ABC Makes Mistakes

Let it be known that Scrubs will always be one of my favorite shows. It has the best comedy pilot I've ever seen, and on May 6th, aired quite possibly the most satisfying series finale of any I've seen to date. It was truly a finale for the fans, with nods to earlier episodes as well as appearances from the most loved, most hilarious, and most likely forgotten by fans other than myself characters. Characters ended up just where I wanted them, loose ends were all tied up, and I cried like a baby.

And then I read that apparently Scrubs has been renewed for a 9th season.

Admittedly, even this past season shouldn't have happened per my standards. I think a reasonable run for a show is 5-7 seasons--anything less, and I haven't had enough, anything more and it's getting stale. However, given last year's WGA strike stunting season 7 at 11 episodes, as well as my violent opposition to my beloved medical comedy series ending with a flimsily constructed fairytale fantasy episode, I was ok with ABC picking up Scrubs for one more season. And when the season started in January, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Scrubs was getting back to its roots, nicely balancing silliness with more poignant storylines, and perhaps most importantly to this nerdy shipper, reuniting J.D. and Elliot (with the by-product of one of my favorite Scrubs episodes ever, "My Cookie Pants"). Season 8 of Scrubs was a fantastic one, and I'm glad to have had the opportunity to watch.

However, as much as I enjoyed season 8, as well as most of the new characters added (Denise/"Jo"=purely awesome and hilarious, but Ed=annoying as hell), I can't get on board with a season 9 and will only watch if there is absolutely nothing on during that timeslot (or they put it against Idol and I'm feeling spiteful). For one thing, Zach Braff is only returning for 6 episodes, and John C. McGinley and Neil Flynn are attached to other pilots for the fall. Yes, the new interns are fun and "Their Story II" proved them engaging on their own, but the reason I've watched for 8 seasons has been for the same characters I've grown to know and love. To continue without all of them would be a betrayal to loyal fans such as myself. 

But more importantly, the show ended. What began with J.D.'s first day at Sacred Heart, appropriately titled "My First Day", concluded with his last day at Sacred Heart, proclaimed as "My Finale". He went from scared intern to goofy attending to a real grown up, riding off to St. Vincent's and beyond, to a life with Elliot and eventual family ties with Turk. He finally got his hug from Dr. Cox, and we finally learned Janitor's name (Glenn Matthews, in case you missed it).

Look, I get it. Scrubs makes more money than most of us are likely to see in our lifetimes in syndication, and even in initial run keeps a consistent, if a little low, number of viewers. And yeah, it's easier to keep something old running than get something new started. There's a built in audience for Scrubs; the same can't be said for the number of pilots rejected this year because ABC is keeping this on the schedule instead. I know television is a business, since only a business could be cold enough to keep Dancing With the Stars around but put Pushing Daisies six feet under. But regardless of business, I hope ABC and all other networks eventually might start acting with their brains and not their wallets.