For too long, “Scrubs” has been the forgotten sitcom.
For six seasons, J.D., Turk, Elliott and the rest of gang from Sacred Heart Hospital have flown under the radar while pulling in just enough of a cultish following to keep from flat-lining.
While the show’s inconspicuous existence is a constant source of frustration for fans who wish it would get more respect and support from the network, it also gives “Scrubs” the freedom to try new things.
Sometimes it doesn’t work, but most of the time it does. And tonight’s musical episode falls under the latter. It’s pure genius.
It was with some trepidation that I previewed the episode, because even a great show like “Scrubs” can goof when it’s trying too hard to do something different.
But any passing fan of the show will love it.
“Scrubs” airs at 9 tonight on KING, Channel 5.
The story line was written by the show’s executive story editor, Debra Fordham, with music and lyrics mostly done by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx, the guys behind “Avenue Q,” a Tony Award winner on Broadway.
The whole thing starts when J.D. and Elliott come across a woman in a park, played by Stephanie D’Abruzzo, who originated the lead role in “Avenue Q” and was nominated for a Tony.
The woman is admitted to the hospital and that’s when the tunes begin to fly because, you see, she only hears conversation in song. Everything the doctors say while she’s in the room is done in song.
Nothing really explains the dancing, but why does dancing need an explanation?
The singing and dancing won’t stop until the doctors figure out what’s wrong with her. The initial theory is that she’s crazy, but a show with as much heart as “Scrubs” couldn’t let it be that simple.
The best part of the first act is the tune “Everything Comes Down to Poo.” And before you let your mind wander too far into the gutter, just know that it’s a heart-warming little number about the importance and medical usefulness of a stool sample.
In signature “Scrubs” fashion, the cast takes what seems like – OK, is – an extremely off-color premise and turns it into an absolute marvel.
Here’s a, umm, sample:
“It may sound gross/You may say, ‘Shush’/But we need to see what comes out of your tush!”
Just wait until they rhyme “defecation.”
But the highlight of the night is a moment “Scrubs” fans have seen coming for many years. It’s the song “Guy Love,” in which J.D. and Turk finally get a chance to express their true, strictly heterosexual feelings for one another through song.
NBC put a video for this one (and “Everything Comes Down to Poo”) on YouTube.com.
As if the duo’s melodramatic harmonizing weren’t special enough, the lyrics offer such gems as “Sometimes it’s easier to hide than explain our guy love/that’s all it is/guy love/he’s mine, I’m his/There’s nothing gay about it, in our eyes.”
It might not be pulling in the numbers, but with this example of what can be done with a half-hour of television, “Scrubs” continues to prove it’s a real treat for TV fans who enjoy something original and fun.
Victor Balta’s TV column runs Mondays and Thursdays on the A&E page. Reach him at 425-339-3455 or vbalta@heraldnet.com.
For more TV scoop, check out Victor’s blog at heraldnet.com/blogpopculture.
On TV
“Scrubs: My Musical,” 9 tonight, KING, Channel 5.
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