Before I left for Los Angeles, I got on the phone with Scrubs creator and executive producer Bill Lawrence to talk about this coming Thursday's musical episode. What I got was a pretty wide-ranging interview about Scrubs, his other project, Nobody's Watching, the evils of network "testing," his opinions on other shows, and a bunch of other stuff.He's pretty sure that the show will come back for a seventh season. "It's becoming apparent that it'll be up to us if the show is on again this year, so we'll do one more year," he told me. "Again, the same as last year, I came into this year going 'Ah, it's the fucking last year of this show,' and now we're downstairs scrambling because our studio is like, 'This isn't the last year.' So now we have to re-outline all the stories and change it and all that shit."
Because Zach Braff has mentioned that this season might be his last, I asked Lawrence if a seventh season will include Braff. "I think I'd only do the show with Zach, personally," he said.
The musical episode recharged everyone, including Braff. It also doesn't hurt that he's getting a bunch of Emmy and Golden Globe nominations, either, said Lawrence. "It's a good gig. And it's kind of a bleak landscape out there. So I think it's just a matter of once we got this far into the year, (you) realize one more year is really only six months for an actor. I think he's up for doing one more."
More interesting tidbits from the interview, which I'll post on Wednesday:
- Later this season, one of the characters who has been around for the show's entire run will be killed. There is online speculation as to who it'll be, and Lawrence has seen it. "They're all over the map," said Lawrence. "Some people have gotten it right, and other people are completely wrong." It won't be one of those 'he had one line a year' characters, however.
- Here's something he's never told anyone before: there's a reason why The Todd is in a "banana hammock" so much: "We demand on our show equal amounts of male and female nudity. Because one of the things I swore to the female actors on the show was, 'You guys will have to be in skimpy lingerie and doing sexy shit, but I promise you, for every time one of you guys is like that one of the male characters will be like that.'" So if you're cringing at Zach Braff in his tighty-whities, you know its your penance for seeing Sarah Chalke in her bra.
- For the musical episode, Lawrence confirmed that they used the cafeteria as "a very cheesy New York City theater rehearsal space," with mirrors and everything. They had 50 professional dancers, as well as the cast, rehearsing for this event, which they decided to do because they thought this was going to be the last season.
- Because Judy Reyes' broken hip needed time to heal, her big dance scene was only filmed two weeks ago. But she's "100% bounced back" from the injury, according to Lawrence.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1-15-2007 @ 2:40PM
Randy said...
Good to see that they're only considering a 7th season if Braff stays.
I wonder who will die during this season? I hope that it's someone who is more of a "secondary character", even one who's been there for the whole show. Maybe Keith or something. I don't want to see Kelso, Todd, or The Janitor die.
The equal male and female nudity cracks me up. I guess I can stomach shirtless JD and Todd scenes for sexy glimpses of Elliot.
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1-15-2007 @ 2:42PM
BillyBob said...
This show has lost it's magic this year.
Let it die.
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1-15-2007 @ 3:33PM
Doron said...
Yeah, this season has been quite weak. Everyone is bitching about Lost, but Scrubs is really the show that seems to have lost it this season. Though the episodes are finally getting better.
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1-15-2007 @ 4:53PM
Melanie said...
Yeah, I'm going to have to agree, though it kills me to do it -- they need to let Scrubs die. Zach Braff is really phoning it in this season, but I can't imagine the show without JD. He's really ruining this season for me. Ugh.
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1-15-2007 @ 5:28PM
David said...
The difference is people watched Lost in the first place and are ditching when few people watched Shrubs at all anyways.
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1-15-2007 @ 6:48PM
JG said...
I totally disagree. I think every show this season has been great. It will be great to have another season of Scrubs, the best live action comdey on TV.
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1-15-2007 @ 7:16PM
Randy said...
Yeah, I don't think we can call this a bad season after, what, 4 episodes? I thought season 4 wasn't as good, but season 5 picked it up again well in my opinion.
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1-15-2007 @ 9:07PM
tv junkie said...
I think all the shows started off weak this season, not just Scrubs or Lost, but Grey's Anatomy, Veronica Mars, and others as well. But hopefully and surely, they all began to gear up a few episodes in. It's too early to tell whether or not this season's gonna suck, but I think it's still too early to tell anyway. Beside Dr. Cox's hair problem and some of Zach's somewhat unenthusiastic performance, I think rest of the cast and this season has been fine so far.
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1-16-2007 @ 12:04AM
David said...
It *truly* pains me to agree as this was my favorite show on television, but definitely let sleeping dogs lie.
The season premiere was awful, and the following episodes almost as bad. Initially I was very bummed out to hear that this season was going to be Scrubs' last, but better canceled than linger on past it's prime.
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1-16-2007 @ 2:26AM
Paola said...
I do love Bill Lawrence! It's great Zach decided to stay for another season. Leaving the show in its last year would have be pretty mean by him.
I'm kinda enjoying season 6 and can't wait to see the musical episode. It really looks great.
I'm confident the quality will improve again as the season go on.
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1-16-2007 @ 3:31AM
Mike said...
Too many pregnancies and babies. So long Scrubs, nothing lasts forever.
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1-16-2007 @ 2:24PM
Mike said...
"I wonder who will die during this season? I hope that it's someone who is more of a 'secondary character', even one who's been there for the whole show. Maybe Keith or something. I don't want to see Kelso, Todd, or The Janitor die."
Keith hasn't been on the show for its whole run. My guess is it will possibly be Jordan. Think of the awesome plotlines that would arise from Cox losing Jordan. He would go bonkers. Completely bonkers. So, now that I'm thinking about it, that's probably my official guess. Although I wouldn't be surprised if it was someone else. But I would doubt that it's one of the big four.
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1-16-2007 @ 5:48PM
Kevin said...
How can you call the show dead with the big musical episode right around the corner? I'm really happy there's going to be another season, it seemed like they rushed the plot along at the end of last season. As far as the death, my money's on Nurse Roberts.
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1-16-2007 @ 8:28PM
Wakaas said...
I will agree with the general concensus that the first episode started off poorly but since then it has picked up and is almost back to its best. For those of you who are unconvinced hopefully the Musical will re-energise your love of scrubs.
As for the character being killed off, I hope it is going to be Elliot, I think at times she is infuriating hence why I will have no problem with letting her go.
My gut feeling is that it will be Kim, after the birth of her and JDs child, poor JD will be left alone again with a big problem. Then JD/Turk and Cox will find a way through it.
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1-16-2007 @ 9:52PM
Randy said...
"Keith hasn't been on the show for its whole run. My guess is it will possibly be Jordan. Think of the awesome plotlines that would arise from Cox losing Jordan. He would go bonkers. Completely bonkers. So, now that I'm thinking about it, that's probably my official guess. Although I wouldn't be surprised if it was someone else. But I would doubt that it's one of the big four."
-----------------------
Whoops, my mistake, I was thinking of Doug (nervous guy). I think he was there since early in season 1.
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1-17-2007 @ 2:14PM
Heather said...
Is it Dr. Kelso(sp?)who is killed? That would enable Perry to take his place - though I don't think that's in his "character". Thursday night is the best night of the week for us - we get to watch THREE episodes of Scrubs! -The Comedy Channel runs back-to-back episodes 6 days a week(7-8pm EDT). No matter what craziness transpires in our chaotic lives- my 11yr old son and I sit down to dinner each night, with these characters, who are humble, honest, portray actual types of people that you really might know, who make you drop your jaw sometimes, but ALWAYS make you laugh your ass off! I don't know how you chose these actors, but they literally mesh together SO perfectly, with fantastic guest stars, one would think God himself had chosen them(I know: over the top, but seriously!) And, to all you whiners out there, sorry the show brought a touch of reality to ya, with Carla's post-partum issue, and Dr. Cox's shut in - you'll get over it.
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1-18-2007 @ 10:13AM
dan said...
i think it will be nurse roberts or kelso. it's usually an old person who wants to retire. my money's on nurse roberts
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1-22-2007 @ 3:10PM
jonathan spooner said...
I'm happy to hear there could be a 7th season. I think there is plenty going on that I'd love to see. It would be nice of zach to see a 7th season through as everyone has a 7 year contract, it would be a nice "thankyou" to the fans who have bettered his career by watching the show.
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2-09-2007 @ 1:14PM
J said...
Why is everyone being so bitchy about season 5 of scrubs it brought some reality into it. I for one and annoyed that the show will end after season 7, i think it couldve lasted longer.
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2-17-2007 @ 4:43PM
brett said...
seeing some of the responses this story has gotten has made me a little ill. i never knew fans of tv could be just as bad as fans of music. you insist you are a true fan then there is a little change and you are ready to give up on that "band" that has made you love music so much, or in this case a tv show. i personally love scrubs. the show has been awesome to me so far cause i have noticed that throughout the years season to season each character has grown a good bit. zach braff is finally at the stage in the show where he is finally realizing that it is time to make something happen. it is time to settle down and act more like an adult. this whole baby ordeal though is quite intricate. it is gonna bug me all season because i really want jd to find out he is a father. someone will die this season, and hopefully it is a main character so we can see who will stick around even if they don't like who they choose. but in my prediction for where the show is going i have one outcome. season 7 will happen. jd will find out he is a dad. carla and turk will have another baby. jd will find out he is the father and will leave sacred heart and go to sarah chalke to be with her and his baby and get a job there. dr cox will miss jd and the hospital will never be the same but dr. cox will pick out his new barbra(jd). the hospital will go on and it will be a sad but happy ending, although if doctor cox dies, i still see jd making moves, but instead of him going to his child sarah chalke will come to him. that is how i hope the show will go. this is one of the few tv shows i love cause i dont like tv, but it will always be my favorite. thanks for reading if you did, and just remember seeing as to how i am in a band and know how they work, the "band" doesnt leave the "fans", the "fans" abandon the "band".
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