Thursday saw the debut of NBC's new powerhouse comedy lineup: one that most people are too nervous to admit is better than the old one. "My Name is Earl," "The Office," "30 Rock" and "Scrubs" are consistently funny and do not tell the audience when to laugh. It's almost like NBC is finally realizing that it is possible to make good, funny television without treating viewers like three-year-olds. Talk all you want about "Friends;" at least these shows have not sacrificed the individual traits of their characters in order to take better aim at their punch lines from a can.
When it comes to character comedy, there are few current shows better than "Scrubs." Now in its sixth (and, if the rumors circulating the blogosphere are true) season, "Scrubs" is just as fun as ever. The show has managed to develop its characters with care, understanding the emotional attachment viewers made early on.
Like on "Seventh Heaven" before it, when this new season starts us off, practically everyone is pregnant. We knew that Turk (Donald Faison) and Carla (Judy Reyes) were going to get pregnant (NBC even held a contest to name their baby), but then there was a last-minute Cox knock up owing to show creator Bill Lawrence and star/wife Christa Miller's real life pregnancy.
The season premiere explains that J.D. (Zach Braff) accidentally impregnated two-time guest Elizabeth Banks while getting overexcited before sex that was ultimately unconsummated. The man cannot catch a break, but we as viewers definitely can, as Banks is one of the most talented and original comic actors working - a welcome addition to any cast (remember her as Beth in "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" (2005)? How about Caroline in "The Baxter" (2005)?).
As usual, "Scrubs" carefully adjusts the group dynamic with these new issues and gives some time to Elliot (Sarah Chalke), who is upset that every one of her friends is having a baby. We also see J.D. at his absolute worst, telling Banks that he "can't deal with this right now." We are left unconvinced that the pizza he brings over to her apartment later makes up for the hours she spent wondering what she was going to do with this dang old baby, but it definitely provides a strong message about responsibility to all the angst-ridden suburban boys who look up to Braff.
If one had to pinpoint "Scrubs"'s appeal, one might offer the show's lack of originality - really. It is a show set in a hospital in California, one where frequently patients do die, and the doctors must grapple with guilt issues and alcoholism. The show never claims to be original in its setting; what makes it unique is that the characters and writers live in an intense awareness of television and its history.
All pre-existing television motifs are examined by the characters, which makes them that much more relatable to viewers who like television. The writers also tend to have a deep understanding of what can make a show do either well or poorly, an understanding that likeliest comes from a love for and close study of television. They will not allow the show's rhythm to be thrown off by changes in cast, like "M*A*S*H" did with the departure of Radar. Additionally, guest actors are played to their strengths and not just to pull ratings (they even got a good performance out of Tara Reid). Basically, these people know how to make television.
Zach Braff has stated that he plans on leaving the show at the end of the season to commit to his movie career. Most agree that this makes it "Scrubs"' final season; honestly, it couldn't go out on a higher note.
