The Show
During a recent hospital stay, I found my self relegated to the most basic of basic cable TV lineups. I discovered the abundance of reality courtroom TV (and the unending supply of socially challenged plaintiffs/defendants) and rediscovered two flavors of scripted hospital stories. House (not currently on Blu-ray) is a strange thing to watch when you're sick and they're running tests, while Scrubs is remarkably good anytime. I'm not sure why this was never appointment TV for me, but the fast-paced humor, full of wickedly obscure references, combined with well-rounded characters in just-serious-enough situations has managed to keep viewers coming back for nine years now.
The Complete Eighth Season was star Zach Braff's last, released on DVD in August with the Blu-ray landing only recently. (Through the end of the year, the studio is offering a $10 rebate for current Season Eight DVD owners who upgrade to Blu-ray.) The once-struggling interns now have their own crop of young hopefuls to teach and abuse, we finally learn The Janitor's real name (sort of), and a pair of two-parters take us down to The Bahamas and later close a chapter of outstanding network television.
The Picture
The 1.78:1 HDTV image shows faint noise/grain but never so much as to be a major distraction. Blacks are not especially natural, but neither are they a dealbreaker. Detail is good but not great, the picture quality can lean toward the soft at times: I'm glad to have this show in HD, but it is not any sort of demo material.
The Sound
The same can be said of the sound of Scrubs. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 is at its best during the musical accompaniment, with a full multichannel spread and ample bass. Occasional audio cues are exaggerated for comic effect, and there's some nice environmental fill (birds tweeting out in the parking lot) in the surrounds if we listen for it, but it's mostly about the dialogue here, which is fine.
The Extras
All ten episodes on Disc One and six more on Disc Two feature audio commentaries by creator/executive producer/writer/director/sometimes-actor Bill Lawrence, joined by the likes of writer/producer Kevin Biegel, producer Randall Winston, and actors Zach Braff, Robert Maschio, Sonal Shah, Eliza Coupe, John C. McGinley, Ken Jenkins, Neil Flynn, Sarah Chalke, Donald Faison and Christa Miller. Fifteen deleted scenes from a dozen episodes are collected, each titled, twelve minutes total, with the "[deleted versions]" following the "[as aired]" versions. The 15-minute cavalcade of neatly organized "Alternate Lines" is similar and just as fun. Three minutes of bloopers are also included.
"My Bahamas Vacation" is a well-produced 20-minute look behind the scenes of the on-location tale in Hope Town, and "Scrubs Interns" pulls together 12 promotional webisodes wherein the supporting characters take center stage, with appearances by the stars as well (two to five minutes each). Two of these are exclusive to Blu-ray, as is "It's All in the Name," a montage of all the demeaning nicknames and other insults Dr. Cox has used on J.D. across eight seasons (three minutes). All of the extras are presented in HD. ABC/Disney's SeasonPlay feature helps us keep track of our progress through the 19 episodes here.
Final Thoughts
Scrubs' half-hour comedy format (complete with slightly schmaltzy life lessons) takes what's best about TV tradition but turns it into something new, clearly a labor of love for creator Bill Lawrence, who has personally ensured a rewarding home video package here on Blu-ray Disc.
Product Details
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