Scott Garfield/NBCPlease oh please oh please!
That's all that can be said about the latest buzz whipping through Hollywood today regarding NBC's notoriously underappreciated comedy, Scrubs.
Inside sources at ABC confirm to us that the "wheels are in motion" to bring Scrubs to the Alphabet network, and one highly placed insider says it is looking "very likely" that the move from NBC to ABC will go down.
Say it with me now: Holler!
Word is, although Scrubs honcho Bill Lawrence had planned to wrap up the series at the end of this season, the prospect of a new network—one which appreciates and actually promotes the series—has made him willing to produce...wait for it...18 episodes for a very solid eighth season next year over at ABC.
Even better news? Word inside the Sacred Heart inner circle is that Zach Braff—and all the key players—are also on board with an 18-episode run on ABC.
Obviously, this is jaw-droppingly good news for us fans, who have been deeply concerned there would be no proper ending to Scrubs, which was halted six episodes before finishing out what was to be its final season on NBC. Peacock-net insiders say the options NBC had offered Lawrence to close out the series were "disappointing" and "just not enough," including one final episode to wrap up the storyline or a straight-to-DVD finale.
Just last week at the Independent Spirit Awards, Zach Braff had this to say about Scrubs' status: "The network is figuring out how many they want. The studio is figuring out how much they want so…this is the last season. It’s over but we’re not exactly sure how many more they’re doing." Well, Z.B., how about 18 more on a network that will love you?! How's that sound?
Scrubs, which is produced by ABC Studios (formerly Touchstone), has been courted by ABC before and is a personal favorite of ABC President Steve McPherson, who helped develop the show while he was at Touchstone, alongside Lawrence (with whom he remains good friends).
Last May, when NBC announced it was picking up Scrubs (so ABC could not have it) McPherson told me: "I am bummed. Bill and I developed that show together, and we had a beer early last week and we were hoping it would work out. But I'm happy for those guys that they got another year. It's such a great show."
Clearly.
So, what do you all think of a Scrubs move to ABC? Pretty freaking outstanding, is it not? Comment below and convince all parties involved to make this thing a go!
(A request for comment from NBC has not yet been returned. We'll let you know if we hear anything more.)
—Additional reporting by Korbi Ghosh