"Scrubs" Is Back November 30th, But...

...it'll be up against C.S.I. and Grey's Anatomy on Thursday nights.

More mistreatment of a great show by NBC. Anyone out there who wants to offer up the "at least NBC has kept a mediocre-ratings show on the air for 6 years" argument won't get anywhere with me. Had NBC promoted Scrubs as it does other shows (Earl comes to mind), it likely would've had better ratings. But then, Scrubs is a Disney production, leaving no money for NBC on the back end, so...

I watch all three shows, so this'll be quite the juggling act for me.

http://nbcumv.com/release_detail.nbc/entertainment-20061025000000-nbcre45makestwo.html

 

What was your impression of Season 5? It's currently being shown here in New Zealand, and we're about halfway through, but I've found it to be fairly uneven so far (I've seen every episode of the show through Season 4).

Rumor has it that Season 6 will be the last (Zach Braff leaving).

 

scrubs has always been one of my all time favorite shows, but i'm surprised at how much i've been enjoying the reruns in syndication.
i've seen them all before, but they still seem fresh.

on a side note - i think zach braff has indicated that this will be his last season on the show, so i am assuming that this is the last season of the show.

 

Braff has been hedging a bit on S6 being it for him. But with Scrubs likely to be steamrolled by C.S.I. and Grey's Anatomy, there may not be a decision for him to make.

If NBC were to cancel the show, theoretically Scrubs could move over to fellow Disney property ABC now that Steve McPherson (who helped develop Scrubs while at Touchstone) runs that network. In fact, it was rumored that the only reason NBC renewed Scrubs for a sixth season was because they knew ABC would pick it up if they canceled it. Whether or not ABC would do so after another season has passed is another question.

BTW, wysi, I liked S5 all the way through.

 

I love this show and have all the DVDs. Very excited it's coming back for its sixth season.

But I'd like it if this were the last season. Go out on top before "jumping the shark."

 

I think what I'm finding uneven about it is that, with an increase in emphasis on bizarre humor (which I like), they have found it that bit more difficult to integrate the humor with their treatment of serious topics. I've noticed that they are not quite as strong as they used to be in episodes with serious topics (such as the episode in which their favorite patient dies), possibly because the focus of the humor is a little less mundane. Just a theory.

 

I think the added wackiness (for lack of a better term) of S5 was planned because they knew that NBC didn't really care about or pay much attention to the show (like this season, they weren't in the fall lineup and basically came back as schedule filler), so they figured that they could be a little more "out there."

 

That's what they make DVR's for.

 

I'll watch Scrubs.

 

Scrubs is Gen Y's M*A*S*H: Hilarity and tomfoolery make that "choke-up moment" more satisfying.

It always made me mad NBC would hold it back half a year (while piddling out episode after episode of the lamest sitcoms on the dial), then burn these great episodes off two at a time like they just didn't care. Criminal!

 

Exactly! On the one hand, having an hour of new Scrubs was cool, but then you realized that by doing so NBC didn't give a sht about the show. Like I said upthread, it's just schedule filler to NBC.

Now, it'll be roadkill. Interesting that NBC didn't have the guts to move their darlings, Earl and The Office, to 9:00 to see how they'd compete against the big boys. Better to protect them at 8:00.

 

I like the new 9pm hour matchup with Scrubs and 30 Rock. It won't last past this season, but it'll keep me entertained for a little bit.

Love Scrubs. Was just watching some of the fourth season DVDs last night.

 

You're right about that. I started watching that show over the summer and am interested enough to keep up with the developments. It's probably the only show I watch that gets discussed at work and I can actually chime in with comments. If I talk about Scrubs, for example, all I get is blank stares.

 

NBC gets what it deserves. They crap all over good shows. I'll never forgive them for what they did to "Freak And Geeks". I don't think I've watched NBC since then. Er... except for a few "Earls"

 

this is probably my favorite show of all time, and even i did not watch more than 1 episode on nbc.
8 pm on friday is unforgivable.
i didn't realize what an absolutely great show this was until the reruns aired on comdey central (or was it TNT?).

 

I keep telling you guys, it's all about the ratings. F&G was a terrific show, but its ratings were in the toilet and NBC stuck with it as long as they could... losing money all the while. Blame the public if you need to blame someone for not watching and supporting it, but sadly a lot of what we consider the "better" shows are simply not popular enough to make it on a network.

As for Scrubs, that's another show that NBC has stuck with longer than I would have thought. Personally, I hate Scrubs, but it should help do what NBC wants: rebuild a 2-hour block of comedies on Thursday night. That it's going up against two hit shows might actually be in its favor. It's solid counter-programing and expectations are relatively low.

 

Scrubs seems to me to be almost a new "language" in sitcom form, patterned like Malcolm In The Middle - high on snark and whimsey, but almost too hip for the room.

When I think about shows like Scrubs, Freaks & Geeks et al, it occurs to me that these shows they try but can't get any ratings with, would make good fodder for expanded-tier cable channels for them, where it doesn't matter what kind of ratings they get, so long as the prestige factor gets customers to pay for them upfront.

As for the comedy block, that's an interesting thing to try, just after announcing they were going to give back their 8pm hour to cheaper/reality/scriptless/crap programming supposedly. Makes them look like the right hand doen't know what the left is doing. I would suppose their uptick in ER numbers may have something to do with it.

NBC always seems to try the same thing over and over; CBS seems to stick with using established and recycled stars and supporting faces; ABC seems to drastically moodswing their programming to whatever is working for them, and have to rebuild the lineup every couple of years.

 

It IS about ratings, but putting the show on Friday night, then dumping it for baseball playoffs, showing a couple more episodes, then putting it on hiatus tells me that they had no idea that they had a brilliant show that could've had good ratings if they gave it a good slot, then stuck with it. In all probability, its doubtful the show could've lasted beyond a third season due to the ages of the actors and actresses - but I sure do wish there was a season two!

 

Just a reminder that the season premiere is tonight. Can't wait!

 

Me too!!!

 

I see that Grey's Anatomy will be going on hiatis until after the holidays. Maybe this will give Scrubs a chance to keep an audience before GA returns.

 

Frankly, with syndication dollars paying them a decent dividend and giving them a stable timeslot to boot...I couldn't care less how much of a chance people get to see them on NBC anymore.

I say, they had their chance and they screwed the pooch. The cow's outta the barn. The emperor has no Underoos. Pick your own analogy.

 

I read a brief synopsis of tonight's show and realized how far out of it I am: JD's gonna be a daddy? Who's the mom? Elliott?