11 Reasons You Should be Watching Scrubs

11) Had the fifth season premiered this past Autumn, rather than tonight at 9, Scrubs would certainly have won the 2005 BEST award for a returning sitcom.

10) Mortality is an inescapable reality of our own existence, and I think we've all had our share of scary visits to the hospital. Scrubs has a way of being irreverent and silly yet respectful at the core, and laughter dissolves fear.

9) It has a brand of pop culture references, slapstick and quick cuts to fantasy scenarios, a style reserved normally for animated comedies. In one episode tonight, Zach Braff's J.D. daydreams, as he often does in his Walter Mitty-esque way, and ponders what the hospital would be like if they treated their patients like horses. The scene quickly flashes to a very different Sacred Heart hospital, in which doctors carry shotguns. J.D. checks a patient with a broken leg, shakes his head that he doesn't like the look of it, and as he takes aim and the patient protests, the scene cuts back to reality as he realizes, “We'd certainly have better hours...”

8) Each season of the series has represented a year in the life of these characters, allowing for real growth and character development. When the show started in 2001, J.D. and several other regulars were mere interns, learning under the sarcastic but wise Dr. Cox(John C. McGinley.) As of tonight, J.D. is an attending physician with young interns of his own. Though he has reached the same professional level of his mentor, one episode tonight proved that he still has a lot to learn from him, and sometimes saving lives and following the rules are mutually exclusive.

7) The show has attracted some major guest stars, all with significant contributions. Brendan Fraser had possibly the most memorable contribution to the show, though I won't spoil why for viewers planning to catch up on DVD. Michael J. Fox took the time to appear as a doctor who ultimately imparts a valuable lesson on Sarah Chalke's Elliot. Other noteworthy stars include Heather Locklear, Heather Graham, Matthew Perry, Jimmie Walker, the late Fred “Rerun” Berry, DJ Qualls, Amy Smart, and more.

6) There's no laugh track. Most people don't realize what an annoying facet of comedies this is, until they're exposed to one that doesn't feel the need to insult its audience by telling them when to laugh. This point was illustrated beautifully last season when, in dealing with a terminally ill patient and comedy-writing hero of his, J.D. fantasizes what life would be like as a sitcom. For a significant portion of the episode, there's a laugh track, and hand held cameras and a real hospital are traded for stationary cameras and an indoor set. The biggest reminder of the difference between sitcoms and reality occurs once the fantasy ends...

5) Sarah Chalke is hot. Seriously, ”Becky II” grew up nicely.

4) The show capitalizes on all its assets. Neil Flynn plays the hospital’s nameless janitor and constant tormenter of J.D. A few seasons ago, his character insists that he was an actor, that it didn't work out and part of the reason he's so mean is because of the way his career went. A notorious liar, his word means little to J.D. until a scene from The Fugitive plays on a nearby television set. J.D. stares in disbelief at a subway transit cop in the scene, a bit part that Flynn actually portrayed back in 1993. That's but one example of the writing team's brilliance.

3) It flies tragically under the radar. It's rarely advertised, has almost always languished in a poor Tuesday timeslot, and is seldom rerun. This current season, potentially the last, will be shown in 11 consecutive weeks with two new episodes each week. Will it be another Arrested Development, heralded by fans and critics while treated otherwise by its own network?

2) In the past, popular songs have contributed greatly to the emotional impact. What other half hour show can evoke the spirit of great cinema, make you weep for the dead and thrill as starstruck lovers at long last crash together in a breathtaking and unexpected kiss? Due to rights issues, many of these songs may not be on the DVD releases which is unfortunate. There are some I can't imagine not being there though; an entire episode was once devoted to the viral quality of Erasure's “A Little Respect” as one character passes the tune to another as the tale progresses. Another episode featured Men at Work's Colin Hay as a recurring troubadour, alternately interacting with the characters and singing commentary to the audience, a style seen in films such as There's Something About Mary.

1) 1 out of 1 MCFs recommend it.