Scrubs: Complete Season 5 [2006] (DVD)

About as funny as trapping your hand in a car door The problem with sitcoms these days is once a series gets past the first few seasons networks often show more of what they think makes the show popular. In the case of scrubs and similar shows it means downplaying good dialogue and storylines and intensifying personalities and slapstick humour. J.D becomes even more like a small child, Dr Cox's rants seem ever more frequent and dream and fantasy sequences are replaced with actual bizarre events. The hospital setting becomes even less relevant. Scrubs used to be about a hospital sitcom, but along the seasons has turned into a "zany-antics" filled slapstick show that feels almost like a sketch show. The hospital seems tacked on and the fact that the characters actually work there is only noticeable in when it becomes significant to the story in the odd episode. Its not that scrubs is a bad sitcom, its that its a terrible sitcom. Seasons 1 and 2 were actually quite good, some of the best American television has to offer, which makes its nosedive in quality all the more annoying. If I were you I'd go for a better quality comedy dvd like arrested development, an earlier season of scrubs or god forbid it a British sitcom like the office. Whatever you do don't pay good money for this unfunny, farcical parody of scrubs, its just not any fun at all.

Ignore the first disc, watch the rest! When I first bought this and started watching it, I was bitterly disappointed. The majority of the episodes on the first disc were simply like watching another programme all together... continual slapstick comedy, poor storylines which did not progress the series, no lesson at the end of each episode for the characters to have learned... quite simply, it was rubbish! Fortunately, I perservered, and by the end of the first disc, things had got back on track. Excellent stories, proper character development, a careful balance of inuendo, slapstick and the bizarre... exactly what we have come to expect! If all of the episodes were of the quality of those on the 2nd disc onwards, I'd have given this 5/5, but with the poor first disc I felt I had to give it a lower score of 4/5 (it would have got 0/5 if every episode had been like those on the first disc!). I don't know what went wrong with the episodes on the first disc (different writer/director, perhaps?) but thank goodness they sorted it out before they lost a lot of fans!

Great comedy but not quite as good as earlier series I have been one of the biggest Scrubs fans since series one and I absolutely love series 1-3. My main reason for this romance with Scrubs was the original story lines and bizarre humour that worked so well. Both of these were plentiful in series 1-3 but the latter series have wavered. I suspect a large part of this was the underlying story line between JD & Elliot which was strong in the first three series but 4 & 5 it faded after JD dumped Elliot for the final time. Season 5 is still a really good series and, in my opinion, the only decent thing worth watching on tv at the moment (yes, even though they are re-runs!). Still really worth buying!

Not the best season, but still worth adding to the collection. Another entertaining season of Scrubs! I'll get my humble opinion out of the way first, before I get down to the facts: I tend to find this season is leaning more towards the comedy now, and away from the drama. Don't get me wrong, the drama is still there, especially in the heart-wrenching conclusion to "My Lunch" which provides the cue for Dr Cox's fall from grace, but there seems to be a little too much slapstick for my taste. This change of direction is mentioned in the bonus features, which I will come to next. The season 5 DVDs come with very little in the way of bonus features. There are the standard commentaries, deleted scenes and alternate lines, and an extended version of the 100th episode, but other than that there is only a 17-minute long feature entitled "My 117 Episodes: 5 Seasons of Scrubs". A little underwhelming, but that won't stop me from watching it over and over again. Worth the money.

Some great moments but......... Scrubs has been one of my favourite shows since season 1. I love it and still do. This season still provides the jokes and laughs and still provides some wonderful magical moments. However one back drop plot for all episodes has been a group of 20 somethings learning lessons in life at the end of every show, all well and good and one reason why this show appeals to a younger audience. But, now these 20 somethings are in their early thirties and the lessons are been learned all over again and they still aren't getting it which makes frustrating viewing at times. If this season is the first you have seen of Scrubs then you wont get where I'm coming from but, if you're a Scrubs veteran then this season will make you laugh and cry for the right and occasionally the wrong reasons.