Scrubs: A New Generation

It’s hard for me to remember sometimes that Scrubs is still on the air. And watching the newest episodes on ABC doesn’t really help me. Having been a fan for most of its seven (eight?) year run I have grown to adore and become friends with the doctors of Sacred Heart. Carla, the bossy know it all; J.D., the oh-so desperate protagonist, Jordan, the incorrigible drunk who at the end had way too many face-lifts. And let’s not forget, J.D’s non-gay love Turk, the hyper sensitive Elliot, and the mentor who kept J.D. begging for love, Dr. Cox. These characters were the heart of Sacred Heart, and each week they were friends. It was an easy relationship; one built on laughs, on love, and desperation. For all of these characters, as accomplished as they were, each was built around some desperate need of… something. Whether it is acceptance, the need to be loved, the need to not be touched. It was a joy to watch these characters interact. But that was a long time ago; or at least a couple of seasons, a variety of casts, and a network ago.

With Scrubs’ move to ABC, there have been a host of new changes as is expected when a show moves to a new network hoping to re-stamp this show as its own. There are new characters, a new setting, but still there is somewhat of the same feel that the original show had going for it. But while watching these new episodes, I can’t help but compare it to the show’s earlier offerings.

Pros:
In these new episodes there are a lot of new characters. And as we all know, new characters mean new storylines, more chances of development. I must admit, I was most resistant to this particular change, because as you can tell I liked the old characters a lot. But even I must admit that these new characters bring a breath of fresh air to an increasingly stagnant show. Don’t get me wrong, I adored Scrubs but somewhere around season seven the show started to lose itself. The characters became dull, the storylines even more so. There was a lack of excitement, everything had gone stale and the show became like molded bread left too long in the pantry then trotted out in time for dinner. Really? No. So, these new characters are most definitely a plus.

Along with new characters there is also a new setting as ABC’s Scrubs takes place in a medical school. This offers new challenges for the cast, both new and old, as well as gives the show a new opportunity for longevity; med school, then their turns at being a doctor. Which is good. And also another plus, is that the shows stays true to form with characters. The feel of the show is much the same, with the camaraderie and the voiceovers; this is reminiscent of second season Scrubs. And that’s a good place to be.

Cons:

This show seems like a completely new show, or rather a spin-off of the original series. Half of the old characters are gone, of the main characters that is. The only survivors are J.D., Turk, and Dr. Cox. I’ll ignore the fact that all of the abandoned characters are women (because I truly don’t think that this was a factor, other than the fact that they weren’t really the strongest of the six and probably wouldn’t fit into this new show) and the fact that even the pathetic and useless Ted got an appearance in this season (totally unneeded, sorry. Him, not my comment, that’s true.).

But I’m not truly upset by this rather it just makes me feel so very out of place. There is not enough of the familiar to tie this show to the original, as I have become to think of the earlier seasons. There is really not enough of a connection, the new characters, the new setting, the focus on character rather than the medical approach. Because while Scrubs was indeed very character driven, still we got to see these characters in the thick of things as it were. There was more attention on the patients and the challenges of actually being a doctor. There was the enormous challenge of having someone’s life in your hands, set with comic relief of course.

I don’t know, maybe I’m being a purist, but I don’t think so. This new show’s good… But the problem is it’s not Scrubs, it’s more like Scrubs 2.0. A new generation, it’s something else. And this is even more true with the imminent departure of J.D., the main protagonist, and the man in whose head we’ve spent most of the last eight (nine?) seasons. But the show’s worth checking out. But if you do, don’t look at it as a continuation of Scrubs. Look at it as something new, a new story all on its own. You’ll probably be more satisfied then, in fact it’s probably what the network wants considering what the old Scrubs turned into. (See seasons 7 and 8 )

Tuesdays at 9/8c on ABC.

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Photographs courtesy of ABC, Karen Neal, and Harper Smith.