Monday, August 17, 2009

Scrubs vs. Favre - Who Made the Bigger Mistake of Returning This Fall?




Well, I just had to write this post, seeing as it seemed appropriate to discuss this issue. We all love it when our favorite show returns for another season, and we love when our favorite athletes come back one more time to win one more championship. But that is the case when we feel the final chapter of the book needs to be written. But it had already been written for both.

The once series finale for Scrubs was the perfect ending to not only the die-hards (myself included) but also those who may have just started to watch. It gave us the ending we wanted for J.D. and his relationship with Elliott, Turk, and Dr. Cox. We were able to see characters from seasons past, and we had the ability to possibly see what was in store for J.D. and his friends and family.

Brett Favre was football. He was everything we loved about the hero who comes to save the day. He was brash and bold. He risked it all for the final score that would put his team on top. He gave Packers fans a reason to love their team and the season ahead. Although it was rather messy with the initial finale for Brett and the Packers, at least he was able to show he still had a little left in him, without embarrassing himself and his family. Yet, even Madden knew when to say enough is enough and retire...

But that has all changed since last spring. Clearly the story of the day yesterday was how Favre was back in the NFL, with all teams, the Minnesota Vikings, the hated archrival of the Green Bay Packers. Pretty amazing how quickly they had him out there on the field Tuesday afternoon.

ABC has decided that Scrubs could continue on without the main cast of characters, including J.D., who IS the show. Rather than end on a high note, the show will still have the same title and instead have Turk and Cox teach medical students in a university setting, while having the Sacred Heart Hospital ready for cameos by Janitor, Ted, Kelso, and Carla.

Here are three reasons why these abominations are wrong:

1. They destroyed any relationship they had with their true fans. Favre has no chance of ever entering Wisconsin and coming out unscathed. It's going to be ugly come November 1st when the Vikes come to Lambeau Field to play the Packers. It might be Mexico soccer ugly...

Message boards have a resounding theme for Scrubs: Don't come back! Many, if not most, if not ALL, have said that Scrubs ended last spring and that that's the end. This new show is not Scrubs, nor shall it be considered the "ninth" season.

2. There is nothing to gain from another season. What is Favre going to do? Win a Super Bowl? It's not going to be as easy as just needing one more player to be the dominant favorite to take the NFC or the Lombardi Trophy (pretty sure Vince is turning in his grave as we speak). If he truly believed he could win, why wasn't he out there day one? Because he wants the Clemens treatment. He wants to go out there on game day, wing a couple downfield, then go home and not deal with practice, video sessions, etc. He wants all the glory and has none of the guts.

And wasn't this the SERIES finale for Scrubs? How can a show called Scrubs continue on when we had the conclusion of THE MAIN CHARACTER. No, J.D. didn't die, but his time at Sacred Heart was over and we, the fans, had a chance to keep the dream alive of how J.D. and Elliott, Turk and Carla, and the rest of the gang would live the next few years of their lives. I think if they at least called it a spin-off and renamed the show (How about AfterScrubs? Come on, that's funny!), we would at least feel like it's a different show. But if we're following a straight line for how spin-offs fare, then it's all downhill for this one (Frasier and Cheers, Joey and Friends... you get my point).

3. Their legacy will be lost. What's Favre going to do when he gets to the Hall of Fame? Enter as a Packer? Yeah, most of his career was there, but imagine yourself if a girl just broke up with you, then you bumped into her with her new boyfriend, then spit on you? That's how the Packer fans feel right now. Now imagine if that girl, for some strange reason, asks you to be at her wedding. Are you going to show up? And if so, wouldn't you want to get revenge on what is to be the greatest day in her life? Favre better be in the Pope-mobile that day, cause there could be Muenster raining down on him...

Yeah, there were a couple of bad seasons in the mix, and yeah, NBC screwed them over royally for being an ABC-owned show while on the rival network, but these 8 seasons of Scrubs (as a whole) created a wonderful world with interesting characters that made us laugh, cry, and think (just as Jimmy V would want it). Now let's say 10 years from now, our children are watching Scrubs on syndication and want to watch all the episodes in one big marathon. Well, if they get the complete series on DVD (or BRD, or whatever version is available 10 years from now), this season (and God forbid any more) will be included in that collection. What do you tell your kids when they ask what this suckfest is at the end of the series? As it will make no sense to the story, nor does it all for the near-perfect finale of season 8, it will tarnish the "little show that could."

In conclusion, there's nothing we can really do about it. 10 years from now, a million things could have happened to the legacy of Favre and Scrubs that would set them on a higher path than where they go from here today. Maybe we'll look back and realize it was the right step for them to take. But here today, in 2009, it is a dark and ugly road they're on. And I don't think anyone will help them if they get a flat tire along the way. Later!



9 comments:

  1. Great stuff. I've loved Scrubs from the first episode, but the past few seasons have been lackluster, to say the best. The fact that they're bringing it back for another year after such a tremendous ending is just plain depressing. Hopefully it won't be as bad as I'm expecting.

    ReplyDelete
  2. You're an idiot for not only comparing Frasier to Joey, but in your assertion that Cheers was better than Frasier, which is was not.

    No comedy series in the history of television was awarded as many times as Frasier for excellence while being simultaneously beloved by both critics and fans alike.

    But you are correct about Scrubs. They NEED to differentiate this show, because it is NOT Scrubs. It is Scubs in Name Only (SINO).

    Why not just call it Scrubs U? That makes sense. It's about learning to be doctors, with some of our favorite doctors from the original series doing the teaching (and maybe some learning of their own along the way... awwww).

    So you're 1 for 2. You have your head stuck up your butt about Frasier (probably aren't smart enough to appreciate it, haha, just kidding), but you're bang-on about Scrubs.

    ReplyDelete
  3. To BulldogFalconFan:
    I was giving props to Frasier, as it was a spin-off that turned into a great TV show on it's own, and that the examples I gave for spin-offs showed how it was all going downhill from Frasier (i.e. Joey and this show calling itself Scrubs).

    ReplyDelete
  4. Carla...not on the show anymore.
    JD is rumored to be coming back for 6 "awkward" episodes.
    They should rename it "Scabs."

    Even weirder is what they'll name each episode. Every episode was a 1st person theme titled "my ______"
    Who will be doing the voice overs and daydreams? Should they bring back Daniel Stern to do some voice over? He was comforting back in the Wonder Years days.

    ReplyDelete
  5. http://www.buzzsugar.com/3899871

    From this Bill Lawrence interview, it sounds like he can bring back Carla and any character he needs to, at a moment's whim. Like a puppetmaster pulling all the strings...

    Don't hate me, Mr. Lawrence!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Follow up question, who's going to be more key to the success of either season, Adrian Peterson or John C. McGinley? Now THERE'S a question that could divide a nation...

    ReplyDelete
  7. Mistakes do happen sometime but it doesn't mean that people will not Watch Scrubs this time. They are also human being and we do mistakes sometime. I know they haven't ended the last season well but this time they will not repeat this mistake.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I completely agree with John. Don't repeat this mistake. Scrubs is really a wonderful show. I am a big fan of this show.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I completely agree with John. Any people can do mistake but this is a good mistake I would say... I really appreciate this mistake b'coz Scrubs is my favorite show and I am a big fan of this show. I always watch Scrubs Episodes online.

    ReplyDelete