The Doctor is In! "Scrubs: Season 1" finally on DVD

need a prescription for a strong, laugh-out-loud-yet touching comedy? well, you're in luck! get addicted to a tv show like no other: the brilliant but tragically underrated Scrubs has finally issued its fantastic season 1 on dvd! all the tv execs, critics, and most critically, nielsen families, who've lamented the demise of the sitcom obviously have not fully embraced (or perhaps even seen) the HIL-ariousness that is Scrubs.

i first fell in love with this little show about hapless medical interns turned almost capable doctors four years ago when i flipped onto the series' emotional, and truly excellent, fourth episode-- "My Old Lady." i nearly peed my pants when one character, shocked by a patient's response, literally received a delivery of a ton of bricks. get it? GET IT? before i could recover from laughing pains, the show reaches a poignant conclusion, reflecting on the fragile cycle of life and death always present in the hospital. i had never seen a show like this. Scrubs, shot in single-camera format, features innovative storytelling techniques-- most prominently in the form of a pseudo-internal monologue voiced by the show's central character, Dr. JD Dorian (played by the endearingly adorable Zach Braff-- who i hope will be my future husband. Zach, if you're reading this, call me!). JD's rich interior life infuses each episode with the most ludicrous fantasy sequences, ultimately revealing each character's secret fears and hopes.

season 1 follows this set of crazy and amazingly human characters--doctors, nurses, a creepy janitor-- through a story arc where they each grow, disappoint, and fall in and out of love with each other and their chosen profession. in addition, the dvd set includes all the cool bonus stuff a Scrubs fanatic has patiently waited for-- a "making of" featurette, interviews with each of the cast members, alternate lines, deleted scenes, and an outtakes reel. for a snoozefest summer of bad tv, this is pretty awesome.

so i bought the box set 2 weeks ago and watched all 24 eps over a 3-day period (i'm weirdly obsessive like that)--at the end of which i wondered aloud-- why the fuck is this show not a bigger hit? what the hell is wrong with America that the best quality comedies are usurped by the boring likes of Two and a Half Men or worst, the vomit-inducing According to Jim. THAT is what Americans think is funny? oh the national travesty.

sigh. it saddens me that the fate of Scrubs for next season is still up in the air-- nbc (damn you tv execs! don't you know that Joey sucks ass?) has yet to determine when it will come back on the schedule-- and the second best comedy on tv, the equally brilliant and hilarious Arrested Development barely eeked out the to-cut list. please America. i beg thee. buy this dvd, find out what you're missing, and help make sure Scrubs doesn't go into television's I.C.U. my sense of humor (and all that is right with the world) begs you.