(no subject)

[yendi]

So, Tivo had five episodes of Scrubs waiting for us last night. Have I mentioned how much I love this show?

To really apprecriate my love for the show, you have to understand two things.

First, I hate sitcoms. I watch Macolm and Arlis$, but those are the only live-action sitcoms I need (and neither is traditional). I watch Friends and Will and Grace because shadesong does, but I could live without ever seeing either one again (and probably won't, in the case of Friends).

Second, I hate medical shows. I despise ER -- always have, even when better actors were delivering the shitty dialogue. I think it's a pandering, emotionally manipulative piece of crap, and it substitutes "very special episodes" and shock value for real characterization. Chicago Hope was only slightly better. I haven't enjoyed a medical show since St. Elsewhere, whose ass ER couldn't kiss on its best day.

So, I didn't watch Scrubs at first. Then, after all of the hype, we decided to record the pilot, and it was cute. But nothing special.

A few months went by, and they ran a commercial for a musical epsiode, so we tivo'd it. The commercial was a lie (NBC has been taking lessons from the WB), as there was only one brief moment of song, but the episode was funny. Damned funny. And also surprisingly touching. So we got a season pass, and have now seen about half of the episodes.

It's not just that this show is funny (which it is). It's that it manages to combine zaniness with true emotion. And it does it without playing the bullshit games of so many shows.

The best comparison (although it's a false one) I can think of is Soap. It's not as over the top zany as Soap was, but it's got the same ability to move from a silly plotline right into a speech that makes your eyes water. Remember how Katherine Helmond gave that amazing speech about how much she loved her grandchild, right in the middle of the Exorcist parody (and if you don't, why haven't you gone and seen every episode of Soap, dammit?)? That's the sort of mix of emotion and humor that Scrubs achieves.

Anyway, my point is, I don't consider many network shows worth watching. But Scrubs is one of them.

Comments

[edie22.livejournal.com]

Just wanted to comment how much I *loved* Soap! They used to run marathons on Comedy Central and I would watch every time. The only problem I ever had with that show was that they left us at the very end with Jessica getting shot by a firing squad and I never saw anything else.

I suppose it's odd that I know exactly what you mean about the exorsist scene with Corin and the possessed baby with Tim the priest.

[voltbang.livejournal.com]

I watched an episode of scrubs for the first time the other night. It wasn't bad. I think it conflicted with somethign during the regular season, but we're in re-runs now. The TiVo has a ton of stuff in it, so a show would have to be pretty good to add to that mess. Adding 80 megs is great, except that you pile up the unwatched stuff.


I saw some Soap, but I don't recall any episodes. Just that it was funny.

In tonights very special episode, Dr.Green will take his rebellious drug using older daughter and his still recovering form the overdose infant daughter and his ailing estranged second wife to hawaii to die of his recurring brain tumor. But first, on a very special friends, Joey gets a part in a movie playing a woman, Pheobe sees something she shouldn't and Monica and Chandler go to a porn rental store. I don't have time for ER, but if I need to be manipulated, there it is. Friends makes me laugh, and that's all I want sometimes.

[danorsong.livejournal.com]

*loves soap*

[sage-and-sea.livejournal.com]

yendi, you made me cry remembering that Jessica's speech! I loved that show - when Comedy Central did their marathon of every episode, I taped them all. Best.Sitcom.Ever.

[yendi]

*nod* I'd only seen one or two eps before they did that marathon (back in 1994). I stayed up nearly the whole weekend watching it. Damn, what a great show.