Scrubs

Scrubs: The Complete Eighth Season

Studio: Buena Vista Home Video Release Date: 08/25/2009 Run time: 414 minutes

The first episode of Scrubs' final season ends with a sly kicker in which Zach Braff's J.D. rallies his colleagues as they enter their eighth year at Sacred Heart. "It's tempting to just mail it in," he states, "but there are still a lot of people who rely on us week to week. I think we owe it to them to be as inspired as we were in our first few years. I still think we're as good as anybody else out there." Indeed, Scrubs goes out at the top of its game. "People don't change, relationships don't change," the super-friendly but soulless new Chief of Medicine Taylor Maddox (a game Courteney Cox) proclaims at the end of her all-too-brief three-episode arc. How wrong she is. J.D. and Elliott (Sarah Chalke) become a couple again without too much drama. Dr. Cox (John C. McGinley) and his dread ex-wife (Christa Miller) likewise declare their love for each other. Cox even forms a grudging friendship with his former nemesis Dr Kelso (Ken Jenkins), who in retirement has become a fixture in the hospital cafeteria where he takes full advantage of free muffins for life. Sad sack lawyer Ted (Sam Lloyd) and J.D.'s enigmatic tormentor Janitor (Neil Flynn) find someone to love, and Turk (Donald Faison) and Carla (Judy Reyes) prepare for their second child.

Things are different on the job front as well. Dr. Cox assumes the mantle of Chief of Medicine and struggles not to be overwhelmed by the bureaucracy. Bringing the show full circle, there is the next generation of interns (spin-off, anyone?) who test their mentors' patience. Eliza Coupe is a standout as Denise, who has a problem with compassion ("It's ironic that cancer starts with 'can'," she tells one patient). J.D.'s signature reveries aside, the final season goes easy on the fantasy. This season's Very Special Episode is a two-parter that takes the cast to the Bahamas for Janitor's wedding. Will Janitor finally reveal his name? Will Dr. Cox express his true feelings for J.D.? "Endings are never easy," J.D. muses in the finale. "I always build them up so much in my head, they can't possibly live up to my expectations, and I just end up disappointed." That will not be the case for loyal viewers who have stuck with Scrubs through thick and thin, NBC and ABC. If you're not moved by J.D.'s final walk through the halls of Sacred Heart or his home-movie vision of the future, then get yourself a heart transplant stat! --Donald Liebenson

Scrubs - The Complete Fourth Season

More guest stars move through the revolving door of Sacred Heart Hospital in Scrubs' fourth season, with results as uneven as the show itself. With last season's climactic end to J.D. (Zach Braff) and Elliot (Sarah Chalke)'s relationship resolved within two episodes, Heather Graham (Boogie Nights) comes on board as a cheerful psychiatrist/love interest, and Julianna Margulies (ER) as a cutthroat malpractice attorney/love interest. But the real love story of Scrubs has always been between J.D. and Turk (Donald Faison), a point that is poked fun at in the season opener, as the two joyously reunite after Turk's honeymoon with nurse Carla (Judy Reyes). Turk and Carla struggle to navigate newlywed life, made all the more complicated by J.D.'s drunken kiss with Carla. Meanwhile, at the hospital, it's Elliot who proves the more proficient doctor when she shares co-chief resident with J.D., and a few (though not enough) patient stories, including Saturday Night Live alum Molly Shannon as a chatterbox ambulance driver with a secret, Matthew Perry (Friends) as an air traffic controller estranged from his dad (played by John Perry, his real father), and in the most bizarre bit of stunt casting, Colin Farrell (Miami Vice) as an unintelligible Irishman (so, basically himself) and American Idol runner-up Clay Aiken as a singing cafeteria worker(!).

Some of Scrubs' special features this time around are ho-hum, including short vignettes on "The Mysterious Janitor" and more on J.D. and Dr. Cox. The only pleasant surprise is an audio commentary from Braff (who was absent from season three's commentaries and was ribbed in season two's disc for being too important shooting films to contribute), speaking on "My Last Chance," which he directed. Season Four is a letdown compared to the previous seasons' smooth navigation between belly laughs and heartache; here's hoping Scrubs' trademark hysterics get resuscitated for season five. --Ellen A. Kim

J.D. (Zach Braff) Elliot (Sarah Chalke) Turk (Donald Faison) Dr. Cox (John C. McGinley) and the laugh-packed cast are back on DVD in the Emmy(R) winning comedy SCRUBS: THE COMPLETE FOURTH SEASON. See the funniest guest stars yet -- including Heather Graham Colin Farrell and Chuck Woolery -- in the biggest season yet when J.D. moves out on his own and Elliot gains more confidence than ever and leaves Sacred Heart! The DVD box set is bursting with exclusive bonus features and includes the original hit music from the season.System Requirements:Running Time: 541 MinutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS Rating: TV-14 UPC: 786936299625 Manufacturer No: 04166100

Scrubs - The Complete Third Season

Movie DVD

Not content to rest on the solid pratfalls that made it famous, Scrubs stretched its legs in season three to give deeper insight into its characters. With Turk and Carla (Donald Faison and Judy Reyes) planning their season-finale wedding, J.D. (Zach Braff) once again wrestles with his feelings for fellow resident Elliot (Sarah Chalke), but her reciprocity leads to a startling revelation. Scrubs also lent numerous guest stars to its cause, including former Spin City castmates Richard Kind as a hypochondriac, Barry Bostwick as a cancer patient, and Michael J. Fox in a hilarious return to television as an obsessive-compulsive visiting surgeon. Scott Foley (Felicity) plays Elliot's devoted suitor, and Tara Reid's turn as Dr. Cox (John C. McGinley)'s sister-in-law starts out daffy and decomposes into parody. (Producers admit in episode commentary that they tried to cast Reid against type, then gave up a few episodes later and told her to just be her wild, party-going self.) But it's two returning guest stars that pack the most emotional wallop: Mad TV's Nicole Sullivan as a chirpy patient whose barely masked troubles are ignored by her doctors; and Brendan Fraser as Dr. Cox's cancer-stricken brother-in-law, Ben. Fraser's episode, entitled "My Screw Up," does a masterful job turning from comedy to tearjerker on a dime in one half-hour. It's one of the best episodes of the show's entire run, and a crime that McGinley wasn't recognized for his brilliant work.

Two episode commentaries, featuring producers, writers, and Faison, aren't as fun as in past seasons (though referring to Braff as "Chicken Little," the character he voiced in Disney's much-maligned animated film, is a notable jab). But the DVD set stuffs in way too many featurettes, including one just devoted to the stars' dogs. One complaint: The animated navigation menu takes way too long getting to the special features, it's tempting to skip them altogether. Better to just hit "play" and re-watch the episodes again. --Ellen A. Kim

Scrubs - The Complete Fifth Season

"I'm gonna have a good year, aren't I?" J.D. (Zach Braff), now an attending physician at Sacred Heart Hospital, asks in the fifth season's opening episode. All vital signs are good (the series did receive an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Comedy), but longtime Scrubs fans may be forgiven a sense of déjà vu, from J.D.'s whimsical reveries to Dr. Cox's (John C. McGinley) increasingly tiresome rants. The series itself acknowledges the palpable sense of been there, seen that with the clever episode "Déjà vu, Déjà vu." But don't pronounce Scrubs dead just yet. Directed by Braff, "My Way Home," the series' 100th episode, is a brilliantly conceived homage to The Wizard of Oz with J.D. and company finding their hearts, brains, and courage. Another powerful episode that shows a welcome maturity is "My Lunch," in which J.D. at last has lunch with his reluctant mentor, Dr. Cox, in the wake of a patient's death (happily, the music rights were secured for the DVD release so that the Fray's "How to Save a Life" is playing on the soundtrack when Dr. Cox has his own tragic setback), and the follow-up episode, "My Fallen Idol."

While Scrubs has a tendency this season to get "more ridiculous" (in one episode, Neil Flynn's Janitor defies Ken Jenkins' Dr. Kelso to secretly keep a crow in the hospital), the scalpel-sharp writing affords Braff moments that are, in his character's own words, "classic Dorian." In the episode "My Half Acre," he mixes his sports analogies to tell Elliot (Sarah Chalke), "What's waiting for me in my room is what's known, in football terms, as a slam dunk," as he mimes hitting a tennis ball. Mandy Moore, displaying a surprising knack for physical comedy, follows Tara Reid and Heather Graham as a fleeting love interest for J.D. Other character milestones include pregnancies for Carla (Judy Reyes) and two other characters best left a surprise. Good for whatever ails season 5 are this set's extras, including an entertaining series retrospective, featuring interviews with the cast and creators, as well as commentary by Braff for an extended cut of "My Way Home." --Donald Liebenson

Movie DVD

Scrubs - The Complete First Season

Movie DVD

The sitcom may be flatlining, but as long as there are fresh and original series like Scrubs, the prognosis isn't entirely negative. Created by Bill Lawrence, Scrubs is an interns'-eye view of hospital life and the torturous, tragic, and triumphant route to becoming a doctor. The eminently likeable Zach Braff heads the cast as "newbie" J.D., whose years of medical school haven't quite prepared him for chaotic Sacred Heart Hospital. Family Guy has nothing on the live-action Scrubs when it comes to surreal asides and fantasy sequences (for example, J.D. literally becomes the proverbial deer in the headlights when he cannot answer a medical query), pop culture references, and TV Land casting (John Ritter guest stars as J.D.'s negligent father in "My Old Man," and St. Elsewhere veterans William Daniels, Ed Begley, Jr., Stephen Furst, and Eric Laneuville appear as Legionnaire's-stricken doctors in "My Sacrifical Clam"). With surgical precision, this inaugural season charts J.D.'s growth as a doctor and a human being, and the close-knit bonds he forms with his equally overwhelmed peers and colleagues, including best friend and surgeon Chris Turk (Donald Faison), beautiful, but raw-nerved and by-the-book Elliot Reid (Sarah Chalke), and supportive nurse Carla Espinoza (Judy Reyes'), who affectionately nicknames J.D. "Bambi." But at the heart of the series is J.D.'s relationship with his mentor, Dr. Cox (an Emmy-worthy John C. McGinley), a cross between Obi-Wan Kenobi and a pit bull. Giving Scrubs a further shot of adrenaline are recurring characters Jordan (Christa Miller Lawrence), Dr. Cox's satanic ex-wife, and Neil Flynn as the Janitor, who torments J.D. just as Larry Miller menaced Jerry in the Seinfeld episode "The Doorman."

Scrubs' animated sensibility allows for inexplicable cameos by Jimmie Walker or, at one point, an impromptu West Side Story-esque dance-off to convey the schism between the surgeons and other doctors. But while hilariously funny, Scrubs, too, can break your heart, as in the two-parter "My Occurrence"/"My Hero," with guest star Brendan Fraser as Jordan's spontaneously spirited brother, who is diagnosed with leukemia, and "My Old Lady," in which J.D., Elliot, and Chris experience for the first time losing a patient. Scrubs is one of NBC's few remaining "Must-See" series, but it has not been well-served by the network. Whether you're a "newbie" or devoted viewer, this DVD release is just what the doctor ordered. --Donald Liebenson

Scrubs - The Complete Second Season

DR J.D. RETURNS FOR HIS SECOND YEAR AT SACRED HEART, FILLED WITH NEW RELATIONSHIPS, MEDICAL MISTAKES & THE TERRORIZING JANITOR.

The interns of Sacred Heart hospital move up to residents in the second season of Scrubs, the dorky little brother to ER with more than a passing resemblance to Ally McBeal. But in this season the sitcom actually matures-- in a good way--in its ability to balance just the right amount of heart and humor. While JD (Zach Braff) wrestles with his feelings for Elliot (Sarah Chalke), Elliot bends over backwards to be included with her colleagues and friends alike (after a character rags on JD and Turk, she squeals, "Do me!"), Turk (Donald Faison) proposes to Carla (Judy Reyes), and Dr. Cox (John C. McGinley) reunites with his ex-wife Jordan (Christa Miller), who's carrying his child. The cast melds together nicely, but it's Braff, executing most of the fantasy sequences, who's the real comic find, although he's nearly upstaged (in a welcome bit of stunt casting) by Tom Cavanaugh as JD's irresponsible older brother, a complete departure from his role on Ed.

Season Two's bonus features include some very revealing episode commentary by creator Bill Lawrence and various cast members, who all describe guest star Rick Schroder as "an odd dude" and make fun of his imploring the cast not to call him Ricky. They also spend a curious part of time studying the female anatomy, from Chalke's bra colors to guest star Heather Locklear's derriere to Miller's bust (this observation comes from Lawrence, who is Miller's husband). Braff's fame after Garden State also comes as an easy target in the commentaries, as well as the network's inability to understand the show, such as asking to remove an episode's reference to the Wonder Twins because they didn't know who they were. Thank goodness the producers didn't listen. -- Ellen A. Kim

Scrubs: The Complete Seventh Season

Scrubs staged a near-miraculous recovery in its seventh season; this despite the usual indifferent treatment by the network, low ratings, and a writer's strike that only allowed for 11 episodes. In this case, less was more. Scrubs regained its footing with sharper writing (Dr. Cox's signature rants are more inspired than tiresome this season, although at one point, nemesis Dr. Kelso threatens to hire an orchestra to "play him off"), more empathetic situations, and meta-fun with such "third-tier" characters as Snoop Dogg Attending (formerly Snoop Dog Intern), Dr. Beardface (pronounced "Beard-fassay"), and new squeaky-voiced intern, Josephine (Scrubs scribe Aseem Batra). Beginning with J.D. (Zach Braff) and Elliott (Sarah Chalke) coming to their senses before they can consummate that sixth season cliffhanging kiss, this season will be one of "weird crystallizing moments." Elliott will call off her upcoming nuptials to Keith. J.D. will be forced to tell Kim ("cute as a button" Elizabeth Banks), whom he impregnated after only their first date, that he does not love her. The "annoying whiny man-child," as Dr. Cox (John C. McGinley) calls him, will finally ponder whether it is time for him to grow up. Dr. Cox will admit that he is lonely without his acerbic wife (Christa Miller) and son when they go out of town. Other developments include the smitten Janitor's (Neil Flynn) initially suspect new girlfriend (can she really be named "Lady?") and on a Scrubsian sad note, Kelso (Ken Jenkins) faces forced retirement when it is revealed he is actually 65 years old. Scrubs deftly blends absurdist fantasy, flat-out silliness and dramatic, emotional moments, as in "My Number One Doctor," in which Elliott must deal with a terminal patient's suicide attempt. The season's most ambitious episode is the finale, "My Princess," a Princess Bride homage in which Dr. Cox transforms one undiagnosable patient's case into his son's bedtime story that is populated by Scrubs characters, with Elliott as a princess, Turk (Donald Faison) and Carla (Judy Reyes) as a two-headed witch, and J.D. as, you guessed it, the village idiot. The ample bonus features include audio commentary for every episode, a fun "Alternate Lines" segment that illustrates the improvisational leeway cast members enjoy, deleted scenes, bloopers, an interview with Ken Jenkins, and a behind the scenes look at the "My Princess" episode. Poised for cancellation, Scrubs got a second opinion from ABC, which picked up the series for an eighth season. That's heartening news for devoted fans who would never pull the plug. To borrow Turk's well-worn catchphrase, "That’s what I'm talkin' about." --Donald Liebenson

Stills from Scrubs: The Complete Seventh Season (Click for larger image)

Studio: Buena Vista Home Video Release Date: 11/11/2008

Scrubs - The Complete Sixth Season

Studio: Buena Vista Home Video Release Date: 02/15/2008

The preliminary diagnosis on Scrubs's penultimate season was stable, but critical. On closer examination, however, a second opinion is warranted. Season 6 cuts deep with developments that are both "hilarious and life-changing" (not to mention, heartbreaking) for the Sacred Heart staff. J.D. (Zach Braff),\ has learned that his girlfriend, Kim (Elizabeth Banks), is pregnant, but there are dramatic setbacks and surprises in their budding relationship. Carla (Judy Reyes) experiences devastating post-partum depression after the birth of her daughter. Elliot (Sarah Chalke) becomes engaged to Keith (Travis Schuldt) but develops the kind of second thoughts that season cliffhangers are made of. And one of Scrubs's beloved secondary characters meets a tragic end, putting nurse Laverne's (Aloma Wright) belief that "everything happens for a reason" to the supreme test.

This season produced one of Scrubs's crowning achievements, the Emmy-nominated tour-de-force "My Musical," featuring such show-stopping numbers as "Everything Comes Down to Poo" and "Guy Love," sung by Scrubs's closest couple, J.D. and best friend Turk (Donald Faison). Still, too often, one wishes Scrubs had the equivalent of Graham Chapman's military character on Monty Python who would stop the proceedings if he deemed them too silly. Before the opening credits of the season premiere have rolled, J.D. has been whisked to Las Vegas to be the unwitting bride to a gay senior, escaped, and wound up onstage with Blue Man Group. At the end of the episode, his tormentor, Janitor (Neil Flynn), transforms him into a human flag. In the next episode, Turk assembles a "big-time college drum line" to herald the impending birth of his daughter. At times like these, fans could be forgiven for wanting to ask the show, "Who are you, and what have you done with Scrubs?" But even in the most uneven episodes, there is always a redeeming bit of business (Turk bringing back 'N Sync's "Bye Bye Bye"), meta moment (Ken Jenkins' Dr. Kelso nipping one of John C. McGinley's signature "Coxian" rants in the bud with "Funny long list. We get it. You need a new thing, big guy."), or an always-welcome appearance by Christa Miller-Lawrence as Dr. Cox's not-to-be-trifled-with ex-wife Jordan, to make the medicine go down. The extras, too, including a featurette about the production of "My Musical" and another devoted to the show's Simpson-esque gallery of "third tier" characters, are deserving of a boxed-set high-five. --Donald Liebenson

Scrubs: The Complete Eighth Season [Blu-ray]

The first episode of Scrubs' final season ends with a sly kicker in which Zach Braff's J.D. rallies his colleagues as they enter their eighth year at Sacred Heart. "It's tempting to just mail it in," he states, "but there are still a lot of people who rely on us week to week. I think we owe it to them to be as inspired as we were in our first few years. I still think we're as good as anybody else out there." Indeed, Scrubs goes out at the top of its game. "People don't change, relationships don't change," the super-friendly but soulless new Chief of Medicine Taylor Maddox (a game Courteney Cox) proclaims at the end of her all-too-brief three-episode arc. How wrong she is. J.D. and Elliott (Sarah Chalke) become a couple again without too much drama. Dr. Cox (John C. McGinley) and his dread ex-wife (Christa Miller) likewise declare their love for each other. Cox even forms a grudging friendship with his former nemesis Dr Kelso (Ken Jenkins), who in retirement has become a fixture in the hospital cafeteria where he takes full advantage of free muffins for life. Sad sack lawyer Ted (Sam Lloyd) and J.D.'s enigmatic tormentor Janitor (Neil Flynn) find someone to love, and Turk (Donald Faison) and Carla (Judy Reyes) prepare for their second child.

Things are different on the job front as well. Dr. Cox assumes the mantle of Chief of Medicine and struggles not to be overwhelmed by the bureaucracy. Bringing the show full circle, there is the next generation of interns (spin-off, anyone?) who test their mentors' patience. Eliza Coupe is a standout as Denise, who has a problem with compassion ("It's ironic that cancer starts with 'can'," she tells one patient). J.D.'s signature reveries aside, the final season goes easy on the fantasy. This season's Very Special Episode is a two-parter that takes the cast to the Bahamas for Janitor's wedding. Will Janitor finally reveal his name? Will Dr. Cox express his true feelings for J.D.? "Endings are never easy," J.D. muses in the finale. "I always build them up so much in my head, they can't possibly live up to my expectations, and I just end up disappointed." That will not be the case for loyal viewers who have stuck with Scrubs through thick and thin, NBC and ABC. If you're not moved by J.D.'s final walk through the halls of Sacred Heart or his home-movie vision of the future, then get yourself a heart transplant stat! --Donald Liebenson

Studio: Buena Vista Home Video Release Date: 11/17/2009 Run time: 414 minutes

Scrubs: The Complete Seasons 1-8