Can it survive?
Scrubbing in?: Donald, Judy, John, Zach, Sarah, Neil and Ken
Never suspecting ABC America would renew the program, and their contracts up, most of the cast did pilots for new shows, Sarah Chalke (Elliot) was seemingly ready to segue seamlessly into her recurring role on How I Met Your Mother, Zach Braff pretended people wanted to see him in movies and creator Bill Lawrence moved on to new show Cougar Town with Courteney Cox.
But then ABC did want it back. But with half the cast gone, what were they to do?
“First and foremost,” blogs Zach, “if any of you were in a position to put about 200 people whom you really loved back to work in this economy, you would do it in a second.”
So Bill has set to work to create a new show that Zach describes as being “in the spirit of Frasier being a new chapter of Cheers.” Which would traditionally be called a spin-off, but the nervous network has decided against giving the show a new name, lest it scare off viewers. Instead they will be greeted with a new show with the old name (I’m hoping there will at least be an on-screen subtitle, just because I’m a bit of a nerd).
The new series will no longer be set in the hospital full-time, and will instead move to a medical school where Dr. Cox (John C. McGinley) and Turk (Donald Faison) now teach.
“If the show is just Scrubs again in the hospital with a different person's voiceover, it would be a disaster and people would be mad,” says Bill.
Zach, Sarah, Judy Reyes (Carla) and Ken Jenkins (Dr Kelso) will make guest appearances, but so far it looks as if Neil Flynn (The Janitor) is out, as his pilot actually got picked up – he’ll star opposite Patricia Heaton in her new sitcom The Middle. But given that is also on ABC there might be hope for him visiting too.
Says Zach, “I will be in the first six episodes of this new incarnation to help transition the show into what it will become.”
Judy was so pasted into this photo later.“Med students in their first three years have to spend anywhere from 10 to 50 percent of their time at a hospital,” Bill reasons. “And that's when you'll see some of the [oldies]. Continuity-wise, Sacred Heart will still exist with those people still working there.”
The biggest surprise is set to be a new “name” cast member to plug the Zach-sized hole.
“[ABC] is really after us to hire a big name,” Bill says. “So one of them will be fairly famous.”
I’m hoping for Matthew Perry, but I just made that up now and I can’t imagine he would say yes in a million years. (Bill, please offer it to him! Matt, please say yes!)
While Scrubs fans are already sharpening their knives (honestly, nothing can be as bad as The Janitor’s wedding episodes) Zach urges them to wait and see before stabbing.
“Don't hate it until you see what [Bill] comes up with,” he pleads. “Once it’s up and going there will be plenty of time for you to decide whether you love it or hate it.”
Bring it and let the merciless judging begin!
Scott Keenan
Remember when (no) scrubs was just that TLC song?
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