Wednesday, May 06, 2009

'Scrubs' finale review - Sepinwall on TV

In today's column, I review the "Scrubs" series finale -- if, in fact, that's what it is -- and muse a little more on the wisdom of trying to keep the show going without Zach Braff and anyone else who can't/won't come back if the show gets picked up.

The finale's really good. I'll have a spoiler review up tonight as soon as it ends.

24 comments:

buster said...

I was reading Bill Lawrence's interview on avclub talking about tv show slumps and then pull out of it by going back to its roots. That made me think it was like new coke and coke classic: viewers want change, hate the change, embrace the classic formula.

Jordan said...

I joked with a friend a while ago that I hate "it was all a dream" endings, but it would be brilliant if at the end of the scrubs finale, JD comes out of a day dream in unused 8 year old footage as he's about to start his first shift at sacred heart. This is going to be bittersweet, but I'm glad it's going to be a good one.

Anonymous said...

...the way it made possible other shows like "Grey's Anatomy", "House"... ?!?

I hope tonight's finale has some jokes that make me laugh as hard as the statement above did.

HAHAHAHA, made possible Grey's & House. Now that's comedy.

Omagus said...

As I look at the above picture, it strikes as pretty interesting that Scrubs was able to keep the EXACT same core cast for eight seasons. None of them ever left and they never had to add someone to spice up things.

It helps that the show has always had an incredible supporting cast but what is the last show that you can think of that kept the core cast for as long as Scrubs was able to?

(Guess I'm leaning further toward the side that doesn't want Scrbs to continue without Lawrence and Braff.)

Brian said...

Just wondering where you rank "My Screw Up" where Ben dies on your favorite episodes list

Alan Sepinwall said...

We discussed this when that Top 10 list was originally posted a year and a half ago.

Alan Sepinwall said...

It helps that the show has always had an incredible supporting cast but what is the last show that you can think of that kept the core cast for as long as Scrubs was able to?Friends, Frasier and Everybody Loves Raymond all kept their entire casts around for the whole run -- all of them longer than what Scrubs did.

It's an achievement, to be sure, but not a unique one.

Omagus said...

Friends, Frasier and Everybody Loves Raymond all kept their entire casts around for the whole run -- all of them longer than what Scrubs did.

It's an achievement, to be sure, but not a unique one.
Ah. I never watched Frasier on a regular basis, and I hardly ever watched Everybody Loves Raymond at all. So I wasn't familiar with their cast consistency. I did watch Friends for a while so that is one that I should have remembered.

I think it struck me with Scrubs because 1) it was never as big a hit as any of these other shows and 2) there was such a dynamic supporting cast but the core characters were always intact.

LA said...

There's a nonspoilerish clip up at EOnline of tonight's episode (it's the second of two clips) that actually made me weepy within the course of, what, 60 seconds. Tonight's going to be rough for hardcore fans like me, but assuming this turns out to the end, I love that Scrubs is going out so strong.

LA said...

^^^ should read:

...but assuming this turns out to BE the end...

Tosy And Cosh said...

What the photo makes me wonder is how tall Neil Flynn and Judy Reyes are! Is he a giant?

Also, it's interesting to look at the IMDB page and see which supporting characters were in the most episodes. I wouldn't have thought, for example, that the Todd was in that many more than Ted:

Todd - 119
Ted - 93
Laverne - 92
Jordan - 88
Doug - 49

JT said...

I'd watch SCRUBS so much more if ZB wasn't on it. He is SOOOOO annoying and the least funny person the show.

BF said...

Does Colonel Doctor get a line in the finale?

Cameron Hughes said...

I just love it when posters don't have the balls to sign their posts with their name(or ANY name) when they do a negative post.

Grey's is in no way revolutionary and does nothing original, and Scrubs was doing their kind of stuff years before Shonda Rhimes started the show. For a half-hour sitcom, it has twice the pathos and drama AND its often far more accurate in its portrayal of a hospital and medicine than Grey's.

And good as Hugh Laurie is, McGinley's Perry Cox runs circles around him.

LA said...

@Tosy and Cosh - I saw Flynn at improve a couple years ago and stood right next to him. He's gotta be 6' 5". He's TALL (and his eyes are a gorgeous brilliant blue in real life). I'm 5' 2", and looking at that photo, I'd guess Judy Reyes is about the same.

Sonia said...

I sure hope Turk dances on the finale...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dc8V0vGwDrU&feature=related

(Cuz I know you LOVE it, Alan!!! LOL)

Alan Sepinwall said...

Sonia, I do love it. And just to repay you for that, I give you this.

Scott Mendelson said...

Thank you for not posting a spoiler review prior to airing. My willpower is weak and I may have well succumbed.

Anonymous said...

Great column, Alan!
I am soooo excited (and sad) about tonight.
My friends and I are long-time fans, so we are getting together to say goodbye to Sacred Heart (with Scrubs-inspired dishes.)

Anonymous said...

He was on Jimmy Fallon and he did the Poison dance again!

Pamela Jaye said...

It will be remembered for all the things it did so well -- the mix of farce, fantasy and tragedy; the superb (and eclectic) use of music; the precision of one of the great comic ensembles of its time -- and, hopefully, for the way it made possible other shows like "Grey's Anatomy," "House" and "Arrested Development," that followed it to greater ratings and/or acclaim.paragraph break


I've always wondered why Ally McBeal never makes this list, especially with Scrubs and Grey's (fantasies and having to work with your married ex you still love)
I realize the closing musical montages were not set to *indie* pop songs, but still...

Pamela Jaye said...

oddly I had one friend who was a Scrubs fan that I didn't know about until -

she emailed me to ask if that was me posting in Bill's blog comments.

so I looked for her on Facebook. It's the first time I've seen what she looks like, and we've known each other for about 15 years. We even both attended a small Quantum Leap Con in 94, but apparently didn't meet (which is odd with an attendance of about 75, but hey, I'm shy in real life)

Didn'r Doctors say Scrubs is the most realistic show?

Wholi said...

Just saw this:

http://www.thrfeed.com/2009/05/scrubs-renewed.html

Yeah!!

recoletos said...

It seems that I used to cry when Elliot started crying in the beginning and then by the time Dr. Cox tells the intern how JD was his friend. I was sobbing and the whole world could have flooded with my tears of Scrubs obsession. I heard that there's no season 9 for scrubs and the season 8 will be the last season for scrubs. How say to say it but atleast scrubs episodes made my time worth in watching it.