Spoilers for the first two episodes of the new season/version of "Scrubs" coming up just as soon as I do the Dikembe Mutombo finger wag (and then remind you of Dikembe's greatest gift to the comedy gods)... I talked a lot about my feelings about this new season of the show - and whether it should, in fact, be considered a new series - in yesterday's column, so go read that if you didn't already, and then we'll go straight to the bullet points with some additional thoughts on these two episodes:
• We learn early on that a year has passed since "My Finale," which gives the writers license to do lots of things: relocate the hospital (a practical move done to put it on the studio lot with "Cougar Town" so Bill Lawrence can run both shows), say goodbye to The Janitor, have Kelso finish his time with Locum Tenens (and bump off his oft-discussed, never-seen wife), make Denise a third-year resident with a bit more authority over the med students, make it seem like JD didn't immediately come back to his old stomping grounds, and make Elliot pregnant. And speaking of which...
• When I interviewed Bill Lawrence about the new season back in August, he mentioned Sarah Chalke's pregnancy so casually that I assumed it was a piece of news that was already out there in the world. (I pay very little attention to the personal lives of celebrities.) So I included that quote as part of the interview transcript - at which point one of the commenters pointed out that this was the first public mention of said pregnancy. Mortified at having accidentally become That Guy, I quickly deleted that portion of the transcript and the comments referring to it, but nothing's ever really gone from the Internet, and within a few days, Chalke's PR team had announced the pregnancy themselves. I'm hoping that was the timetable all along, but if I somehow played a role in that, I feel bad. To anyone in the Chalke camp who may be reading this, I'm sorry. I didn't know! It's all Bill's fault!
• As I said in the column, I could have done without continuing the voiceover tradition with a new character, but I do like Kerry Bishe as Lucy, since she makes a nice professional foil for both Dr. Cox and JD, and Michael Mosley as Drew, since he makes a nice romantic foil for Denise, while also seeming very much like a young Perry Cox. As Cole, Dave Franco seems a little one-note so far, and I can't decide whether I want them to do the inevitable episode revealing that he has hidden depths, or to avoid that trope, leave him as a complete tool, and then send him off wherever Ed went after Cox fired him last season.
• Expanding on my issues with bringing JD back, I think it might have worked if they had committed to the growth we saw over that final season - if, having heard Cox's speech about him to Sunny in "My Finale," he stopped being so needy for the guy's affection and could more comfortably treat him as an equal. John C. McGinley has plenty of opportunities to do slow burns in response to the med students without needing JD being a pain on top of that. The JD moments that worked best were either JD mentoring Lucy, JD cracking jokes with Turk (notably the song about Denise in "Our Drunk Friend"), and the moment in "Our First Day of School" where we realize that Cox and JD are only pretending to not understand the Aussie supermodel type because it amuses them to do so. I would have been fine with Braff's part-time return if he were allowed to play a JD who seems like an adult, who can finally treat Perry Cox as a colleague and not be so smarmy with the students, but still has his silly jokes with Turk. That would have been a nice transition for the newbies. Instead, we're just going back over old ground, and even the reprise of "Guy Love" didn't make me smile as much I as thought it would.
• Not all Turk/JD running gags feel played-out, however. I never tire of glimpses of them in college with their various awful hairstyles, this time riding a tandem bike in the middle of an otherwise raunchy party.
• I thought the revamped theme song (by WAZ, who's also the composer for "Cougar Town") and opening titles worked, though I wonder if they shot an alternate version for the episodes that won't be featuring Braff.
• Note that the affiliated college/med school is named after Lawrence's longtime producing sidekick Randall Winston, who played the hook-handed security guard on the show, and who has previously lent his name to the mayor on "Spin City" and the Janitor's crotch-punching little sidekick.
• Of all the brief appearances from old friends, my favorite may have been the moment where we're reminded of The Todd's psychic powers when it comes to people having sex in and around the hospital. But I don't want to give short shrift to Ken Jenkins, still a master at jarring shifts between vicious comedy and real pathos. Of course Bob Kelso would feel bad about Enid's death, even as he'd be back at work two days later. And of course Bob Kelso would be prepared to hit that with Cole's mom "like a big rig with no brakes."
• Like Turk, I would also watch a show about Fonzie and a Gremlin.
What did everybody else think?
53 comments:
I enjoyed seeing Snoop Dogg Resident, not gonna lie.
Has a sitcom done this in a while? It feels like a college football team right now... you know the seniors are leaving, so the underclassmen need to step up. McGinley is the head coach... Faison is the Defensive Coordinator... we'll see where it goes, but I'll always love Scrubs.
I'm sad Denise (what, no "Jo"?) is no longer a chubby chaser. Otherwise, it wasn't the train wreck it could have been. And I missed Carla.
It's hard to say what I think about this season of Scrubs because these episodes felt much more like old episodes of Scrubs. The true test will be when the episodes rely primarily on the new cast. After the first two, I already don't see it working on the nights where J.D. isn't there.
I think JD is going to stay in the opening credits all season. Zach is only going to be appear in 6 of the 13 but he is still credited as a regular and he is also listed as an Executive Producer so it wouldn't surprise me. Also, remember Step, its Snoop Dogg Attending
I haven't watched this show in a few years-I had really gotten sick of it. But I checked this out and it was pretty good. I will try a few more episodes.
I thought the JD/Cox relationship has changed a little bit, particularly telling was when they gambled on how quickly the rehabbed man would return to the hospital.
It is a good start. It did feel like old Scrubs with new people mixed in. I like how Dr. Cox has recharged his neck vein.
There were times when JD was annoying like when he got stuck in the tree but in general I thought he was okay.
David Franco's Cole is a d-bag and his hippy hop speak got old but his mom was hot. I hope a future episode has him crash hard and makes him a bit more human than he is right now.
Lucy is a good choice for the female JD of the new version - kind of a cross between JD and Barbie.
Alan,
for a restart show like this, how is a guy like Ken Jeong not brought into the mix. I mean his silly acting style would seem to be right in the Dr. Cox/Dr. Kelso wheelhouse and I mean, he was an actual real F___ing doctor for christ sakes. Also he'd fill that asian male void that would suggest there is more to asian male actors other than just Harold. I mean come on!
:P
I liked it but it seemed like they haven't figured out the new show quite yet.
I hope they find a place to work in Ted.
Andrew, Jeong is otherwise employed.
I enjoyed it, but mostly wanted JD off stage. And they need to watch it with Lucy so that she doesn't just become a clone of Eliot. (The "I've never seen myself naked" joke felt recycled.)
So I didn't check - did they flip the X-Ray in the opening credits so the heart's on the correct side?
I'm sad Denise (what, no "Jo"?) is no longer a chubby chaser.
David, me too! That was interesting and I'm disappointed they dropped it.
I didn't laugh a lot at the new version of Scrubs, but I liked it enough to watch the next few episodes, anyway.
Am I the only person who experienced sound problems? The music and ambient sound was clear as day, but the dialogue was faint and inaudible. I switched between ABC and ABC HD, but no luck. My other channels were perfectly normal. I'm jealous everyone else got to see the show. :(
I thought it was interesting that the opening graphic did, in fact say "Scrubs Med School."
only mostly dead:
Assuming you're watching on cable and most markets handle this the same way, the HD version and the SD version of broadcast channels are, since the digital transition, the same, with the latter being downconverted and possibly cropped. This means the problem was with the signal your cable company got. Here in NY at least, there are exceptions: The Fox and My stations are both owned by Fox, and an SD version is aired on a subchannel of the other's HD version over the air.
different people have already said what I want to say, what Alan said about JD's neediness having gotten really tiresome, missing Carla and Ted (I miss Jordan too- can Christa Miller move her face on the new show?), and especially about Cole-- it's a weaker retread of Ed-- and the voice-over narration could be dropped.
Great to have Kelso back, I hope he's a regular, McGinley and Faison were in good form, and Jo/Denise is a riot. I liked Denise's boyfriend, too.
Michael Mosley looks *so* familiar to my wife and me -- but I've looked on IMDB, can can't find any credits where I would have seen him. Are there any credits IMDB misses, or does he just have one of those faces?
"You're dangerous, aren't you? Bet'cha listen to rap music."
I'm liking it; wasn't pleased about season 9 at first but these two episodes have justified Scrubs Med already.
Two really quotable and funny episodes, but I'd like to see some episodes sans J.D. to see how the new dynamics work, but it is promising so far.
Cole has got the d-bag thing down, "wigmom" = truly disgusting. He may be one note but I thin they'll get a lot of juice out of him.
Lucy is very much a J.D./Elliot hybrid, I'm not sure about her as much. She was funny enough but I'm not sure if could carry the show.
Drew and Denise work well. I like his character/back story and I think he can be interesting as well as funny. Jo was always a punchline machine so she's safe.
Cox was great, almost at his best. Ken Jenkins does so much with so little screen time as he has from about season 4-. J.D./Turk was rehashed so much but I still get comfort out of their ultimate bromance (delicious, but not healthy).
Janitor is a hero, just quits his job straight up. Win.
A great start, I might just watch them again.
Is this the first instance in television history where a show jumped the shark the same episode it mentioned the Fonz?
Seriously, the Season Eight finale was perfect, why did they ruin it's legacy by Aftermashing it with a Joey sledgehammer? Very disappointing.
Note that the affiliated college/med school is named after Lawrence's longtime producing sidekick Randall Winston, who played the hook-handed security guard on the show, and who has previously lent his name to the mayor on "Spin City" and the Janitor's crotch-punching little sidekick.
"Winston University" reminds me of an SNL sketch where Billy Crystal played a recruiter. The school was a scam (they kick back to the students half the tuition paid by their parents), and he repeatedly warned prospective "students" should they tell anyone, "we will find you, and we will kill you."
http://snltranscripts.jt.org/83/83owinston.phtml
Since the med. school is legitimate, being named for Randall Winston makes more sense.
I really enjoyed it, but I'm having a hard time envisioning a JD-less Scrubs on a regular basis. There was too much old cast tonight, and while I'm invested enough in the original characters to stick around for any show that features them, even in a reduced form, it feels like the ceiling for this show is pleasant diversion and not compelling, innovative comedy like its original incarnation.
And therein lies the rub: Every week we're going to be comparing it to the best moments in Scrubs history and since everything feels like a new spin on well-tread jokes, if Lucy isn't as good of a lead as JD (and so far, she's an interesting enough supporting character, but a little bland as a lead), I don't see how it can ever live up to that standard.
However, tonight did nothing to mar the series finale for me. That was as perfect of a finale as I've seen.
i wish there was more ethnic diversity... :(
I've watched the first two episodes of the new "Scrubs" and let them marinate for the last two hours, and, sorry to say, I'm not feeeling it.
I wanted to like it. I tried to like it. Is it still funny? Yes. But somehow, right now, anyway, the parts just don't quite fit for me, and I'm not sure if time and patience is going to fix it, and in this competitive world of television, time and patience shouldn't be a leveraged factor anyway.
This new incarnation has ruined a few things for me. You got a sense of a maturing J.D. at the close of last season, and, while you couldn't expect a completely changed J.D., to have him back at the newly coverted Sacred Heart with the gang just doesn't seem to ring true. The Janitor had the sense to move on. The old building even had the sense to move on. Sunny, Keith, heck, even Enid has the sense to move on. But we see J.D. still being a kid, conducting classes from a treebranch, and playing "Eagle" with Turk. It's like watching a act that's gone on too long, or has been brought back one too many times.
It would have been great to see some of the lesser old players make up the slack, instead of these new med students. Bill Lawrence had a good concept over the summer when he did his "Interns" shorts online, based on the the lesser characters on the show. But while seeing Dr. Cox do his rendition of Professor Charles Kingsfield may give the show some boost, it just doesn't feel right.
It would have done this new show much more justice if they had just started the show without Braff and let the chips fall where they may. As it is, the new Scrubs is barely worth watching.
I am disappointed that J.D. wouldn't be progressing as the finale lead us to think he would, and I was definitely one of the ones who thought the continuation of Scrubs was a terrible idea, but the thing is, I really liked these first two episodes (and, other than season 8, more than the few recent seasons of old Scrubs).
Especially considering they had to juggle a strange set of circumstances (the old/new characters, the old/new premise, the label of it being the same show but also a new spinoff) - I think both episodes were surprisingly strong for me.
I didn't realize that even with a new batch of pretty great comedies this year, I actually did miss that particular Scrubs comedic flavor, and it's nice to have this spinoffish Scrubs: Med School on tv.
I liked it. As someone else noted, I would've liked to see more diversity, but that's a personal gripe, and that's an issue with most shows anyways due to the way things are run.
Yeah, there were some awkward moments which had you wondering, huh. I mean, when JD, Turk, and Jo were sitting down at a bar, I was like, that's an odd combination. But ... it shouldn't be.
The one year jump allowed them to explain a lot of things away. The one problem they have to address sooner than later is JD and his son. I mean, I guess they sort of provided an answer in that, JD is still carpooling to work (although that begs the question of where this hospital is now located that Turk can go drive out and pick up JD and drive to work).
But this show could allow Turk to finally develop. I mean, he developed during the original run of Scrubs, but he was always the sidekick. It could be nice to see Turk take some key time.
I'm actually hoping they give Nicky Whelan more of a role. Kerry Bishe was okay, but my concern with that is, the first two episodes have made it seem like she is the student who needs her mentor around a lot. What happens if JD isn't there?
It was nice to see Kelso and the Todd. Drew's been the most interesting new character so far, and Cole absolutely bores me. I mean, the expected storyline would be, oh, he suddenly realizes he has to man up quick for one reason or another. Reminds me of Season 2 when they had Eliot get that cocky intern (and Kelli Williams was briefly Turk's intern).
What they need to do is blend in more school-related issues to set this a bit apart from Scrubs. Overall, I liked it, though. Familiar, but different, funny. I imagine we'll see Jordan pop in every now and again, whenever Christa and Bill decide to have her come on over (Ellie and Jordan have some fairly similar characteristics, so it's not like it would be a hard jump in mental preparation).
I sort of want to see Carla, though. Some fans never liked her, but all comedies need a straight/serious person to make the other characters seem funnier (in the same vein that same fans don't like Lily on HIMYM). The thing is, I'm curious if they can bring Judy Reyes back and have it be meaningful, even though it'd likely be a short snippet.
also, i think they are trying to show jd maturing by having him be a mentor. It's almost as if they knew that would be a criticism - in the first episode, when JD starts whining about how he spent 8 years searching for Cox's acceptance, Cox tells him, "I thought we were over this."
It's almost as if they knew that would be a criticism - in the first episode, when JD starts whining about how he spent 8 years searching for Cox's acceptance, Cox tells him, "I thought we were over this."
OK, so they're being all self-aware about pissing me off? Not really seeing a reason to hand out a gold star and a coupon for a six pack of hugs. If you've developed a character, it's either lazy or just unimaginative to regress them quite that obviously -- and it's even more irritating than where they're going with Barney on HIMYM.
Michael Mosley looks *so* familiar to my wife and me -- but I've looked on IMDB, can can't find any credits where I would have seen him. Are there any credits IMDB misses, or does he just have one of those faces?
He looks essentially like the pumped-up lovechild of Skeet Ulrich and Craig Bierko, which is why I also feel like I know him more than I do.
@Andrew...
Ken Jeong kinda has a job already.
But Lucy had just seen herself naked in the photo Cole took of her! And from an unnatural angle, no less.
If the guy who plays Cole is not somehow related to James Franco, I'll eat my hat. Wait.. I don't have a hat.
I will buy a hat.
Overall I thought the first two episodes were solid and have left me anxious to see more.
In my Scrubs Book the current rank is:
1. NBC Scrubs
2. New Scrubs Med School
3. Scrubs when it first came to ABC (God, some of those eps were just horrible).
I really hope ABC's "The Middle" doesn't get picked up for a second season. This way the Scrubs people came lure the Janitor back.
The Janitor always brought JD down a few pegs, and I thought that dynamic was missing from this new setup.
Why did a show that once tried really hard to be multicultural hire a sea of white people for its new cast? It's a little jarring.
Wish they had gone the "Frasier" route...with only one, maybe two characters relocating to the Med School. Less JD please. However, show has earned my trustfor future eps.
I was hoping when the security guard mentioned Bel Biv Devo that there would be a totally awesome flashback to Turk dancing. It wouldn't have made sense since Turk wasn't there, but who cares! :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crb5pmEi-nA
Michael Mosley was the disgruntled Iraq vet in the final season of The Wire: the d-bag reporter interviewed him under the train tracks and later lied about what they ate.
I was going crazy trying to place him last night, until I checked his imdb page and saw The Wire credits.
I was also going crazy over how I knew Cole (aka James Franco's brother), and I finally had to look HIM up too.
I can't hate that character, because that kid did the funniest work on the Funny or Die shorts "Acting with James Franco." He gets all the straight man bits, but he is really funny in several places, especially when they're playing a scene from Rebel without a Cause and James tries to make "Davie" sniff the jacket. "I don't want to sniff it!"
"Marlan Brando sniffed jackets... he sniffed pants!"
http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/f12ee4dfcf/acting-with-james-franco-episode-1-sense-memory-from-james-franco-judd-apatow-dave-franco-and-cohenobrien
There are 3 separate shorts, and a hilarious followup by their mom. Whenever I get blue, I go watch those and cheer right up.
Despite liking the dynamic (and jokes!) between Jo and Drew, overall, I was severely disappointed by these two eps. Most everything seemed completely off, and Lucy is just damn annoying. Still, I did laugh at Denise & Drew, and of course, The Todd, plus I lurve me some Turk & Perry, so I'll probably keep torturing myself by watching.
All in all I enjoyed it but there are some issues and potential issues stemming from both new and returning characters. I'll just kind of break it down by character...
For the returning characters...
J.D. - Okay I really enjoy seeing J.D. back but the problem is he has always been such a large part of Scrubs, being the central character and all. I thought he would become a background/cameo character in this new spin-off but he was extremely prominent, just as much as Turk and Cox. He was also given a huge role in the fact that he will be Lucy's mentor. I just don't see how they can possibly remove him from the show, especially after they have ingrained him so much with the new main character. The interesting thing is he is listed as a starring role (and first billed to boot) and not a guest cast member at all on the episodes. Is it possible that Zach Braff decided to do the full season instead of the 6 episodes people have talked of so much? I would be pretty happy if that's true but if he does only end up doing 6 I really wonder how the show will work without him, especially since these two episodes have shown that he is still extremely important to have around.
Turk - Turk is the same old same old really which is both good and bad. I hope he does have a chance to evolve in this new series a bit but it is also nice to have some familiarity in a sea of new people. After J.D. leaves maybe the dynamic will change a bit and I do have to say the "Eagle" bit is past old, but overall he's fine.
Cox - Cox is Cox and I think he is probably the only character I don't mind being completely like he currently is for the remainder of the show.
Kelso and Todd - It seems like these two will pop up for at least a scene or two every episode which is fine by me. Neither of them really got many episodes fully dedicated to them but they have always been a great source of amusing asides and that tradition seems to continue here.
Denise - I wasn't very big on the new interns last season but they slowly grew on me and I am at the point where I do like her and feel she fits with the rest of the cast. She seems to be up to the task of having a larger role in this new show though I am wondering how they will change her to actually make her more interesting. The fact that I do kind of like her now though gives me hope that even if I don't like all the new characters I may eventually. I also find it a bit strange that she is the only intern introduced last season to return.
New characters...
Drew - Easily the best new character, I am already pretty interested in his story and a character that already has the medical knowledge to be past the stage he is at being stuck with the other newbies is an interesting character we really haven't seen yet. He also gives off vibes of a potential young Cox which is another intriguing aspect.
Cole - I really don't like Cole at all. He seems extremely one-dimensional and completely unlikable. Maybe this will change but for now I am cold to him.
Australian Girl - I didn't catch her name but they seemed to feature her enough in both episodes that she'll probably be a recurring, if not main, character. My big problem is so far they have used her in very one-dimensional ways like pretending not to understand her accent or just saying she has the body of a super-model over and over. While both may be true she has shown she actually knows what she is doing and more than that. She could be a very good, likable, and intelligent character if they actually go that route. Of course she may also become a background character who is unimportant but I hope they don't go that route as right now she is infinitely more interesting than say, Cole.
Lucy - Okay this is the character I have the biggest issue with which is a bad thing considering she is now supposedly the main character. At times she seems like J.D., at times like Elliot, and at times her own thing. She seems way too much like stuff we have already seen and overall I would say she isn't nearly as likable as either of the aforementioned characters. Also, the voice-over just does not work for her. It has worked for J.D. great and even for some of the other characters on occasion but this is definitely an element that should be dropped if she is going to stay the main character, it just doesn't work for her character. It also isn't good that next to Cole she is the most unlikable character in the new series. I would have been much happier if the focus had been on Cox or Turk or even Denise or Drew. As it stands this is probably the biggest threat to the potential of the show, especially when J.D. leaves.
I expected it to be totally craptastic, and instead, I was quite pleased. I really liked it. Especially the second episode. Like many of you, I suspect I will prefer it after Braff's departure. I've always liked Cox (!) and Turk, and I think both Faison and McGinley are perfectly capable of carrying the show. And Drew is fantastic!
I was mostly jarred by the fact that there are now 3 principle characters that are sarcastic/cruel/deadpan (Cox, Denise, Drew). Not quite sure how that will work....
I think Scrubs:"Bastard Edition" should make all guest stars be from failed spinoffs. Joanie & Chachi, Joey, Guys from AfterMash, David Carusso....
Dave S: Seconded! I can't remember the last time I was this dismayed by the lack of diversity in a new show (or in this case, "new") and was this dismayed. Not that it's a bad cast, but it's still the one big thing that felt really off to me.
Everyone at my house liked it (and this is the only show I like that my roommate will watch. my brother came over to watch)
even on my analog DVR it was shiny and pretty - did it switch to HD, or video rather than film, or something?
Wish JD would grow up and also not be so corny (like Ted Mosby who tells jokes like a dad). He got his "hug" fron Cox, he should be over that.
I liked Lucy. I found her licking fantasy way out of character but it reminded me of Ally McBeal fantasies, so I didn't mind as much.
I *loved* the Lifetime movie fantasy.
It was nice to see Dr Phlox again (his wife is the General on Chuck)
He's always a patient when I see him but i'll have to credit that to I watch too many doctor shows and having said that, with ER gone, I'm glad Scrubs is not.
I did, however, question all the med students working in the hospital on their first day of their first year of med school. That seemed wrong (and is not being done on Brothers & Sisters). Cadavers, I believe. I'm not sure about clinical.
Loved the Janitor quitting.
Can't relate to any one the new students except Lucy (loved the mentoring but in real life that touching would be verboten). The old med student and the rich one - had trouble telling them apart.
Overall, happy and hoping there is more classroom teaching in this one (and more teaching and learning on Grey's -they get it, and just as fast they forget about it).
Heard Christa was responsible for much music on Scrubs - what now?
I've only seen 3 eps of Cougartown but I wish they had the 13 and this had the 22. That show just annoys me.
(comment posted twice)
Forgot to mention, we watched live, on the shiny Digital channel, and then I watched again, on the almost as shiny DVR recording.
Nice to hear JD and Elliot got married (which had not happened when Scrubs, original recipe ended)
@Pamela Jaye: Christa Miller actually is billed as "Music Supervisor" in the end credits now in season 9 so she probably is indeed still responsible for much of the music in it :)
My husband and I hated it. We took it off of our DVR Season Pass. I'm going to pretend that I never saw these and just look back fondly on last year's finale.
I seem to be in the minority but I am really tired of Dr. Cox. It felt like he had grown during the regular show's run and was no longer the snarling put down guy. In his current state I find him really boring.
So I did miss the first few minutes of the show. When did Dr. Cox and the rest become a professor? While he would teach the residents it seems odd to me he would volunteer to do more teaching than he had to (in med school as opposed to residents.) I'm sure I'm missing something obvious but help!
Otherwise I thought it was okay. Some fun characters. Not sure I'll bother to check in each week as it seems mostly more of the same and not as strong as the original (in its heyday.)
This is a little late, but we could talk about the atrocious ratings the episodes got (about 4.5 million, according to Zap2it.com). It has never excelled in the ratings, but why the drop? I would have thought the commercials would have drawn in some new viewers, but instead they seem to have repelled old ones.
not to be a bum but was anybody else out there bothered by the fact that the show gets med school absolutely wrong?
@MM slightly. Can you elaborate?
@Christian, thanks. I didn't see that.
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