Can Scrubs be Scrubs without JD (Zach Braff)?
That is the question in everyone’s mind, especially die-hard Scrubs fans, as talks are reportedly underway for the ABC comedy to return for a ninth season. The catch is that both Braff and Judy Reyes have categorically stated that this would be their last season on the show. As for the other cast members – Donald Faison, John C. McGinley and Neil Flynn – all of them have booked pilots for spring that should get first priority should they get picked up. When such happens, JD, Nurse Carla, Turk, Dr. Cox, and Janitor would at best have recurring roles on the series they are now most known for.
Scrubs creator Bill Lawrence has apparently foreseen this scenario, and he is now negotiating to bring back the series with some or all of the original cast members in full- or part-time roles. Lawrence, who’s also working on the Courtney Cox pilot Cougar Town, is talking with the network, the studio, and the cast, to make Scrubs a “comedy version of ER with a revolving cast.”
This early, some fans are already wondering if a JD-less Scrubs would fly at all. A salvaged Scrubs will most probably focus on new interns introduced this year, played by Sonal Shah, Eliza Coupe, Betsy Beutler and Todd Bosley.
The renewal buzz seems to be due to the show garnering solid ratings on its Wednesday spot after moving from NBC to ABC. It has also proven to be a fine lead-in for rookie comedy Better Off Ted, which is also being eyes for renewal.
Asked in the beginning of the year about the odds of Scrubs being renewed, Lawrence said it was out of his hands because “it’s a financial and business decision and not a creative one.”
– Glenn Diaz, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: TV Guide, Entertainment Weekly
(Image courtesy of ABC)
Staff Writer, BuddyTV
