Created by: Bill Lawrence
Starring Zach Braff, John C. McGinley, Donald Faison, Sarah Chalke, Ken Jenkins, Judy Reyes
Most sitcoms and shows set in hospitals are really hit or miss for me. Mostly, I try to miss them because they just never are that funny or entertaining to me. So, I have watched Scrubs before and chuckled a bit. How is the 8th season? I popped it in and pushed play. Scrubs: The Complete Eighth Season was recently released by ABC Home Video.
The Season
Just in case you aren’t familiar with the series, here is a quick refresher. Dr. John “JD” Dorian (Zach Braff) still works at Sacred Heart Hospital. The series follows J.D., his friends and his co-workers, as they navigate their personal and professional lives. In every episode J.D. has daydreams as well as many “situation comedy” style lines, which I learned through research, are often a result of improvisation. A complete script is written for each episode of Scrubs, but the actors are given opportunities to improvise their lines during the shooting process.
So, the gang is all here for the 8th season, Dr. Kelso (Ken Jenkins), Dr. Chris Turk (Donald Faison), Dr. Elliot Reid (Sarah Chalke), Dr. Cox (John C. McGinley) and Nurse Carla (Juldy Reyes). Also returning is J.D.’s arch nemesis The Janitor (Neil Flynn).
There are some new faces this season: the new chief of medicine (Courtney Cox) and a new group of interns that includes Ed (Aziz Ansari Human Giant, Parks and Recreation) and lots of guest appearances.
While all the episodes are entertaining overall, I have a few favorites among them.
Of particular note is an appearance by the Elmo and The Muppets in the episode entitled “My ABC’s “ that finds J.D. daydreaming while training a new intern. He starts to daydream about The Muppets and well, you can guess where it goes from there.
The Muppets also appear in the episode “My Cookie Pants” so anyone who knows me knows why these are some of my favorites from this season.
But, not all of the episodes are meant to be funny. The touching “My Last Words” finds J.D. and Turk giving up the much beloved “steak night” to spend time with a dying patient. Believe me, it is not handled overly sappy rather, respectfully and heartfelt.
“My Comedy Show” opens as the new interns perform in a yearly ritual: the comedy show. J.D. and Turk offer to write the material for them and The Janitor breaks his normal routine and notices some surprising happens in the hallways of Sacred Heart.
The Janitor is the focus of a two parter “My Soul On Fire”. The Janitor is getting married and sends out invitations to friends and co-workers, never expecting that they want to attend but will instead send gifts. He gets a surprise instead.
So, Scrubs continues to be an enjoyable way to spend some time. You can count on some laughs and some nicely handled dramatic moments. All things considered, Scrubs is a solid comedy.
7/10
The Video
The show is presented in its original full screen format. Colors are vibrant and the black levels are decent. I did not notice any instances of grain or artifacts. While this isn’t blu ray quality, the overall image is respectable.
7/10
The Audio
The Dolby Digital presentation here is subtle and effective throughout the series running time. Dialogue is properly centered and separated, and ambient sounds are handled well. There are optional subtitles available in French and Spanish.
7.5/10
The Packaging and Bonus Features
The 8th season is presented in a plastic snapcase with the 3 discs attached inside the case. So, if you aren’t a fan of flopping trays, there aren’t any here to bother you.
As far as bonus features are considered, all but 3 of the episodes have commentaries to listen to and all are worth your time.
My Bahamas Vacation is a nicely executed behind the scenes look at the cast and crew filming in the Hope Town, Bahamas. There are twelve “Scrubs: Intern” episodes to enjoy as well.
There are also deleted scenes, and over 14 minutes of “ad libs” that didn’t make the final cut, so fans will definitely want to check that out. Rounding things out are previews for other ABC shows.
7/10
Overall (Not an average) 7/10
The Review
The Season 7/10
The Video 8/10
The Audio 7.5/10
The Packaging and Bonus Features 7/10
Overall (Not an Average) 7/10