'Scrubs' back in action

I don't normally tell you how a TV show is going to end, but I'm going to make an exception with tonight's eighth-season premiere of the medical comedy "Scrubs."

(And, no, it doesn't really give anything away. Because the scene at the end has absolutely nothing to do with the rest of the show.)

J.D. (Zach Braff) bounds into the room, overflowing with enthusiasm. Elliot (Sarah Chalke) and Turk (Donald Faison) are considerably less enthused.

"Come on!" J.D. gushes. "I know it's tempting to just mail it in, but there's still a lot of people who rely on us every week, and I think we owe it to them to be as inspired as we were our first few years."

He's talking about their work as doctors, except that he's really talking about their work on the TV show. And there might even be a bit of good-natured bitterness in there as well.

"Now, I know we never do great come medical awards season," J.D. says, "except for Dr. Shalhoub. He wins everything."

(Tony Shalhoub is, of course, the three-time Emmy-winning star of "Monk.")

"But I still think we're as good as anybody else out there," J.D. continues.

"The Nielsens certainly beg to differ," says Turk, referring to a couple of patients named Nielsen. Except that he's really talking about the Nielsen ratings. Which, in seven seasons on NBC, were never as good as they should have been.

Now, however, the show has moved to ABC, where it's actually appreciated. Not only is it produced ABC's own studio, but the head of the network — ABC Entertainment president Steve McPherson — was the head of the studio when "Scrubs" was developed. And he championed the show.

Not only did McPherson gladly pick up the show for what might be its final season — there's no firm decision on that yet, although this will be Braff's last season — but he scheduled it on Tuesdays at 8 and 8:30 p.m. Which is right where NBC had it last season.

"It's a show that, despite being moved around into, like 17 time periods and never really being given the marketing support (it deserved), has really performed unbelievably well on NBC," McPherson said. "So we're excited to have it as part of our comedy assets."

Did I mention that McPherson and NBC Entertainment co-chairman Ben Silverman get along about as well as the Hatfields and the McCoys?

While "Scrubs" doesn't seem as inspired as it once was, part of that is because what was outrageous and new isn't anymore. But this is still a better show than just about anything on NBC, including the dreadful "Kath & Kim."

Season 8 of "Scrubs" begins with a multiple-episode arc featuring former "Friends" star Courteney Cox. She plays Dr. Maddox, the new chief of medicine who's replacing forced-into-retirement-but-not-gone-from-the-hospital Dr. Kelso (Ken Jenkins).

And Maddox is, as J.D. describes her in tonight's second episode, "an odd combination of super-friendly and soul-less."

Having Cox around is a bonus, but "Scrubs" is still "Scrubs." And we wouldn't have it any other way.

E-mail: pierce@desnews.com