What happened to the other cute blond? We have not seen her the last few episodes.

Exactly. This has a much higher chance of being entertaining than some unknown show ABC hasn't otherwise chosen to air yet.

I can't buy into this line of reasoning for the very same reason I couldn't buy into Joey. Would a Joey sitcom likely be better than anything NBC could come up with? I think many would have agreed yes at that point in time. We saw the result.

Considering NBC's track record on Thursday nights, the fact that Joey was crap doesn't prove that a different show wouldn't have been even crappier. Remember Daddio? Inside Schwarz? The Single Guy? Leap of Faith? Four Kings? Kath & Kim?

It does suggest that it's all a crapshoot, though.

It might be more likely to be funny, but it is definitely less likely to get decent ratings. It would be kind of an odd choice from ABC's point of view.

It's official. Scrubs renewed for 9th season

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/...4b89a4b157dea2

The more I think and read about this, the worse an idea I think it is.

Keep the hospital. Create another medical comedy. Give it some links to Scrubs via guest appearances or something. Just don't call it Scrubs. It turns me off as a fan, and the name is going to turn non-fans off.

Spoken as the voice of reason... none of the new interns can carry this show. They will have to depend on one of the regulars to now become the voice of the show - literally and figuratively.

This has disaster written all over it...

As an earlier poster said money is a poor reason to renew a show. ABC knows that if it can get another season the cheap - then it can make millions in syndication. Lawrence, cast and crew know that they can keep getting paid for one more year. At no point was the question asked "Can we produce quality episodes of this one fine show?"

Some information about next season, there are only very mild spoilers in the spoiler section, less than you would probably get from a basic ABC promo but I spoilered them anyway:

I'm curious to hear your take on the whole Scrubs renewal. The "series finale" was so wonderfully sweet and sappy, how can they come back from something so final? --Sydney
Ausiello: I would have preferred it end right there, but it's hard to argue with Bill Lawrence's justification for continuing. "There are 107 people that work on that show," he reminded me earlier this week. "I've worked with them for eight years now. If there's a chance for everybody to work another year, my attitude, business-wise, is 'legacy-schmegacy.' I couldn't give a f--k, to tell you the truth. I thought the first eight years of Scrubs was great. I'm super proud of it. There's absolutely nothing that could possibly happen that could change that... On the creative side, some people are like, 'It should end on a high note creatively. It shouldn't be something that taints our memory.' And I get that. [But the other] 50 percent of the people are like, 'Oh my god, I'm so glad to have a show back that I care about.' The way to bridge that gap is I've got to consider Scrubs over. The way that I'm viewing it is the way Frasier was to Cheers: It'll be essentially a new show with some characters that people liked."

Question: What will the ninth season of Scrubs look like? Will Sarah Chalke be taking over JD's duties? --Tony

That's a fallible argument though. First they only spun off one character with Joey. Scrubs has the potential to return a handful of cast members. Second, they moved Joey across the country and changed everything around him(worked for Frasier, but he's the polar opposite of Joey). Scrubs will likely return to Sacred Heart, and as mentioned have recurring characters we already know and like. Lastly, Joey was the least likable character on Friends, or at the very least, least likely deserving of a spin-off. That would be like spinning Jordan off off Scrubs to open a botox private practice.

Now that we know we're getting Turk, I have to say that changes my perspective a bit. I really like the character and think he might be a good enough one to hang a show on.

From Zach's blog on Myspace:

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Scrubs Season 9
To clear up the confusion:
Scrubs will be coming back, but in a new incarnation. Scrubs as we've all known it is over. That chapter is closed. But as there are so many fans of the characters and writing of the show worldwide, the powers that be have decided to try and keep them alive a little longer (in the spirit of "Frasier" being a new chapter of "Cheers".)

I will be in the first 6 episodes of this new incarnation to help transition the show into what it will become. And then I will be off to work on some new projects that I'm very excited about/ write my new movie/continue to learn how to fly airplanes. ) As to what the new show is? That's only clear in the mind of Bill Lawrence at this time.

I know many of you will have very strong opinions on this topic. And I respect them all. But first and foremost, if any of you were in a position to put about 200 people whom you really loved back to work in this economy, you would do it in a second. That has always been in the back of Bill's and my mind; we just didn't imagine ABC would ever give us the opportunity to keep it going.

If anyone can find an interesting new shape for the show it's Bill. Don't hate it until you see what he comes up with. Once its up and going there will be plenty of time for you to decide whether you love it or hate it.

Hope this clarifies a few things. That's all the info there is on that right now... I hope this finds you smiling,
love,
zb

They keep saying this, I hope they're right. The people involved with this show seem to really care about it. Surely they wouldn't just throw it all out the window for a ninth season. I hope that whatever they do with it works out.

I can't say I think the new incarnation of this show will be anywhere near as successful as Frasier was to Cheers, but I hope it works out for them. I am glad to see ABC giving this show a chance. NBC would have canceled it in a heartbeat.

Successful ≠ good. Scrubs was no-where near as successful as Cheers but I'd say it was a much better show.

Cheers was successful AND good. One of the all time classics.

I agree. I sometimes catch the old cheers reruns in the wee hours and it has not aged well. You can see the jokes coming from a mile away. They rehashed the same story lines/jokes to the point where you cant tell one episode from another. Shows like the Honeymooners, Sanford & Son, All in the family (hell, pretty much every Norman Lear sitcom up until the 1980's). Those are classics that have stood the test of time and are still funny.

Cheers has definitely not aged well. I can't make it through one episode anymore when I catch the reruns.

To me, it's not even that Cheers hasn't aged well. It wasn't better than that at the time, but it was the show for the time. People would gather around the water cooler to talk about it and more importantly, it seemed everyone had a character to identify with. We're different people now with different problems. It's just out of time.

I think Cheers has aged fine, it's people that have changed.

I'd put it in the same category as Friends. Cultural phenomenon, yes. Funny? Not so much.

I think the same category is fair, but Friends seems so much less substantial than Cheers to me. While we have moved on from both, I can imagine my daughter finding Cheers in 2025 and liking it. I don't think there would be anything to relate to when it comes to Friends.

Late to the party, and I feel the same as JasonF. I'll watch, and I'll bet I enjoy it. It will be interesting to see how they transition from JD's "thinking" being the mainstay. Will they switch to someone else? That seems like a recipe for disaster. Anyway, I'm glad it will be back.