Season 7, Episode 11 - My Princess

100 Word Review: This review doesn’t need 100 words…just three letters: W.T.F.

Not only was this episode the worst in the history of Scrubs (it takes that prize easily), this could be the worst 30 minutes of television I’ve ever experienced.

There was not one single amusing moment during the entire show. I’m aware that it was decided that this episode would be the finale after it was already in the can, but that doesn’t change the fact that this episode was unbelievably terrible.

It’s a tired cliche, but I have genuinely never wanted 30 minutes of my life back more than after watching this episode.

Grade: D-

NBC is making a shift to its Thursday night line-up this week, moving “30 Rock” to the post-Office 9:30 (EST) time slot. The slot is considered an upgrade for the show, since it should benefit from the large audience attracted to the goings-on of Dunder Mifflin - Scranton, each and every week.

“30 Rock” is already renewed for next season, while “Scrubs” will soon be moving to ABC, and will air its last NBC broadcast episode in a few weeks - so it only makes sense that the network would want to put “30 Rock” back in the 9:30 slot.

There have been several rumors and rumblings over the past few weeks/months that Scrubs will be making the move from NBC to ABC for its eighth and final (for real this time) season. ABC has been in negotiations with ABC Studios, who owns Scrubs (reminds me of that commercial with the Coke guys wanting to sue Coke) to bring it over to the Alphabet network, since NBC seems to have a decided lack of faith in the show.

Last night on TV Guide, Michael Ausiello confirmed…

Question: What’s the latest on Scrubs moving to ABC? — Gina
Ausiello: Cast and crew are due back on the set the week of March 24 to begin production on an 18-episode final season to air on ABC. Thanks, writers strike!

This is the closest to official word that we have on the move. Hopefully by the end of the week we’ll have an official statement.

TVsquad reports that Scrubs may be making a move to ABC for its final season. NBC has been reluctant to renew the show for the fall so that its last season can be finished, and ABC studios has finally had enough of the show’s constant mistreatment by the network. So, now, the two networks are in negotiations to see who will end up with Scrubs.

I love Scrubs. Some people complain about the J.D./Elliot storyline, and the “unevenness” of the show - but I find it consistently funny, and I’d like to see it go on for another 5 years. While I doubt that will happen, you never know.

If Scrubs does make the move to ABC it won’t be the first time that a show has jumped networks towards the end of its run. Family Matters, Different Strokes, and Buffy (to name a few) all made network switches towards the end of their runs…and none of them saw ratings boots for it…so I doubt Scrubs will suddenly score through the roof, but I do hope the show gets a decent end.

Even though Aloma Wright’s character, Laaverne, was killed off last year - the actress is going to be coming back for the show’s final season. On a conference call yesterday series creator Bill Lawrence spilled the beans, explaining that they thought last season was going to be Scrub’s last, and that it seemed like a good story arc at the time, but that Aloma was part of the family, and they wanted to bring her back for the last season of the show.

Aloma will not be playing Laverne, or Laverne’s twin sister (although it was discussed). Instead, she’ll be playing a nurse named Shirley…with the joke being that J.D. is the only one who thinks she looks like Laverne.

I love that.

Scrubs final season begins this coming Thursday.

It’s season finale night! 

The Office - The Job - NBC - 8/7c

Michael, Jim and Karen go to New York to be interviewed for a job opening; in Scranton, the new regime institutes sweeping reforms; Jan comes in with exciting news.

Scrubs - My Rabbit; My Point of No Return - NBC - 9/8c

We finally can watch ‘Scrubs’ without wondering if it will be around next year.  Hooray!

J.D. invites Kim to move in with him so they can raise their child together; Carla helps Elliot plan for her upcoming wedding; the janitor vows to make Keith the perfect husband.

ER - The Honeymoon is Over - NBC - 10/9c

Much to the chagrin of the county general staff, the new chief is ready to make some major changes in the E.R. Meanwhile, Kovac puts his honeymoon on hold while he travels back to Croatia to be with his ailing father. Gates is urgently called home when Sarah panics that she might be taken away. And a patient convinces Neela to attend an anti-war rally and consequently finds her life in peril.

Grey’s Anatomy - Didn’t We Almost Have It All? - ABC - 9/8c

Cristina and Burke’s wedding day arrives along with the interns’ first exam results. A successor to the Chief is named and Callie and George make a big decision about their relationship.

I don’t know if ‘Grey’s’ can live up to last season’s finale…that was likely the best finale I think I’ve ever seen.  And hopefully the Gallie/Gizzie debate will finally close (fingers crossed for Gallie).

Lost - The Answers - ABC - 10/9c

Executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse explore the mysteries of the island and recap some of the revelations made this season as well as those yet to come.

I typically don’t bother with “clip shows”, even if it’s ‘Lost’.  But I love the chemistry that Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof have on the podcast, so I’m hoping some of it will carry over tonight.

It seems the public outcry worked…TVGuide is reporting that NBC has picked up ‘Scrubs’ for a “seventh and final season”.  While the word doesn’t come from NBC directly, it is coming from a reliable source.

I don’t like the “final” part of “seventh and final season”, but I understand the mindset there.  Rather than the station fret next year about whether the show should come back or not, now they can say definitively that this season will be the end and be done with it.  Good news.

UPDATE: While multiple sources are separately reporting that ‘Scrubs’ has been picked up, the New York Times is reporting that it hasn’t.  So don’t get too excited just yet.

UPDATE 2.0: AICN steps in with another exclusive report to clear up this mess.  Apparently, ‘Scrubs’ was renewed after ‘Office’…NBC will order up 18 episodes of ‘Scrubs’, with the remaining time being covered by the four 1-hour ‘Office’ episodes that have been reported.  So how’s that for clarity?

My Name Is Earl - The Trial - NBC - 8/7c - Season Finale!

Earl has it all - a GED, a job, a new apartment - and now with his new, unlikely love interest, Earl is finally an adult. Nothing can stop Earl on his road to maturity…except, of course, Earl himself. Joy, on the other hand, puts her future in the hands of the law as the trial finally arrives. Earl commits the ultimate good deed to help Joy, but ends up sacrificing everything. It all comes down to this trial and Earl’s shocking testimony.

The Office - Beach Games - NBC - 8:40/7:40c - 9:20/8:20c

If you haven’t noticed, NBC has been extending the past few episodes of The Office to 40 minutes.  Kristin at eOnline reports that the best comedy on TV may very well extend to one hour next season.  Specifically:

I’ve just heard from multiple insiders that it’s looking very likely that NBC will double the amount of The Office we’ll get next season. I’m told it’s looking like each episode will expand to be an hourlong; however, if that plan falls through for some reason, I’m hearing that, at the very least, NBC wants to pick up something like 37 episodes of the show in its current half-hour format.

Regarding tonight’s episode, NBC says:

Michael is being considered for a position in Corporate and has to recommend his replacement. While the group expects a fun outing at Lake Scranton, Michael has planned a day of Survivor-like competitions to find his successor. Meanwhile, Pam is not asked to join in any of the activities and is forced to watch Jim and Karen have fun together.

Scrubs - My Conventional Wisdom - NBC - 9:20/8:20c - 10/9c

As Eliot begins to plan her wedding with Keith, J.D. continues to question his true feelings for her. In an attempt to ease his best friend’s mind, Turk takes him to a surgeon’s convention in Phoenix, but the plan backfires when J.D. runs into his ex-girlfriend Kim and comes face to face with the unexpected. Meanwhile, Kelso and his cronies party it up at the convention while unbeknownst to him, the Janitor takes on the role of Chief of Medicine back at Sacred Heart.

ER - Sea Change - NBC - 10/9c

Stanley Tucci alert!  Stanley Tucci alert!  He’s in a guest starring role tonight, but there are rumblings that he’ll be around for good.

Kovac and Abby get used to their new roles as husband and wife while Hope and Morris enjoy the honeymoon suite. Pratt hopes to change his womanizing ways as he tries to win over a new woman. Meanwhile, there’s a new doctor in the E.R. — and he means business.

Grey’s Anatomy - Testing 1-2-3 - ABC - 9/8c

We’re back to Grey’s as usual tonight after last week’s ‘Private Practice’ spinoff pilot. 

Exam day has arrived for the interns - and not everyone is ready. Callie’s suspicions of George and Izzie grow, and Cristina struggles to write her wedding vows.

Traveler - Pilot - ABC - 10/9c

While it hasn’t been getting stellar reviews, it hasn’t been killed by critics, either.  I’m extremely interested in what they can do with this series.

Jay, Tyler and Will are friends who have spent the last two years in grad school. They are about to depart on a summer trip when a simple prank to rollerblade through one of New York City’s most famous museums makes Jay and Tyler prime suspects in a terrorist bombing that destroys the museum seconds later. Hopeful that Will can help clear up this misunderstanding, they learn he’s been missing since the explosion and think he may be dead. They’re unable to turn to authorities when they realize they can’t prove Will even exists. In every photo from the past two years, he has managed to block his face.

Who will believe them? Friends, family, lovers? The boys are pawns in a conspiracy that will take years to unravel, and the government may not have their best interests at heart. Their friendship will be tested like never before as they try to uncover the truth, while avoiding detection of not only the FBI, but everyone in America who has seen their faces on TV as suspects in the bombing.

In an interview with TVGuide, ‘Scrubs’ star Zach Braff said that, knowing the cliffhanger in store for us at the end of this season, a non-renewal for the troubled series would upset the fan base.

“[Series creator] Bill Lawrence doesn’t love cliff-hangers, but everyone sort of talked him into doing it this season, and he put a giant one at the end…so if this were the end of the series, knowing what the [cliff-hanger] is, I think the entire fan base would be furious.”

I’m really looking forward to following the future of ‘Scrubs’.  The show is the brainchild of Stephen McPherson, who now serves as Entertainment President at ABC, and he has expressed that, if NBC passes on the comedy, ABC would be interested in picking it up.  I’d love to see what the show could be in the hands of a network that believes in it.

It’s an extended night tonight, with the running times of Earl, Office, Scrubs, ER and Grey’s Anatomy slightly extended.

My Name Is Earl - Get A Real Job - NBC - 8/7c - 8:36/7:36c

If you don’t subscribe to TV Guide, be sure to pick one up on the way home tonight.  It contains the scratch card for tonight’s “Laugh and Sniff” episode.

The Office - Women’s Appreciation - NBC - 8:36/7:36c - 9:19/8:19c

Outrage breaks out in the office after Phyllis gets an unexpected eyeful from a flasher. Michael makes some important personal decisions when he takes the women on a special outing. Meanwhile, Dwight and Andy work on catching the predator.

If Dwight vs. Andy == comedy gold and Dwight on patrol == comedy gold…tonight could just rip the very fabric of existence.

Scrubs - My Cold Shower - NBC - 9:19/8:19c - 9:53/8:53c

Man, these times are getting confusing to type.

When Elliot’s engagement ring does not fit, Keith agrees to a “redo” in which the particular Doctor plans her own engagement. Carla, Jordan and Elliot’s sorority sister Melody gather to help plan the “surprise.” Meanwhile, the men of Sacred Heart are suffering from too much talk and not enough action as J.D. continually gets shot down by Melody, Turk and Carla have not been intimate since their baby was born and Dr. Kelso’s internet is down — resulting in a lot of cold showers. In the end, J.D. realizes that he might still have feelings for Elliot.

Dr. Kelso…internet…cold showers…*shudder*

ER - I Don’t - NBC - 9:53/8:53c - 11:00/10:00c

The entire ER is surprised when they arrive for the department dinner and find out that surprise nuptials are about to happen. Ray can’t seem to handle seeing Neela and Gates together. The romantic atmosphere seems to bring everyone together.

I’m going out on a limb and saying, considering the title, something will come along and almost throw a wrench in Abby and Kovac’s plans…but they’ll overcome it.  You just watch.

Grey’s Anatomy - The Other Side of This Life (Part 1) - ABC - 9/8c - 11/10c

Addison takes temporary leave from Seattle Grace and makes a road trip to Los Angeles in order to visit some old friends from medical school. As Meredith continues to bond with her stepmother, Susan, Cristina reluctantly plans her wedding with the assistance of her mother, Helen, and Burke’s mother, Mama Jane. Meanwhile, Derek must perform emergency surgery on Ava/Jane Doe, as Alex continues his unfailing bedside manner with her.

Tonight we have the two-hour semi-pilot for the Grey’s spinoff, said to be called ‘Private Practice’.  Tonight, Meredith loses someone close to her, and she and Derek are on pretty shaky ground by the end of the episode.

Happy watching!!!