupe (intern Denise, or “Jo” to J.D.) has been bumped up to regular status. Otherwise, former cast members Zach Braff (J.D.), Sarah Chalke (Elliot), Judy Reyes (Carla), Neil Flynn (Janitor), and Ken Jenkins (Dr. Kelso) will only be seen as guest stars or not at all.
Lawrence knows audience expectations are not high, but he cautions:
“It very well may suck. But don’t say it sucks until you see it. And my pledge is that if it sucks, it’s not going to suck in a fizzly way. It’s going to suck in a giant, ‘Oh my god’ kind of way, because we’re really swinging for the fences and trying to do some big stuff.”
If Lawrence’s new show “Cougar Town” proves anything, it’s that he still knows his comedy. Yes, the cast shake-ups will be jarring, but maybe new characters and a new setting are just what the show needs to rejuvenate it and attract more viewers.
I’ll certainly be watching (and not just because I’ll be reviewing it for the Daily next week). Will you?
UPDATE: Here is the link to my official review in the Daily. I thought it was pretty good — still funny, but weird to not have everyone there. I’ll keep watching, though.
-Ben Phelps (Daily Editorial Board)
Photo: eonline.com
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
It suck in a giant “Oh my god” way…
Too bad. Scrubs has always been one of my favorite shows. I’ve always enjoyed it’s humor & heartiness in every episode. Now it’s corny as all heck & maybe made me laugh once.
Such a disappointment…
I awaited for the new 2.0 med school to find myself wondering who is this girl and why am I listing to her thoughts like with JD?? but yet JD and the Terkeltons and BOB kelso and COX is still there but felt lost and confused with following this new med student, maybe its just not had time to rub off yet, but in 2000 i was hooked from the first episode from JD’s flashbacks and The TODD OMG the TOD… ok back to my point.. —-> it sucks very much beyond the 11th dimension.
OO yea about forgot I was glad to see two 30 min episodes back to back like it was before last season………………. ok thats it
It’s an awful show. Saw 2 episodes and I was aghast.
I don’t understand where they were coming from or where they think they were going – the premise and setting is absolutely implausible – medical students doing rounds on their first day of school? On what planet??
I guess it’d have made more sense if they were 3rd years, but it would still suck terribly.
They should’ve ended the show last season. They had an awesome and wonderful series finale that stayed true to the feel of the show. But this….this med school thing, don’t know. This is just rediculous and someone should’ve called a stop to this before it even made it to the drawing board. I’m really disappointed and this now taints my idea of the first 8 seasons of Scrubs. Didn’t they learn from the mistakes of Saved By The Bell: College Years, or The New Class? So disappointing…
Terrible idea. So many of the awesome characters gone. And it’s too cheesy, and feels so strange to watch. Unfamiliar, like a totally different show. Did not like, probably wont watch it.
It’s not the same without Carla. What happened to the interns? I HATE that cocky prick! I want someone to beat the CRAP out of him big time!!! Lucy is too patheic!
The new Scrubs: Med School sucks as much as a show could ever and will ever suck. I want to call Bill Lawrence and scream his face off. Bill Lawrence makes the inventor of New Coke look like fucking Einstein. They say Hindsight is 20/20, but I truly believe that Bill Lawrence’s hindsight is 0/0 (rendering him completely blind) if he doesn’t realize what an atrocity he has created!
The only way Bill Lawrence can repent for this sin is to invent a time machine, travel back in time, and produce a show that is funny. While he’s there, he might as well court and woo his own mother like mcfly, because he is a mother fucker.
Until he does this, i will continue harassing him via graphic descriptions of my genitals in his face.
The new Scrubs is terrible. They should cancel it right off. They are ruining anything that was ever good with Scrubs for me. Cancel it and put it out of it’s misery, or bring back ALL of the normal characters and writers. Very disappointing.
“Scrubs 2.0″ sucks…huge. It should have ended and never got renewed. All the new actors are horrible, and the writing for them certainly doesn’t help. The premise is ridiculous and just plain stupid. All the great characters are gone- and don’t get me wrong, I love Turk and Cox too, but the dynamic is gone. Throw in the towel already.
Yeah, this is a sad way to end what was a great show. I turned it on to hear some random person’s thoughts in place of JD’s. I kept thinking to myself who are these characters and why should I care (the whole 3 minutes I watched). Just end it! Game over man… Game over. Poor Scrubs …
scrubs season 9 is the worst shit ive ever seen. i only laugh at jokes that old characters make
Actually…I’m okay with the show. Dr. Cox is awesome as ever. My real disappointment is with J.D. He’s so…I don’t know…goofy and stupid now. He was a little weird before but at times very empathic and above all a very very good doctor. But now in this season either by direction or by Braff’s choice in acting, J.D. is just annoying. In reality they could get by with it if at the very basis of everything the students as well as the viewers are reminded that J.D. is a stellar doctor that owns up to mistakes and takes medical diagnosis and treatment very seriously.
I do agree that moving the internal monologues from one character to another is a bit weak as well.
this show sucks, wheres JD? the new cast makes the show look stupid
seriously, this show sucks. the new cast is supposed to appeal to a younger audience, right? are you guys stupid, the majority of the fans were adults who understood the humor and enjoyed the old characters. you lose fans and money by doing what you are doing, dummies!! Nobody cares for humor coming from the mouths of prospective heartthrobs, you guys fired veteran actors and replaced them with some pretty boys and girls which make this show anoher 90210, 2010!!!!! 90210 was cool back then but now in 2010 its just plain stupid, like scrubs 2010!! I hope whoever created the idea for scrubs 2010 gets fired for being born and stupid. you guys suck, and if i herd that you guys died while in the process of a new episode then i would go to your grave and piss on your daisys that are getting pushed up fom you casket and piss on the maggots crawling out of your orbital bone in your skull, you guys are imbeciles!!