SCRUBS SEASON 9 AND WHY NEXT WEEK IS STILL A SERIES FINALE TO ME
Hello again, hello (that's a Neil Diamond quote that means a lot to me). President Obama doesn't seem to realize how important the last two episodes of SCRUBS are to a small handful of important people. ABC is nicely putting our penultimate episode on Tuesday before the hour long finale Wednesday. I think fans will be really happy with the last episode - I'm really proud of it.

It looks like we might get to do another season of SCRUBS, but next week still marks the end as we know it. I say this because when the news broke that SCRUBS might be back I read a lot of nice things, but also was treated to a lot of "It'll suck!", "Oh, no!", "Let it die!", "You'll ruin it's legacy!", type stuff. I even went on Joel Keller's TV SQUAD blog and went after him a bit (all in fun, I like Joel). See, here are my issues/problems with those responses:

How does anyone know it'll suck? Look, I love television and am very aware of shows that have gone on too long. In many ways, I felt SCRUBS was ready to end last year but the writer's strike and NBC screwed that up. I've always said that if the show moves forward, it would have to be new - like Frasier was to Cheers (which, by the way, I still would've watched if it was called "AFTERCHEERS", or "Cheers; the pompous guy from the bar"). I would never just pick up next year with different characters/actors and move forward as if nothing happened. Nor, as many have suggested, would next year be a show called "The Interns", in which all the new characters we introduced are the stars (though I really liked Eliza Coupe a lot).

The legacy issue: who gives a crap. Legacy-schmegacy, it's a tv show and nothing can happen that will make me not proud of it.

But Neil, Johnny C., and Donald all have new jobs... no they don't. They shot PILOTS, and I hope for their sake some of them get on TV but the odds are always against PILOTS. Everyone else (including Zach) is around.

I guess what really bugs me the most is the pre-judgement I've been hearing/reading. Look, I never have issue with people saying my show sucks, as in, "I watched it, and it sucked so much it made me angry and sad at the same time." No one has seen next year yet, or even knows what it's about or who is in it. Guess what - it may end up sucking. I've made some sucky episodes before, hell, I've made some sucky pilots, but I'll say this (as I did on Joel's blog): If I had to bet on my production team (and me) or a different group of writer/actors doing a brand new show - I'm betting on us. Because I'm cocky, and also because we aren't betting actual money - this is just a hypothetical.

The things I promise: If SCRUBS comes back it will not be the same show, thus cheapening the finale. It will not be a lame imitation of the original. We will work our butts off (Yes, I will work on it, too - I'm too much of a control freak to totally let it go) to make it new and interesting and surprising and different and redundant synonym. Don't get me wrong, it may still suck. But if it does, it will not be a fizzle-suck. It will suck in a truly grand, disasterous way. Just give it a chance, AND THEN be outraged and hate it. Thanks,

Bill

April 29, 2009Comments ( 3 )

This post was edited on 4/29/09 at 2:09 pm