Scrubs was one of the many shows whose fate was twisted in last years writer’s strike. The final season of Scrubs on NBC was supposed to be the finale of the series. But   between the strike and NBC’s own meddling, the show ended in a strange anti-finale which left the future of the series in doubt. Something interesting happened after that though. Scrubs exploded in syndication. It is now available on WGN, Pax, Comedy Central and about a million other station in the nether regions of your cable guide. For new fans of the show charmed by the infinite syndicated Scrubs have gained a hero in ABC. The original home 8 seasons ago, ABC stepped in, cut a check and brought Scrubs out of the morgue and back into the ER.

For the two-episode season premiere, former Friends star Courtney Cox joins the cast as Dr. Taylor Maddox. As the replacement for the universally despised but lovable Dr. Bob Celso, Courtney Cox plays the authoritarian new hospital head to the hilt and made me wistful for Celso and his Asian massage parlor antics.

In keeping with tradition, Dr. Cox strips away Dr. Maddox’s intial phony friendliness to reveal a management style that’s a cross between Gordon Gekko and Rachel Ray. It won’t be long before Celso’s back and Maddox is dumped off. Courtney Cox has only signed on for a limited episode run.

As for the return of the regulars, not much is changing except for Zach Braff’s ridiculous new beard. JD is saddled with a group of interns that seem unmanageable, Elliot is forced to deal with her shallow, jerky behavior and Turk and JD keep an elderly man company as he dies peacefully.

In the end, it really is the same old show containing both slapstick and sentimentality. JD fantasizes, Cox rolls his eyes and Carla deals out folksy wisdom. For me, its both good and bad. Always nice to see a show take risks, but given the disjointed nature of Scrubs’ jettisoned final NBC season it was good to see Scrubs pretty much intact. the eighth season looks to be one that seeks to be quintessential rather than revolutionary. There’s definitely some comfort in that, like an old pair of shoes.