(At least) Five reasons you should be watching Scrubs
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In a Dec. 8 column about the return of the ratings for the scripted television series, The San Francisco Chronicle’s Tim Goodman noted that “there’s still a ton of comic mediocrity in the scripted arena.” He went on to say: “Two of broadcast television’s best comedies, Arrested Development on Fox (No. 84 in the Nielsen ratings) and Scrubson NBC (No. 56) are largely being ignored and remain in peril for the future.”
In peril for the future? I don’t like where this is going.
In Zap2it.com’s look at the ratings from Tuesday, Dec. 7, they noted that a new episode of Scrubs finished in third place behind CBS’ The Amazing Race, which finished in first place and behind (GULP!) ABC’s largely pedestrian According to Jim and Rodney.
I REALLY don’t like where this going.
Scrubs remains one of the most ambitious and funny comedies on network television today, yet, like its equally strange counterpart, Arrested Development hasn’t been able to garner a huge television audience despite being adored by critics and television experts alike. Meanwhile, According to Jim? Not only is that show about as inventive as a coat hanger, but there are clones of the show on the air as well (CBS’ Still Standing for example”¦) that continue to do at least fairly well in the ratings.
Sure, there is obviously an audience for these types of shows. The shows continue to come back season after season and draw millions of viewers in the process. Sure, the comedy isn’t as “smart” or “funny” as Scrubs, but they appear entertaining enough to attract viewers. Or at the very least, the shows on before and after them are good enough that the audience is willing to endure them.
But if you’re looking for a show that takes chances, is extremely ambitious and yet provides many funny and endearing scenes at the same time, then PLEASE start tuning into Scrubs during the 9 p.m. hour on Tuesday nights (I’d be more specific about the time but it does change almost on a weekly basis).
If you need any additional reasons to take my trusted word for it and actually tune into the show, consider these five:
1. J.D’s inner monologue – Dr. John Dorian (show star Zach Braff) may be a 29-year-old man who’s a rising young medical doctor, but any dope from age 15-40 can probably relate to him in some way. Why? Because he doesn’t act like a doctor. He may not be the greatest candidate to treat someone if they show up in the hospital, but he’s pleasantly dorky in a way that makes him fun, endearing and easy to root for.
That extends further in the inner dialogue J.D. employs as he chooses the path his life takes every day, whether it’s in his professional or personal life. I always get excited when I can make comparisons to the old Fox show, Herman’s Head where a young guy made decisions based on what the four little voices in his head decided for him. J.D. doesn’t have anyone talking to him, but his wild and vivid imagination creates some random, yet hilarious, sequences that play well into the stories being told in each episodes. Even better, some of the sequences contain great random pieces of pop culture that have become a staple of shows like The Simpsons and Family Guy.
It’s a storytelling technique not used in many other shows and the way it’s used allows the stories to get fun and crazy without losing too much focus at the same time.
2. Dr. Perry Cox – Personally, every time a television awards show comes around and John C. McGinley, the actor who plays Dr. Cox, isn’t nominated for an award, I get just a little bit angry. McGinley gives one of the best performances on television today as he plays Dr. Cox, one of the most intriguing characters on television today.
Dr. Cox is a bitter, angry, worn out, sarcastic doctor who holds a significant leadership position at Sacred Heart Hospital (the hospital where the show takes place) on the outside. But on the inside appears to have a heart of gold and a genuine concern for the young doctors he’s responsible for mentoring and the wife and son he obviously cares about a great deal.
This could sound like lots of characters on series across television, but it’s more rewarding with Dr. Cox because even though he comes off angry and bitter, he still dialogues with other people in a very witty, yet sarcastic way that even employs some of those same random pop culture references that come up in other parts of the show. Most men would come off like assholes acting like that, but for Dr. Cox it works well.
Perhaps the reason it works is because he just appears SO cynical and SO nasty that when he puts that façade aside (generally at the end of episodes when the stories are wrapping up), it becomes ultra-rewarding to be reminded that he isn’t the annoying prick that he comes off as. And the other characters know that and appreciate that about him even if it only comes up rarely.
3. J.D. and Turk – As Scrubs has established over its brief life, J.D. and Turk (Donald Faison) are the best of friends and have been ever since they met in college. You ever meet that roommate your freshman year of college that you instantly become best friends with forever? I’ve seen it before, but it’s few and far between”¦.Anyway, that’s what these two are and it extended to medical school and now working at hospital they’re at.
The relationship they have allows them to play off each other in some strange, but fun ways. It provides more jokes and more fun situations.
And even if you don’t laugh at the dialogue between the two of them, at least you can watch them in action and think about some of your best friends and how close you are in that you finish each othe’s sentences or know exactly what the other is thinking at all times. J.D. and Turk might take it to that slight homo-erotic level, but at the same time, what they have is a charming, close friendship that a lot of people could either relate to or possibly even wish they had themselves.
4.Scrubs is not Joey – Don’t get me wrong, I think Joey has done a pretty good job of holding its own in what could be construed as bumpy first season where characters are still being fleshed out and Matt LeBlanc (and Joey Tribbiani for that matter) adjusts to a completely new situation with new people. But the more the show is on, the more I realize that shows confined to a studio can be”¦well”¦confining and that the laugh track machine is probably one of the 20 worst inventions of the 20th century.
First of all, being instructed when to laugh is simply more and more insulting the more I think about it. Scrubs cans that by ditching the laugh track altogether and allows the comedy itself to dictate when to laugh. Sometimes the punchlines are obvious, but sometimes they’re not and that’s a good thing. Either way, it’s your call.
Second, since the show actually films in a real (former) hospital (it’s no longer open) and not on a studio stage in front of an audience, the show can be free to be more creative and the staff can write those crazy sequences that pop up in J.D.’s head, which often elicit laugh-out-loud reactions. Besides, could you imagine being at a television taping and only seeing about half of a show because many of the sequences had to be recorded ahead of time to allow for the proper set up and such? What a nightmare”¦
Since Scrubs has ditched the studio audience, the four camera setup and the laugh track, it has a completely different feel to it. That feeling? Sit back, enjoy and laugh when you want. Trust me”¦you won’t be disappointed”¦
5. The end of each episode – Among all the characters on Scrubs, there are usually three or four mini-storylines that some or all of the characters are involved with. Mostly, they have to do with patients that come in and out of the hospital, but sometimes they revolve around the personal lives of one or some of the characters as well.
No matter what happens, each episode generally ends the same, with J.D. spouting off another one of his famous monologues that relate to something he experienced, but is general enough where it relates to the other characters and what they went through as well, but with an appropriate slow, sad rock song playing in the background.
It comes dangerously close to being remarkably cheesy and a “Full House like moment” (and some might interpret them as such), but it’s also a good example of showing that television storytelling doesn’t have to be so mechanical in nature and just focus on what each character says, does, or wants to do in each episode. Instead, it can also be about relevant themes that everyone watching can relate to and understand. It generally gives each episode a feel good ending that leaves viewers satisfied, but often wanting more since before that point, it was so damn funny.
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Those are five pretty good reasons, right? Well, if you’re still not convinced, keep in mind that Colin Farrell just signed on to appear in one episode of the comedy that will air early next year. He’ll join other A-Listers and thespians that have guest starred including Heather Graham, Brendan Fraser, Matthew Perry, Heather Locklear, Tara Reid, Jay Mohr, Michael J. Fox, Amy Smart, Julianna Margulies, Will & Grace‘s Sean Hayes, Ed‘s Tom Cavanagh, Law & Order: SVU‘s Chris Meloni, The Practice‘s Kelli Williams and Scott Foley.
No matter how you shake it”¦Whether it’s good comedy, intriguing, fun characters, different television, or a boat load of cameos from other established stars, Scrubs offers a lot to the average television viewer.
Now, us loyal fans just need you to tune in and raise that rating number. I mean are that many people REALLY watching According to Jim?
