Comedy Series Review: Scrubs

The original main cast of Scrubs

If you like cutaway gags, bromance, slapstick and a fast-paced screenplay, chances are you will enjoy Scrubs. This medical comedy-drama premiered in 2001 survived for 9 seasons, which is remarkable in today’s fast-changing television world. So why did this show survive that long? And why did it end?

Character development

When Scrubs first started, the main characters (J.D. and Turk) were two interns in the Sacred Heart hospital, still learning to be real doctors. J.D. was training to be an attending physician, whereas Turk was training to be a surgeon. Throughout the series the characters mature and rise through the ranks, resulting in J.D. eventually leaving the hospital to become a residency director in a different hospital. Turk becomes Chief of Surgery. In the last season both J.D. and Turk work as teachers in Winston University, while Turk continues his work as Chief of Surgery. This way of developing characters offers the audience a chance to bond with the characters over time. Also, since the audience ages at approximately the same rate as the actors and characters, it stays easy for the viewer to feel connected with the characters.

Humour

Although there is plenty of (romantic) drama in Scrubs, it is also full of humour. As a result of this, in many countries it is aired by Comedy Central; a broadcasting company focused on humour and comedy. The humour in the series takes on many forms, the most recurrent being slapstick and bromance and cutaway gags, in the form of vignets which can often be surreal.

The slapstick in the series is often due to the janitor, usually simply called Janitor, who is in a constant battle with J.D. This started with J.D. allegedly sabotaging a door with a penny, causing Janitor to have to repair it. This prompts Janitor to seek revenge, often by hurting J.D. in any way he sees fit.

J.D. and Turk have a special relationship, described as a bromance, or guy-love. They are not in any way romantically involved, but their friendship goes way beyond the levels most people are comfortable with. This results in hilarious situations, especially when they are ridiculed for it and try to change their ways.

A major motive in the series is J.D.’s fantasies. These come in the shape of him dreaming away and imagining a situation developing in an often absurd manner. In later seasons it becomes apparent his co-workers are aware of this and sometimes imitate him. Also some other characters in the series are shown to have similar fantasies.

Janitor

Drama

Although this blog focuses on humour it’s impossible to discuss Scrubs without mentioning the
drama. There’s a lot of it, but it’s executed in a way many people don’t find disturbing. It doesn’t impede the humour and on occasion it actually contributes to the comedy. Much of the drama involved includes J.D. and his relationships, notably with Elliot Reid, another intern and later doctor, as well as with Kim Briggs, a doctor and the mother of J.D.’s first child. The dialogue and roles within the relationships are generally well-written and realistic enough to be relatable, but still weird enough to be funny.

The end

After the seventh season Scrubs was well-known, well-loved and popular around the globe. At this point NBC announced it would not continue with an eighth season and it appeared as though the series was to end at its peak. Then ABC announced it would be airing an eighth season and then aired a ninth season as well. During these two seasons extra characters were introduced, some of the main characters got lesser parts or completely disappeared and the focus shifted from J.D. and Turk to Lucy Bennet, who takes over narration from J.D. after only a few episodes of introduction.

These changes alienated a large part of the series’ audience and resulted in it being cancelled after the 9^th season. This is a pity, since the series was so strong and popular and, had it been cancelled after season 7 or 8, would have been fondly remembered for years to come. Although the series still has some following and is still being broadcast in different countries, it is not as popular as it used to be and it probably never will be again. The older seasons are still quite popular though and the DVDs featuring the older seasons are well-sold around the world and that is the true legacy left behind by J.D., Turk, Janitor, and all the other marvellous cast from Scrubs.