Wings For Wheels

It’s rare that a great TV show out on a high note. Usually by the time a long-running show goes off the air, it’s a shell of its former self. But Scrubs definitely did it last night. They managed to wrap up the storylines of the season, and its eight years, with its always-satisfying blend of humor and emotion. JD’s walk down the hallway one last time, followed by a glimpse into his future – dare I say it – really did come close to the famous last scenes of M*A*S*H and Mary Tyler Moore, still the gold standards for final episodes.

But there’s been a lot of talk lately about whether or not Scrubs will continue for a ninth season. In a fantastic interview with Will Harris, show creator Bill Lawrence lays out a pretty good case for it.

[N]o one ever focuses on the fact that television is a business. Right? No writers ever seem to take the time…well, I think Alan Sepinwall did in one review…to say, “Hey, in an industry where there used to be fifty comedies and there’s now probably only eight live-action comedies, and in a horrible economy, 105 friends of Bill Lawrence’s work on the show ‘Scrubs,’ and he’s supposed to pass on doing a ninth year so that they have a ninth year of employment because he’s worried about some legacy or because somebody thinks it’s going to cheapen the finale.” To me, that’s not real life. For me, I always go, “Legacy shmegacy.” I’m really proud of the show, I’ll continue to be proud of the show, but I love all of those people, and if there’s a way they can continue to have a job for another year…? It’s not, like, “Hey, they’ll either work on ‘Scrubs’ or something else.” The landscape out there, as I’m sure you know, Will, is bleak. They’ll work on ‘Scrubs,’ or they’re gonna work hand to mouth, trying to do commercials or find jobs here and there.

I think that speaks volumes about why the humanity on Scrubs never came across as forced. It means more to Lawrence to keep his friends employed than to worry about what critics are going to say about it.

I’m of two minds on the idea of a ninth season. As I wrote above, it went out on such a great note that you want that to be a final memory. For a show that, from the beginning, integrated music into its storylines so well, the montage with Peter Gabriel’s version of The Magnetic Fields’ The Book Of Love was particularly moving.

But this season Lawrence and co. planted enough seeds, with new characters and story lines to keep things interesting. Still, an overhaul will be needed, and I have my own ideas about that.

Of the six stars, keep only Cox, Turk and Carla. But make Carla a stay-at-home Mom. Over the past few seasons, Carla has been less defined by her role as a nurse and the peacemaker between Cox and the interns, and more as a mother. With the second child on the way, and Turk’s promotion to Chief Of Surgery, that transition can easily be justified.

In his new position, Turk, who I never thought was a particularly deep character (part of his charm, actually), can finally grow as he handles the new responsibility and life at Sacred Heart without JD and Carla.

Cox has always been the soul of the show. Nobody can replace what he brought to the table. By the way, who else among us last night said, “And Hugh Jackman!” when replaying that rant?

Despite my huge crush on Sarah Chalke, she can’t stay. Her character grew the most during the show’s run, with several transformations, Maybe I can see her taking over Cox’s old job as Chief Of Medicine, but I’m worried that she’d be too tied to the past. Would we want her to fill us in on what JD is doing? Unless that can turn into some sort of running gag, and JD becomes Vera to Elliott’s Norm Peterson – the unseen foil – I can’t see how that would work.

As for Kelso, his character was wrapped up too neatly this season to see him return. It was fun to see his Tuscaloosa heart return, especially in those scenes with Cox.

The unsung heroes of Scrubs has always been the B-list. The Todd, the Janitor, Ted, Jordan, Laverne (RIP), Doug (where was he last night?). But, like the A-list, they also need an overhaul. Keep the Janitor for his improv digressions which brightened up even the worst episodes, and Jordan, to knock Cox down a peg or two when he needs it most. Face it, if ABC won’t let The Todd “hammock up,” what else is there to him?

And there were enough good stories with the interns to build on for another season. It could be interesting to see Sunny lose her cheerfulness or Denise soften up. And that guy with the glasses, whose name escapes me, could be a very good foil for Cox. They were definitely the new blood the series could have used a few years ago.

If you want to read other takes on the was-it-or-wasn’t-it last episode of Scrubs, check out Brian’s take, and then What’s Alan Watching?.