Goodbye Scrubs – not quite!

by Jennifer Squires Biller

After last week’s spectacular Scrubs season finale that took us on a walk down memory lane, I was sure we’d seen the last of the Sacred Heart gang. It appears I was wrong.

ABC has renewed the show for another season, despite that series star Zach Braff will only be on board for six episodes. Scrubs’ favorites Donald Faison, John C. McGinley and Neil Flynn will all be back, but not Judy Reyes, who reportedly will only be a guest star. Sarah Chalke is also in discussions, but has not committed to another season. Several interns from season eight will be back, too.

I’ll probably get plenty of hate mail for saying this, but I wish the show had ended with the finale we just saw. It was such a perfect bookend to the eight seasons of John Dorian’s trials and tribulations that I hate to see the show limp on in mediocrity without the chemistry of the cast that made it so special.

The finale was every thing a series finale should be, complete with a heart-tugging musical montage. It even answered questions we’d asked for years: Will J.D. and Elliot get together? (Yes!) What is Janitor’s real name? (Glenn Matthews or perhaps Tony or Tommy, if he was just playing with J.D.) Does Dr. Cox really like J.D.? (Yes, well, more than he does Hugh Jackman that’s for sure.) We saw a hallway of faces from the past eight years who had touched J.D. in someway, starting with the beloved Laverne. And we learned in J.D.’s fantasy for the future that Turk’s daughter marries J.D.’s son, and that they all spend holidays together along with the Cox family. OK, so maybe that was just a fantasy, but it satisfied most of the diehard Scrubbies. It was fantastic finale, and I especially enjoyed the cameo of series creator Bill Lawrence tearing down the “Goodbye J.D.” sheet. Bravo!

I’m a big fan of Bill Lawrence, so perhaps I should trust that whatever he produces next year will be equally as entertaining as the Scrubs I’ve loved for eight years. But it’s hard to imagine the show without all the players that made it sparkle. If Lawrence goes in another direction from the original – the way Frasier departed from Cheers - then perhaps the show could work. Then again, it could also be another Joey. What I do know is that after seeing the current crop of sitcoms that rolled out this past season, Scrubs is still better than anything networks are producing. So, I understand why ABC is hesitant to let it go.

Despite that the show was renewed, I’ll say goodbye now to the sitcom I’ve loved. Thank you Scrubs’ cast, writers, and Bill Lawrence for giving me a place to go to laugh every week and for the excellent music featured on the show. (A good portion of the songs in my iTunes account came from Scrubs, and I’m off to get the Peter Gabriel song that played in the final episode.) Goodbye Scrubs. You will be missed.

If you missed the finale or just want to see the beautiful ending, grab some tissues and hit play below.

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Scrubs ending this year

Photo: Scrubs' star Zach Braff

Speculate no more. Scrubs is finished.

Creator Bill Lawrence announced that the show will end after this season, during a talk at his alma mater, the College of William and Mary, according to The Daily Press.

Scrubs is currently in its eight season. It spent seven years on the NBC network, before jumping to ABC this year.

A new crop of interns was introduced this season with the idea that the show potentially could continue if star Zach Braff left this year. But, Lawrence and Braff decided it was time to go.

Thank you, Mr. Lawrence. There’s nothing worse than watching a show that was once spectacular disintegrate into something that barely resembles its former self. (Hello, Dawson’s Creek.)

Lawrence spilled some details about what will happen this season. We’ll finally learn the janitor’s name. Yes, he has one, other than “Janitor.” And Ted will get a girlfriend who shares his love of music.

So what do you think, Tubers? Are you happy that Scrubs will go out on a high note, or were you hoping it would stick around another year with the new cast?

Yeah, I already know the answer, but feel free to tell me otherwise in the comments below.

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Welcome back Scrubs heavy

by Jennifer Squires Biller

At 10 p.m. Tuesday night, I was sobbing like a baby. My eyes were swollen, tissues were littering my floor, and my nose looked like Rudolph.

Thank you Bill Lawrence. (Scrubs’ head honcho.)

The Scrubs debut on ABC was not what I expected. Oh sure, it had the trademark silly scenes we’ve all come to expect, the inside jokes about the Janitor’s name and Ted’s ongoing depression, a fun little musical ditty between Turk and JD, and JD’s fun sexual fantasies. But these Scrubs episodes had a serious tone that we haven’t seen from the show in quite sometime.

JD and Turk sat with a scared patient who was dying, discussing their own fears about the subject and granting his last wish, a can of cold beer. It was sobering. The dialogue - not the cold beer. Beautifully written and perfectly executed, it made me ponder my own feelings about death, and what the end may be like, heavy stuff from a show that uses a stuffed dog as one of its many ongoing jokes.

Courteney Cox Arquette was fabulous in her new role as chief of medicine. JD seemed more mature. (Thank you Bill! It’s about time.) And we even got a scene with Dr. Kelso, who apparently now likes to spend his time eavesdropping on hospital gossip at the coffee shop.

I don’t expect this comedy to suddenly lose its “fun factor” but it’s clear from these first two shows that Lawrence and his crew have a different plan for this year’s show. It’s more mature, a little more sentimental, but still as entertaining as ever. I hadn’t cried during a Scrubs episode since the Brendan Fraser arc. Well done, Scrubbies! I look forward to a great season.

And thanks to all of you for tuning in. The show averaged 6.7 million viewers for the two episodes, a 25 percent improvement over its last episode on NBC. Take that, Peacock! (Yes, I know it’s petty, but let me revel a little, will ya?)

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Scrubs’ Bill Lawrence chats live tonight

Scrubs’ fans, tonight following the season premiere of Scrubs, head over to NBC to chat live with executive producer Bill Lawrence.

Lawrence will be taking your questions in a live blog. So, if you have questions about the characters, the sets, the writing, here’s your chance to ask.

Scrubs returns for its final season tonight at 9:30 p.m. on NBC.

I’ve seen the first episode and it’s packed full of Scrubs goodness. From Turk trying to choose his favorite candy bar to the janitor’s new girlfriend, the laughs are still going strong in the final season.

Also, Lawrence is asking for fans’ help in how to end Scrubs. That’s right. He hasn’t decided yet, and is looking for ideas. Check out his plea for help here.

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Scrubs’ Zach Braff and Bill Lawrence interview (Part One)

As the final season of Scrubs gets ready to launch Thursday at 9:30 p.m. on NBC, show star Zach Braff and creator Bill Lawrence recently participated in a marathon conference call with journalists and bloggers.

Braff and Lawrence seem to still love Scrubs as much as we do. The duo was funny and witty, as you’ll see in the following transcript.

I pretty much begged Lawrence to bring back Turk’s air band, which he claims he’d forgotten. So, I’ve done my job as Tube Talk Girl to get Turk rocking again. Hopefully, Lawrence will remember our conversation when writing future episodes.

Here’s how our exchange went down, followed by questions and answers from other journalists on the call. (The transcript has been edited for clarity and length.)

Jennifer Biller: The fans loved the musical episode and Turk’s air band performance. Will we see any sort of musical moments this season?

Bill Lawrence: I forgot about Turk’s air band performance. That made me laugh. Maybe we should bring back that air band.

Jennifer Biller: Please! We would love it.

Bill Lawrence: That was funny and you can take credit for it.

Zach Braff: Bill’s a giant fan of Ted’s a cappella group.

Bill Lawrence: Oh, yeah, they sing "Who Are You" by the Who this year in a way that’s really, really funny. We always do big musical things in this show partly because I’m a musical theater nerd and Zach is, too, but also partly because there’s a ton of talented people on the show as far as singing and dancing goes. So without a doubt, we’ll do it again before the end of the year.

Jennifer Biller: Great! And I can’t believe no one has asked this question, but what projects do either of you have lined up after Scrubs is finished?

Bill Lawrence: Zach, go.

Zach Braff: I don’t know. I mean, it’s hard - I want to direct something, so I’m working on directing my second movie, whatever that’s going to be. I’m not quite sure yet whether it’s something I write or something I adapt. And then Bill and I are talking about doing a - producing a television show together, so that’s something I’m really excited about.

Bill Lawrence: I’m contractually obligated to do for the next four years to try and create TV shows for ABC, and so initially I’m thinking about something maybe with cave women. I think that might be funny and interesting.

Jennifer Biller: Bill, I have one request. If you get Scott Foley back (as you mentioned you’d hope to do earlier,) please put him back in that wetsuit!

Bill Lawrence: Oh, yeah you like that? I like Scott. Man, he was funny on our show. He’s such a good dude. The only thing that’s kept us from having him back on the show is he’s got his own show that they’re out shooting guns and on location all the time, you know?

Jennifer Biller: I have one final question. Zach, since my site is a TV-related site, what do you watch on television?

Zach Braff: I watch a lot of guilty pleasures, so I don’t know if I can reveal of them to you.

Jennifer Biller: Oh, come on. It’s a shame-free zone.

Zach Braff: I love Lost. I’m going to start with the reputable stuff. I really love Lost. I watch every night now my new ritual is I watch Keith Olbermann on Countdown.

Bill Lawrence: Oh, now you’re just trying to sound smart.

Zach Braff: That might reveal my politics. So those are the reputable shows I watch. Oh, and also I love 30 Rock and I love The Office. I watch those every week.

Bill Lawrence: Zach was going to give you guilty pleasures, I think. I’m waiting to hear America’s Top Model.

Zach Braff: No. Well, I love the Tim Gunn Design Show - Project Runway.

Bill Lawrence: And I want to give props out. The entire writer’s room is obsessed with Dexter right now. It’s really well-written. It’s a cool show.

Story tidbits and revelations

Question: Bill, I'm just wondering if it's possible that the janitor will get a name and if it's possible to clear up two mysteries at once? We'll find out his real name is Jimmy Hoffa?

Lawrence: Yes...oh yeah, that would actually be funny if he was actually him. I could steal that and take credit for it. I always promise Neil Flynn, the guy that plays the janitor, two things: That by the end of the show he'd have a name, and he'd eventually get to have a girlfriend. So I have to make good on both of those this year.

Question: There was talk in the beginning that he was in Zach's imagination...

Lawrence: Well, yeah. I always thought this show was only going to run for one season so - in "Fight Club," it happened, you know? He was a figment of Zach's imagination and then, Neil Flynn, the second year, he's like, "This show keeps going on, I'd like to talk to some of the other actors, you know?"

Q: I’m just wondering for the final scene, if you’ve thought about it - and just tell me it’s not going to take place in the cafeteria, there won’t be onion rings and that Elliot won’t have to learn to parallel park.

Lawrence: No, you know what, that show (The Sopranos) earned doing that because they, you know, that had such gravitas. Our show - our one responsibility is for people that like the show to watch the finale and leave satisfied and happy about what they saw. You know? And it’s a burden, but that’s all we’re shooting for.

Zach Braff: You’re never going to please everybody, but…

Lawrence: Zach, I’m going to please everyone, you watch.

Q: What’s the status of (actress) Aloma Wright on the show? The rumor had gone around for a while that she would be playing Laverne’s alcoholic sister, but I’ve heard…

Lawrence: Well here’s the scoop, man, and you can totally help me out with that because, you know, I have a feeling that I’m going to get a lot of crap from our fan base. So, I wanted to get this story out, which is basically when I killed Aloma last year, I would never take work away from, you know, an actress that we consider part of the family. We thought last year would be the last season. So when I killed Laverne, it was because we basically said "Hey, what’s a good, dramatic arc for the end of the year since we’re kind of ending up the show." And once we got there, we had already written the stuff, but we had been told by our studios that the show would continue for another year. So I promised her that she would come back. I don’t want people to get mad at me. She returns as a nurse named Shirley. She looks slightly different but she still looks like the same actress. But the only thing we’re doing is that only Zach’s character thinks the two of them look alike.

Braff: I wanted them - there was talk, and we haven’t done this yet, but she would be a coquettish atheist.

Lawrence: And then there’s a lot of talk too that because she’s a new character that some of the writers think that we should kill her yet again - but this time nobody cares.

Braff: Yeah, "Did you hear (Shirley) got run over by a car?"

Lawrence: It was "She got hit by a bus. Hey do they have any donuts?" ... I figured "Bewitched" had two different guys play her husband, so I can have someone as a joke come back as a different character.

Q: Zach, is there any side of J.D. that hasn’t been explored in the show yet that you’d like to see explored in the final season?

Braff: That’s a good question. I feel like there’s seven years worth of sides of J.D. I don’t know. I think we - I like it when we explore his love of (Donald Faison as Turk). I think we can always have more of that.

Lawrence: Zach’s already doing it even though he’s not saying it - (the) ending of this show will be unsatisfying for people if they don’t feel like his character has finally grown up, you know? And, you know, one of the things it’s tough about being lucky enough to go on this long is that you can only do the young, you know, the young kind of man child who hasn’t matured yet for so long before, you know, Zach’s coming to me and be like Bill, I’m - you know, my character is 30 years old now. I think he might not wear cartoon t-shirts or jammies to bed, you know. And so we’re trying to make him a little more mature.

Q: What was your favorite episode or moment on the show?

Braff: There’s so many - I mean, that’s a really hard question to ask. But I guess because it’s most recent, I would say the musical was the most fun to do. And then I - and then, you know, I really like the ones I direct just because I have so much more invested in them. And so I really like the Wizard of Oz and the one that - I don’t know which one it was called, but the one where Donald and I go on a quest to find Heather Graham so I can - so J.D. can have sex with her.

Lawrence: I like it when we bridge the gap between kind of broad, goofy comedy and emotional episodes, so my two faves - I like the one at the beginning of the the first year of the show, that has so much meaning to me because we had three different patients and they all died. Each character had a patient. We killed all of them. And - because I thought it was a way to tell people that might watch the show early on that it was going to be different than your average sitcom. And I liked the same way where we killed Brendan Fraser. I like it when we kill people. ... And then I have a favorite joke. I don’t know why I’m just rattling this off. My favorite joke is Sarah Chalke is putting on red - bright red lipstick and she says to John McGinley -- Dr. Cox - she says, “Does this lipstick make me look like a clown?” And he says, “No, it makes you look like a prostitute that caters exclusively to clowns.” And that was one of my favorite jokes of all time because of how sad Sarah looked when he said it to her.

Q: I know there’s like a huge fan contingent that wants J.D. and Elliot together. Bill, how do you and the writers feel about it? Do you think that they belong together?

Lawrence: Zach always says there’s no way you can satisfy everybody because, you know, if you go on to our fan sites there’s a lot of people that want them together and then there’s a lot of people that say that’s not what this show is about. And so they don’t want them together. And what I think - I think the answer is right in the middle, which is we pride ourselves - this show was never a will they or won’t they show, you know? It was not Ross and Rachel or, you know, Moonlighting - are these characters ever going to end up? And I think that if we were to end this series on, you know, Zach going to the airport to keep Rachel - or to keep Elliot, you know, from flying away…

Braff: Even better, Rachel.

Lawrence: Yeah, everybody would feel cheated, you know, because that’s not, you know, what this show has been about. It’s been about all the relationships. That being said, you know, Zach and Sarah as actor and actress, have made people invested in this. So I am going to resolve it, but I’m not going to make that the end of the series. I think that it’ll happen before people expect it to happen. I think I put a lot of clues what I’m going to do along the way.

Braff: You’re giving away too much right now.

Lawrence: And I think that I’ve found a way that might - you know, that people will be, I think I’ve found a way through it that people will be satisfied. Zach always says you can’t make everybody happy, but…

Braff: You’re going to.

Lawrence: …that’s my psychological weakness. I’m going to.

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Scrubs’ Laverne returning as her twin

Photo credit: NBC

Remember sassy Laverne who kept the Scrubs gang in line for years and died tragically? Well, despite the fact that she took the dirt nap last season, her portrayer Aloma Wright is returning next year to play her “evil” twin.

I say “evil,” because according to Variety, “Shirley” is the antithesis of Laverne, when it comes to religious faith. Shirley is more in line with Dr. Cox’s distaste for religion, i.e. if there is a God, he has one warped sense of humor.

Shirley is a single, alcoholic woman who shuns religion, according to the trade. Hmmm…does anyone else think she and Dr. Cox are going to be Best Friends Forever?

The twin plot device is a move right out of the daytime drama playbook, but I don’t care. As long as it gets Wright back on our screens, I’m in.

Scrubs fans were stunned and in need of therapy last season when the curmudgeonly Laverne died as a result of a car accident. (OK, so maybe it was just me in need of therapy, but fans were still outraged.)

Show creator Bill Lawrence had thought Scrubs would end last year and had decided to “shake things up” by killing a cast regular. As it turns out, Scrubs was resuscitated for one more season. Lawrence then did right by Wright and asked her to come back as Laverne’s twin.

I know what Laverne would say: "Thank God!" And she's not alone.

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Scrubs the musical

I admit I’m a musical theater junkie. That said, I’m always a little nervous when a television show tries to do a musical. Buffy the Vampire Slayer set the bar high. (Yes, I’m an enormous geek who owns the soundtrack from the Buffy musical and can sing all the lyrics. Mock me, if you must.)

When I heard the Scrubs gang was doing a musical, I admittedly was skeptical. Silly me. I should have known in the capable hands of show-runner Bill Lawrence and his talented cast, the result would be bloody brilliant.

I was most shocked that Dr. Cox has a voice to die for. (Pun intended.) That man should be on Broadway. Anyway, for those of you who missed Thursday’s show, here are two of my favorite numbers from the musical: Guy Love and Everything Comes Down to Poo. Warning: You will need Kleenex you’ll be laughing so hard. Enjoy!


Everything Comes Down to Poo


Guy Love

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Scrubs returns tonight

It’s back! And I’m positively giddy. My pals, the Scrubs doctors of Sacred Heart Hospital, are retuning to the air tonight at 9 p.m. EST on NBC. OK, so they’re only my pals in my imagination, but a hey, a girl can dream.

In tonight’s season premiere, J.D. ends up in Las Vegas with the Blue Man Group. You wouldn’t want to miss that, would you? I know you usually watch Grey’s Anatomy, but why not tape it tonight, and hang out with the Scrubs gang instead?

In honor of Scrubs' triumphant return, here’s some juicy scoop I gathered from a little digging and from a press conference call last week with show creator Bill Lawrence and the always-adorable Zach Braff. Get ready to laugh.

How can Scrubs possibly compete with Grey’s Anatomy?

Zach: “I keep telling Bill we need more sex on the show.”
Bill: “We’re going to nickname Zach’s character ‘McWeenie.’ Zach and Patrick Dempsey have sort of the same hair. Those guys (the Grey’s folks) have cornered the late-night soap opera (market.) But, I’m confident there is room for both.”
Zach: “People shouldn’t have high expectations as to what (Scrubs) is going to do against Grey’s Anatomy and CSI. I don’t think anyone, including us, have any expectations that we’ll (outperform Grey’s.) We just don’t have that fan base, but we do have a loyal fan base."

Who will guest star this season?
Bill: “The one I’m hoping to get back is Scott Foley because he hasn’t been here in a while. (This year) guest stars are all friends of the family. The guest stars are the established ones who will most likely be faces you’ve seen before: Tom Cavanagh, Elizabeth Banks, Mike Weston and Cheryl Hines."
Editor’s note: Bill, please get Scott Foley back this season, and preferably in that smoking-hot wet suit outfit. I do love Noel Crane!

Why the Nielsens don’t accurately reflect some popular programs?
Bill: "The Nielsens are a sham. I truly don’t’ feel the Nielsens (reflect) the shows that are the most popular. Our core demographic is college kids and there isn’t a Nielsen box at any college campus in the country."

In other Scrubs news, E!Online is reporting that a major character will die this season. Gulp. Turk, J.D, I hope you’ve gotten your flu shots.

And if you haven’t heard, an all-musical episode will air, much to my delight. The promos look amazing. Don't forget to watch Scrubs tonight!

Finally, to kick off the new season, Entertainment Weekly has a great interview up with my favorite “Brown Bear,” Turk. The story also has links to his highly entertaining kung-fu segment and poison dance. It’s a must read. Enjoy.

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Tube News

"Scrubs" musical
Turk and the air band was just the beginning. An entire musical episode of Scrubs is headed our way this season, according to series creator Bill Lawrence. Can I get a Woo Hoo? Apparently, a patient with an aneurysm sees everything as a musical, thus setting the stage for the singing doctors and my complete bliss. TV Guide’s Michael Ausiello has all the details about the musical episode, from his chat with Lawrence. Enjoy.

Congrats to "Smallville’s" Allison Mack
Regular readers know I’m a huge fan of Smallville’s Chloe. Her portrayer, the talented Allison Mack, won a Teen Choice Award for Best Sidekick. It’s about time someone gave her props for her endless devotion and expositions. (cough, cough, Clark Kent.) She also was voted Best Actress in the Kryptonsite Awards, and she and Clark won best couple. The awards at Kryptonsite include fun categories such as grossest scene, best line and best scene involving nudity. (Yes, Lois and that patriotic pole-dancing scene took that category.)

Casting tidbits
Oliver Hudson, who you’ll remember from Dawson’s Creek as the guy Joey foolishly hooked up with after Pacey, has been tapped to play the male in the CBS mid-season comedy Rules of Engagement. In other news, Ally McBeal alum Jane Krakowski is joining NBC's 30 Rock, and Everwood’s Chris Pratt is joining The O.C., on Nov. 2, as an environmentalist who befriends Summer. I can already hear Seth and the tree-hugger jokes.(Source: TV Guide)

Joss Whedon was a "West Wing" Josh/Donna shipper
Longtime Tube Talk readers know my love for all things Joss Whedon, brilliant writer and creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. He recently wrote a list of his favorite TV characters of all time. It’s a fun read, and I was shocked to learn that he shared my affection for Josh and Donna on The West Wing. Yep, it’s official. Whedon is now on my list of top 25 favorite TV people. (Thanks to GMMR for sharing the list.)

"Invasion" on DVD
My favorite new drama of last season, Invasion, is now available on DVD. Extras include a gag reel, deleted scenes and featurette with Shaun Cassidy. Too bad there isn’t a special feature from ABC explaining why it renewed What About Brian instead of the brilliant Invasion. Nope, I'm not bitter.

"House" casting news
David Morse is joining House for several episodes this season as a cop who apparently has a bigger ego than House. Morse’s character is named Michael Tritter, according to TV Guide. TV viewers will recognize Morse from his show Hack. Well, maybe not.

"Lois and Clark" DVD release
Season 4 of the Dean Cain/Terri Hatcher show will be released on November 14, according to TV Shows on DVD. To see the details, click here.

FOX offers "Bones" on the Web
FOX is apparently offering free TV on the web now. If you haven’t seen Bones, the excellent show starring David Boreanaz, I recommend you check it out here: http://streaming.myfoxal.com/index.html. The new season starts August 30 at 8 p.m. on FOX.

"My Name is Earl" – spoiler alert
Burt Reynolds is guest starring in My Name is Earl this season as the owner of Earl and Randy's favorite strip club, according to TV Guide. In other spoilery scoop, Joy finally gets hers and is headed to the slammer. Earl, can you say prison break?

"The O.C." - spoiler alert
Ryan apparently gets all fight club in an episode this year, and we get to finally meet Summer’s “step monster” according to spoilers from E!Online.

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