Scrubs Disappoints, Illini don't

So I've been out of the TV critic game for a while, but the return of one of my favorite shows of all time has brought me back.

Scrubs began a 9th season on Tuesday, its second on ABC. However, to say it is the same show as a few years ago would be a terrible mistake. In fact, the whole backdrop of the show has changed. The Sacred Heart has been inexplicably moved to the campus of Winston University as a teaching hospital. Now it is true, a lot of your favorite characters return for season nine. Zach Braff (JD), Donald Faison (Turk), and John C. McGinley (Perry Cox) are still there, but now fade into secondary character mode. Unfortunately, Sarah Chalke (Elliot) only made a brief appearance, and Judy Reyes (Carla) is no longer part of the show at all. The new main character appears to be a med student named Lucy, played by Kerry Bishé (photo above). She even does the voice-over narration that used to be the job of JD. Eliza Koupe returns in a more prominent role as Denise, and her character's strong personality is perhaps the one saving grace of the new episodes. She is working as JD's teaching assistant.

In short, this show is a shell of the show we learned to love back on NBC. The show has been falling off, but I feel that this season will truly be the one that will kill the show for die-hard fans. Instead of being able to ride off into the sun, we are apparently are stuck with the memory of these last few seasons as the disappointing end to a series that brought us so much enjoyment.


Well, on the bright side, the Illini pulled off an improbable comeback to beat Clemson 76-74 that became key to the Big Ten's first ever victory in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge. Illinois faced a 51-28 deficit with 19:00 left, but shot great and capitalized on Clemson turnovers in the second half to complete the biggest rally in school history. Wisconsin's upset over Duke sealed the deal as the Big Ten won the challenge 6-5.