Scrubs

Template:Dablink Template:Infobox television Scrubs is an American sitcom on NBC created by Bill Lawrence, who also co-created Spin City.

The show, which premiered in 2001, focuses on the professional and personal lives of several characters working at Sacred Heart, a hospital in an unspecified city (assumed to be in the vicinity of Los Angeles, CA), and is currently in its fourth season.

Overview

The show premiered on October 2, 2001. What distinguishes it from other sitcoms are its use of narration, unusually verbose characters, abrupt segues between subplots, breakneck pace, scenes of surreal escapism (usually presented as the thoughts of the main character), and poignant scenes where the characters address how doctors deal with death, the delivery of dire diagnoses, and other hospital-related/personal issues. It also lacks a laugh track, a typical device in most sitcoms; this makes it one of the few US shows positioned as a comedy to do so since M*A*S*H. The show is structured around various storylines, which are thematically linked via voice-overs, intended to deliver a small life-lesson and often a joke.

Theme Song

The opening theme to Scrubs is "Superman," performed by Lazlo Bane, which can be found on the album "All The Time In The World," as well as on the first Scrubs soundtrack. Briefly during the second season, NBC increased the featured cast to include Neil Flynn and other members of the extended cast, but they cut it back to the original credit sequence due to its length. They've used the full song in several episodes, but more often than not, only the last part of the chorus.

Partial Lyrics

I can't do this all on my own

No, I know I'm no Superman

I'm no Superman

I'm no Superman

Cast

Main cast

• Zach Braff as Dr. John Michael 'J.D.' Dorian, the affably nerdish narrator and main character—initially an intern and later a resident in medicine—who provides the narration most of the time. He is afraid of sharks, has a strange thing about pennies and collects scarves. Currently Co-Chief Resident. Nicknames: Newbie, Bambi, Q-Tip, Scooter, numerous female names.
• Sarah Chalke as Dr. Elliot Reid, a close friend of J.D. and fellow medical resident, although the boundaries between friendship and relationship have often been crossed. It is a running joke in the show that she and J.D. slept together every season, although creator Bill Lawrence has hinted that this may cease in order to avoid cliché storylines. She votes Republican, speaks German, and is insecure about her eyebrows and her "camel" butt. Served as Chief Resident during her 4th year of residency, with J.D. as Co-Chief Resident. At the conclusion of Season 4, it was announced that Elliot received an endocrinology fellowship at a different hospital, requiring her to leave Sacred Heart. Whether her character will return for the fifth season is unknown, but considered likely. Nicknames: Barbie, Blonde Doctor, Stick, Marshmallow, Smelliot, Roller-Moler.
• Donald Faison as Dr. Christopher Duncan Turk, called 'Turk' (or occasionally called 'Turkleton' by Dr Kelso), who is J.D.'s best friend, diabetic, a surgery resident, and married to Carla as of the end of Season 3. His cell phone number is (916) CALL-TUR, although he hopes that people will dial the 'K' anyway. Nicknames: Gandhi, Turkleton, Chocolate/Brown Bear, Black Whale.
• Neil Flynn as the unnamed janitor, who has made it his business to terrorize J.D. His hobbies include taxidermy (he once rid the trees by the hospital of all the squirrels). He has made some claims about his personal life, such as that he is married and has at least one child, and that he went to Harvard, but no one has ever found out if these are true. As revealed in a few flashbacks, his mother's strict parenting influenced him (indirectly) to become a janitor. It is revealed in the storyline that 'Janitor' actually played the role of a transit cop in the film The Fugitive (1993). Neil Flynn actually did play the part, mixing reality with the storyline. Janitor shares this secret only with J.D. Although he is seen tormenting J.D. about everyday in the Hospital, Janitor sees him as his only friend in the hospital. He also refers to people by physical characteristics. He is very nice to Elliot (whom he knows as "Blonde Doctor") and, as of season 4, seems to have romantic feelings for her. Nicknames: Soft-Scrub, Supercuts.
• Ken Jenkins as Dr. Robert 'Bob' Kelso, the truculent chief of medicine for the hospital. He appears to be more interested in profit and staying out of legal trouble than helping patients. He and the Janitor are the only major characters whose personal lives we do not see in detail. Although appearing cold, Dr. Kelso does appreciate those around him, a fact that is completely unknown to his staff. He has a tattoo of the word 'Johnny' on his butt. Nicknames: Bobbo, Bob Cat, Bobbotron, Beelzebob.

• John C. McGinley as Dr. Percival "Perry" Cox, J.D.'s sarcastic, bitter mentor, who routinely belittles him. However, he is secretly proud of J.D.'s progress. When in a good mood, he addresses J.D. as "Newbie", and when in a bad mood, he addresses J.D. using traditionally feminine names, or occasionally, classic dog names. He also usually calls Turk "Gandhi" and calls Elliot "Barbie". Doug is referred to as either "Pee Pants" or "Nervous Guy". Cox shows the same lack of respect for his superiors - he calls Dr. Kelso "Bobbo", "Bob-cat", "Beelzebob" or other such names. It is implied that this is the reason why he is not advancing up the career ladder. Unlike Dr. Kelso, Cox is shown to have a soft side, and to have a strong sense of medical ethics. He is currently divorced from Jordan, played by Christa Miller Lawrence, but the two have since come back together (after an attempt to remarry made them sexually frustrated). Nicknames: Per, Per-Per, Big Dog.
• Judy Reyes as Nurse Carla Espinosa, a strong-willed nurse who has been married to Turk since the end of Season 3. She often refers to J.D. as "Bambi". She has a tendency to tell people their faults without them asking, and give unwanted advice. Noone makes fun of her as all the other characters are scared of her. Nicknames: None.

Recurring cast

These cast members have appeared in numerous episodes since the show's incipience but remain credited as guest stars.

• Michael Hobert as Lonnie, the medical resident under the supervision of J.D. and Elliot. He and J.D. occasionally spar with each other over insignificant incidents, but Lonnie has been spending an increasing amount of time with J.D. and Elliot. Introduced at the end of Season 3, his role has continued to increase. Michael Hobert also appeared as an extra in the pilot.
• Johnny Kastl as Doug "Nervous Guy" Murphy, the nervous and terribly inept colleague of J.D. and Elliot. After being the only person in the history of the hospital to repeat his third year of residency, he transferred from medicine to the morgue in Season 4, where his extensive personal knowledge of botched medical procedures makes him an expert coroner. Also he is under the impression that the dead bodies in the morgue are after him after having a lot of them falling on him.
• Sam Lloyd as Ted, the divorced hospital lawyer whose desire to kill Dr. Kelso is surpassed only by his unfortunate inability to have an opinion; he is part of a barbershop quartet with three other administration workers from around the hospital called The Worthless Peons. He is prone to panic and outbreaks of excessive sweating.
• Robert Maschio as The Todd, the jockish surgery resident who is friends with Turk, and who attempts to turn every sentence into a double entendre. He loves high-fiving. He is, however, a competent surgeon. There have been hints that his excessive boorishness towards women is over-compensation for homosexuality. He has a fixation with tight-fitting men's underwear ("banana hammocks").
• Christa Miller Lawrence as Jordan Sullivan, Dr. Cox's ex-wife, who is his only rival for sheer sarcasm. She slept with J.D. before he realised that she was Dr. Cox's ex-wife. In Season 2, she gave birth to Dr. Cox's son, and the two have since rebuilt their relationship and live together, albeit in a non-marital arrangement. She is on the hospital's Board of Directors.
• Aloma Wright as Nurse Laverne Roberts, who spends her days at the hospital watching soap operas and keeping up with inter-office gossip. She has made many comments about others "having to answer to Jesus" implying a religious background.

Major guest cast

Important roles have been played by:

• Tom Cavanagh, as J.D.'s older brother Dan
• John Ritter, as J.D. and Dan's father Sam Dorian; just as on 8 Simple Rules, Scrubs featured an episode dealing with the character's death, following the real-life death of Ritter
• Scott Foley, as Elliot's on-again off-again love interest Sean Kelly
• Michael J. Fox, as Dr. Kevin Casey, a medical attending with obsessive-compulsive disorder
• Brendan Fraser, as Jordan's brother Ben Sullivan (character died during the 3rd season)
• Heather Locklear, as Julie, a representative of a pharmaceutical company, lusted after by the men of the hospital
• Tara Reid, as J.D.'s unfaithful ex-girlfriend Danni Sullivan and Jordan's sister
• D.L. Hughley, as Turk's brother Kevin.
• Freddy Rodríguez, as Carla's brother and Turk's nemesis Marco
• Josh Randall, as Elliot's new love interest introduced towards the end of the 4th season
• Julianna Margulies, as cold-hearted malpractice attorney Neena Broderick
• Amy Smart, as J.D.'s one-time love interest, and wife of a comatose car crash victim, Jamie Moyer or Tasty Coma Wife (TCW)
• Heather Graham as attending psychiatrist Dr. Molly Clock, whom J.D. had a crush on
• Rick Schroder as Nurse Paul Flowers, whom Elliot dated during the 2nd season
• Elizabeth Bogush as Alex Hanson, a social worker at the hospital and who dated J.D. during the first season. She turned out to be a drug addict.
• Martin Klebba as Randall the Crotch-Punching Midget, who became a janitor in Season 3. Whenever J.D. thinks about or meets him, he says, "Powerful tiny fists." Randall joined the Janitor's impromptu a capella band, along with Troy the Cafeteria Worker (Joe Rose) in season 4 to help the Janitor impress Elliott.

Alan Ruck, Michael Boatman, Barry Bostwick, Alexander Chaplin and Richard Kind, who previously worked with Bill Lawrence on "Spin City", have also guest-starred, as have Clay Aiken, Lee Ermey, Colin Farrell, Sean Hayes, Christopher Meloni, Jay Mohr, Matthew Perry, Ryan Reynolds, Nicole Sullivan, Dick Van Dyke, Jimmie Walker, Kelli Williams, and Hattie Winston.

Episodes

Season 1

1. My First Day (aka Pilot)
2. My Mentor
3. My Best Friend's Mistake
4. My Old Lady
5. My Two Dads
6. My Bad
7. My Super Ego
8. My Fifteen Minutes
9. My Day Off
10. My Nickname
11. My Own Personal Jesus
12. My Blind Date
13. My Balancing Act
14. My Drug Buddy
15. My Bed Banter & Beyond
16. My Heavy Meddle
17. My Student
18. My Tuscaloosa Heart
19. My Old Man
20. My Way or the Highway
21. My Sacrificial Clam
22. My Occurrence (Part 1)
23. My Hero (Part 2)
24. My Last Day

Season 2

1. My Overkill
2. My Nightingale
3. My Case Study
4. My Big Mouth
5. My New Coat
6. My Big Brother
7. My First Step
8. My Fruit Cups
9. My Lucky Day
10. My Monster
11. My Sex Buddy
12. My New Old Friend
13. My Philosophy
14. My Brother, My Keeper
15. His Story
16. My Karma
17. My Own Private Practice Guy
18. My T.C.W.
19. My Kingdom
20. My Interpretation
21. My Drama Queen
22. My Dream Job

Season 3

1. My American Girl
2. My Journey
3. My White Whale
4. My Lucky Night
5. My Brother, Where Art Thou?
6. My Advice to You
7. My Fifteen Seconds
8. My Friend the Doctor
9. My Dirty Secret
10. My Rule of Thumb
11. My Clean Break
12. My Catalyst
13. My Porcelain God
14. My Screw Up
15. My Tormented Mentor
16. My Butterfly
17. My Moment of Un-Truth
18. His Story II
19. My Choosiest Choice of All
20. My Fault
21. My Self-Examination
22. My Best Friend's Wedding

Season 4

1. My Old Friend's New Friend
2. My Office
3. My New Game
4. My First Kill
5. Her Story
6. My Cake
7. My Common Enemy
8. My Last Chance
9. My Malpractice Decision (aka My MalPractical Decision) (Part 1)
10. My Female Trouble (Part 2)
11. My Unicorn
12. My Best Moment
13. My Ocardial Infarction
14. My Lucky Charm
15. My Hypocritical Oath
16. My Quarantine
17. My Life In Four Cameras
18. My Roomates
19. My Best Laid Plans
20. My Boss's Free Haircut
21. My Lips Are Sealed
22. My Big Move
23. My Faith In Humanity
24. My Drive-By
25. My Changing Ways

Season 5

Renewed by NBC through the end of Season 5 in May 2004.

Trivia

• The show is filmed in an actual abandoned hospital (the old North Hollywood Medical Center), with most of the props and items on the show having been supplied by the cast and crew. This allows for the crew to film exteriors at the same site as interiors.

• Although initially only a recurring guest character, Neil Flynn was promoted to a main character in season 2. If the show was cancelled in its first season, it would have been revealed that the Janitor was simply a figment of JD's imagination.

• Although we hear much about Dr. Kelso's wife Enid (nicknamed Bunny), she is seen only once, from behind and in a flashback, in episode 3-15, "My Tormented Mentor". His son, who (as of Season 3) resides in the Portland Subway System and is strongly implied to have homosexual tendencies, remains an unseen character.

• The title sequence is quick and does not even feature credits (they roll after the sequence), but merely fast-moving pictures of the cast at work in the hospital. At the start of season 2, a longer opening credits sequence was added which featured recurring characters and credits, but was deemed to be too long by NBC who wanted to use more time for the episodes, so the sequence was quickly deleted. In occasional episodes, where they are running particularly short on time, only a brief title card saying 'Scrubs' and 'created by Bill Lawrence' appears. The chest X-ray in the title sequence was hung backwards during the first season, then corrected briefly for season 2, but then returned to being backwards.

• Sam Lloyd formed a band in college with George Miserlis, Paul Perry and Philip McNiven. In an episode of season one, they guest starred appearing as Ted the lawyer's group of singers (named the Worthless Peons) who all work at the hospital, and appeared twice in season two. Their repertoire on the show included singing television themes (both old tv shows and primetime ones), and singing telegrams that resemble advertising jingles. In an episode near the end of season three, one of the band members quit, but by the season four episode, My Ocardial Infarction, the band were back together as they attempted to outperform the Janitor's band of hospital service staff (named 'Hibbleton').

• The titles are also often riffs on pop culture (as, indeed, is the entire show); the best abuse of the rules is probably "My Ocardial Infarction", a twisted reference to the medical name for a heart attack.

• Most of the episodes are narrated by J.D., and the episode titles usually start with "My...".

As of October 2004 three episodes have been narrated by other characters : "His Story" (narrated by Dr. Cox); "His Story II" (Turk) and "Her Story" (Elliot).

• Tom Cavanagh was especially hired to play J.D.'s brother because of his uncanny physical resemblance to Zach Braff.

• A 2002 episode "My Old Lady" won a Humanitas Prize in the 30 Minute Category. Also in 2002, it won an Artios award for Best Casting for TV, Comedy Pilot from the Casting Society of America. In 2003, it won the BMI TV Music Award. It has been nominated for three Emmys, and numerous other awards.

• As of 2005, all but one of the women J.D. has slept with since the start of the series have had unisex names, the exception being Neena.

• Several Scrubs crew members have appeared in minor speaking roles, for example writers Gabrielle Allan and Mike Schwartz. Schwartz has a recurring role as a delivery man.

• In episode 4.9 "My Malpractical Decision" Turk changes his cellphone number to 1-916-CALL-TURK. Writer Bill Lawrence actually registered this number, and a few curious callers were surprised when cast or crew members answered the phone, which is placed on the set. The number usually takes you to a voice message which tells you the latest information regarding Scrubs.

• Neil Flynn is an experienced improv comedian, and as such, ad-libs many of his lines. The writers specify what outcome a scene with the Janitor should have, and Flynn fills in the dialogue.

• Former Men at Work frontman Colin Hay's music has appeared in multiple episodes of Scrubs. Episode 1-24 featured the song 'Beautiful World', 2-01 had Hay himself playing his acoustic version of the Men at Work song 'Overkill' while following J.D. around the hospital, 2-13 ended with the staff singing Hay's song 'Waiting for My Real Life to Begin', in 3-13, Braff sang part of the Men at Work hit 'Down Under', and 4-17 included Hay singing the Cheers theme song.

External links

• Touchstone Television (http://www.scrubs-tv.com)
• NBC (http://www.nbc.com/Scrubs/)
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• Episode Transcripts (http://scrubs.mopnt.com/scripts/)de:Scrubs

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