Why "Scrubs" is the Funniest Show on Television

I was a huge Sopranos fan. In fact, it was the only television show I watched for several years. When Sopranos ended, I was like millions of watchers; depressed, infuriated, and asking myself the same question, “will television ever be the same?” Television today is mostly reality based, and while it is fun, mindless entertainment for the viewers out in never land, there has been a lack of sustentative, creative, witty shows in the last decade. The last show on network TV I remember watching with any true interest was “Seinfeld”. Now, I come from the “Golden Girls”, “T.J. Hooker”, “Simon & Simon” and “Fall Guy”, “Miami Vice” era of television, so some might be resistant about my television choice, but whether one agrees about liking these shows, one cannot deny they were creative and in some ways, groundbreaking.

After the “Sopranos” ended, I found myself in remote control, never ending channel surfing mode. Low and behold, there was a saving grace that made me ask myself the life altering question, “Why haven't I been watching this all along?” Bill Lawrence had created a witty, wry little show called “Scrubs”. It seemed to have had a cult following the past seven years, and I immediately understood why. Lawrence and his team of writers had come up with new, inventive ways to showcase the sitcom - and it was 30 minutes of bliss induced laughter that went far beyond “Desperate Housewives”, “Two and a Half Men” or any other show on television. I quickly caught up on reruns on Comedy Central, and Just like JD and Turk can't resist watching their favorite shows over and over, I found myself glued to every episode.

Over the past seven years, Lawrence and his great cast, the cutie and uber -talented Zach Braff, Donald Faison, Ken Jenkins, Sarah Chalke and John C. McGinley, have quietly made a television show based on a new doctor's internal thoughts and his relationship with his best friends and his mentor. The concept may not seem anything original but the cast and writing make the show's timing and nuance perfect. If there is one weak spot in the entire show, it is the fact that it is only 30 minutes instead of an hour. There is no show as imaginative, hilarious, and filled with flawless acting as “Scrubs”.

The writers strike last year put a major question mark on the once destined fate of the show. Lawrence had decided to end the show after the seventh season. But the writers strike came along and threw all the networks a curveball. There were issues to be had on the table, and it was understandable. However, it put “Scrubs” in jeopardy. Viewers, fans, and even the creator and cast of the show were left to wonder if the show would just abruptly end and vanish into thin air without any resolution to the major story lines. One thing that the Sopranos proved was that viewers want resolution, and such was the case with "Scrubs”. ABC eventually stepped up to the plate and is giving Lawrence the opportunity to end the show properly with a final eighth season in the fall.

The question becomes, is it the right time to end the show? Obviously Lawrence feels it is the right way to exit. But there are so many more avenues to explore with these characters and so many new forms to try (the musical episode has to be one of the single best episodes of television in the last 20 years) and story lines that could be followed. I hate to see it go. I will be watching in the fall, glued just like the rest of the cult followers out there, and when it"s over, I will say goodbye to Elliot, JD, Turk, Carla, Dr. Cox, and Dr. Kelso, and quietly thank them for the viewing pleasure, the ingenious, inspired, and just plain funny show that made all of us laugh.