Have you ever jumped into someone else’s liver to find a golden nugget? That’s exactly what J.D. and Turk do during exploratory surgery. Scrubs is about the hilarious experiences that take over J.D.’s life (Zach Braff) as he works as a medical doctor (intern in early seasons) at the Sacred Heart Hospital. His best friend and Co-doctor Chris Turk (Donald Faison) and Turk’s wife, the spunky Carla (Judy Reyes) who is also a nurse, join him. His other friend and co-doctor is the beautiful and ditzy Elliot (Sarah Chalke) along with his boss, the narcissistic and sarcastic Dr. Perry (John C. McGinley). A few minor characters are the always pessimistic Janitor (Neil Flynn) and Dr. Bob (Ken Jenkins) who gives positive advice in a very negative way. For new episodes, Scrubs comes on NBC, Thursday nights at 9:30 pm, and re-runs air everyday on Comedy Central from 1pm to 7pm. Scrubs is the most unique show about doctors because of its unordinary plots, empathetic themes, and humorous writing.
Scrubs’ plot is like no other show I’ve seen. It has a “mini” plot for every character that ties in with the overall plot. In one episode Carla wants to take a group picture, but forgets to invite the janitor, the overall plot was about how to fix relationships. These “mini” plots happen throughout the show to all of the characters, and are tied together in the end. This adds more depth to the show rather than it being about how one character screwed up and how he/she was going to fix it. The most unique quality about this show is that it combines comedy and tragedy. No other show with doctors does this. For example, in one episode J.D. has to tell an elderly woman she’s going to die, yet he still day dreams about stealing his 6-year-old neighbor’s mini-motorcycle.
You always know when Scrubs is over because J.D. presents the main message of the episode. And in each episode there is an authentic, real life issue that is presented and resolved. These themes are what I enjoy most about the show. Every theme they give I can relate to. From making amends to finding who you really are, viewers can always identify. In one episode Elliot release a patient because she didn’t know what was wrong with him. The theme of this episode was about regaining trust when making a mistake. This is a theme that anyone can relate to. When you walk away after watching a show like ER or Grey’s Anatomy you feel heavy from the message they’ve given. This is not the same with Scrubs because it uses comedy to make this message lighter yet still real to your life.
As in any sitcoms there is comedy, but a show must know how to make that comedy stand out from the pack, and this is exactly what the writing does. As I said before, Scrubs is about all the hilarious experiences that affect J.D.’s life. Like when Elliot and him had a patient and didn’t know how to diagnose, so they used a pain chart with ratings of 1 to 10 relying only on facial expressions. Sometimes the writers do go overboard, like when they made a joke about a Vietnam Veteran. Scrubs does have some very random scenes, but these add to the show. In one scene, viewers saw Dr. Cox give a four-story high wedgie to a colleague in a Speedo. This scene was completely random, yet it adds to the humor to the show.
Scrubs stands out compared to other shows about doctors because of its unique storyline, understanding messages, and its humor. Watch one episode of Scrubs and you will be hooked. It is unique in more ways than any other show about doctors. So turn on the TV this Thursday at 9:30pm to NBC for an original medical comedy experience.