Scrubs creator Bill Lawrence recently did an interview with TV Guide's Michael Ausiello and took NBC to task for its shoddy treatment of the show. The network cut the comedy's final season short, but the show is getting a second chance on ABC. Lawrence slammed his former network bosses for denying him the opportunity to conclude the show properly, and discussed Scrubs' future on ABC. Here's a brief recap of the interview:- Once the strike was over, Lawrence told NBC that he could finish up the season in three episodes instead of the planned seven. NBC had no interest in wrapping up the season in a way that would satisfy fans.
- He was unhappy with NBC's choice to air "My Princess" as the series finale. The episode was meant to air mid-season, and Lawrence never wanted it to be the season or series finale.
- NBC gave Lawrence the chance to film a one-hour finale, but only offered to pay for half of it. The network initially wanted ABC to incur all of the episode's expenses, but ABC rejected that idea.
- The ABC version of Scrubs will still be a comedy, but Lawrence wants to move away from the "incredibly broad, unrealistic moments and fantasies that were both in reality and not in reality." He's hoping to use more of the character-based comedy from the show's second and third seasons.
- ABC's budget cuts will have a few implications, but Lawrence doesn't expect fans to notice anything. The writing staff is smaller, the episodes are going to be filmed in four-and-a-half days instead of five, and every cast member will take two episodes off.
- Ken Jenkins, who plays Dr. Kelso, is still a series regular. He'll interact mainly with Dr. Cox, the new Chief of Medicine.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
5-15-2008 @ 11:14AM
MadMup said...
I, too, have been frustrated with how NBC has handled Scrubs through the years - it never seemed like it was given a fair shake.
That said, I am looking forward to more Scrubs, because any Scrubs is better than no Scrubs!
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5-15-2008 @ 11:33AM
Jen said...
I think he's being pretty ungrateful to a network that kept his show around for 7 yrs even though it was never a huge ratings hit or a big Emmy winner. The show's ratings are lower than ever and it's been in a creative slump for some time now. So why should he get another year or even another 3-7 episodes to wrap things up. Scrubs isn't so serialized that it would take more than 1 hour to wrap it up. Moving the show to a new network when it's already past its expiration date makes no sense to me!
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5-16-2008 @ 1:56AM
Phish said...
its a vicious cycle jen! if the networks have no confidence in your show, then you will be shuffled around, switching time slots, less promotion, more budget cuts, limiting writing staff, all this and them threatening to cancel the show every 5 minutes.
this creates stress among the writers and actors and stifles pure creativity. they are under far more pressure then say, The Office cast/writers. and that comes out as uneven writing.
we have to give them the highest credit for maintaining good quality in the midst of this constant crisis.
this is still a far better show than According to Jim, and Back to you, and bill lawrence deserves credit for keeping it together!
and how come you're here blogging when According to Jim is on? u tivo-ing it?
5-15-2008 @ 11:50AM
patrick420 said...
I have been watching Scrubs since the first episode, and I think he's right. Scrubs was always treated unfairly by NBC. They changed the schedule yearly, preempted them for the Olympics two years ago, and they now they cut the budget for the final three episodes. How is a show supposed to survive with all of that going one behind the scenes? I cant wait for them to move to ABC so they can maybe get some of the credit they deserve.
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5-15-2008 @ 12:02PM
MERVE-THE-PERVE said...
I wish the networks would go back to using only shows created by their own studios. They always treat other studios shows like shit. And this also factors in when it comes time to re-new a show or cancel it.
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5-15-2008 @ 12:02PM
Chip Douglas said...
I support Bill. He has the right to wrap up his show the way he wants. I understand that NBC supported the show for seven years, but they would never have supported it if it was not making money. I hope ABC will give him the freedom to fulfill his vision. Bill is already associated with the greats like Glen Charles and Les Charles, Steve Levitan, Christopher Lloyd, and Chuck Lorre. Bill will have another hit show on whichever network he chooses.
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5-15-2008 @ 12:09PM
Jeff N. said...
"NBC had no interest in wrapping up the season in a way that would satisfy fans."
NBC did the same thing with Las Vegas which was on 5 years and they left you just hanging.
NBC has zero regard for the loyal audiences of their shows. It really is a crappy attitude.
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5-15-2008 @ 12:31PM
Derek said...
Love Scrubs. Glad ABC are picking it up. Shame nobody like ABC stepped up to save Arrested Development. With all the hype around shows like The Office, and US networks wishing they had something like it. They didn't see the gem they had.
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5-15-2008 @ 6:13PM
mikecanada said...
ABC and showtime were both wanted to pick up Arrested Developement and 20th century fox television actually agreed to a deal with showtime but Mitch hurwitz decided that he did not want to continue doing the show
5-15-2008 @ 12:34PM
Joey S. said...
I really hate NBC.
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5-15-2008 @ 12:57PM
RC said...
Is it too much to ask that Scrubs go HD for the last season? It looked so out of place on Thursday night next to Earl, 30 Rock and The Office.
http://bitsmack.com
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5-15-2008 @ 1:31PM
Duane said...
Scrubs has to end someday, so when that day comes I hope it has a proper ending, and not the horrible way that NBC tried to see it off. However, it's annoying never knowing whether a season of your favorite show is going to be the last, it makes it very hard to properly do a story arc. So pick a year, call it the end, and mean it.
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5-15-2008 @ 1:40PM
Oneiroi said...
I'm really glad they're scaling it back. I think it was around season 5...maybe 4...when everything got way too slapsticky. JD turned into an annoying clown, and everything went over the top.
But at the same time there's the issue of going through the same problems over and over on the show. If you make it a drama, you have to way to break up the monotony of some of the usual situations between the characters. Sometimes I start thinking, didn't they work through this same problem two seasons ago?
It's a tough line to balance, but they have to find a way to make it feel new while being less of a cartoon. I think Scrubs deserves a great last season, and this past run made me nervous.
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5-15-2008 @ 2:14PM
Jake said...
This and the Las Vegas sudden cancellation without a proper send off really have me concerned about NBC's trajectory. I for one will not be adding any new NBC shows to my schedule for this reason. I understand it's a business, but NBC should understand that people tune in for stories, not for advertisements. When those stories are left unfinished why should people tune into their network? If NBC ever gets another hit I'll be renting the DVD. No thanks to the prospect of investing time in a show that will be left unwritten. There are too many other alternatives.
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5-15-2008 @ 3:05PM
MosquitoControl72 said...
I do hope they go back, as I haven't really watched the past two seasons and haven't been overly enthusiastic when I have. I've caught a handful of great episodes and a handful of awful ones. The earlier seasons had higher and more regular highs.
Also: Las Vegas was on for five years? I would have guessed two. I paid such little attention. I moved to a place without a tv in my bedroom four years ago and really stopped watching for something to do and started only watching when there was something I wanted. I guess it's left me very out of touch with shows I don't follow.
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5-15-2008 @ 3:52PM
Jimmy said...
If the show were still as good as it was in Seasons One and Two, I'm sure NBC would have kept it around. Good riddance, Bill Lawrence.
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5-16-2008 @ 8:29AM
Alicia said...
Man... I'm just glad we are getting something real for the last season. NBC has never really had Scrubs "back" as it were...
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5-16-2008 @ 9:00AM
Leo said...
"Scrubs" Has been great since epi 1, Like all shows it has it's highs and low's. But without a doubt I am very happy ABC is picking it up. My Princess Really threw me a curve. I thought I missed something. As per Mr. Lawrence it is sad when you are not given the chance to finish something you started. I don't like the way NBC handled things but I will still watch the channel. Although ABC is now my number one spot. I only watch 3 TV shows Scrubs, CSI, Law and order.
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5-16-2008 @ 6:54PM
Discosis said...
Why is ABC cutting the budget?
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5-18-2008 @ 12:46AM
Cheesedude said...
I started watching Scrubs regularly in the 2006 and was hooked. I haven't missed an episode since.
There is no other show like Scrubs around. Scrubs gets into the heads of its characters. There's weird stuff going on in my head, and it seems like there is on other people's, too. It's nice to see it played out on TV.
As for Scrubs being too "slapsticky", I think some of Scrubs funniest moments are such as these. People fart, they trip, they run into closed doors--I do all of these, don't you?
There are so many great episodes of Scrubs and so many hilarious lines, that I could spend hours discussing my favorites.
I am glad Scrubs is coming back. Yes, it has had its ups and downs, but what show hasn't? Even "I Love Lucy" had a few episodes that were stinkers. Scrubs had a few great episodes this season, they had a few great ones in Season 6, and I'm sure they will have more in the future.
Thank goodness ABC picked up Scrubs! I can't wait until January 2009 so I can get more new episodes!
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