The New Sitcom Prototype?

If ever there was an argument for just leaving creative people alone and letting them work on their own terms, NBC’s critically acclaimed but frequently ratings-challenged sitcom, Scrubs may be it. Now in its fifth season, the show’s creators have always faced tremendous network pressure to add a laugh track, give up the single-camera technique, and just generally make a sitcom more like every other sitcom on every other American network. It may be formulaic, say the network brass, but viewers like it, and the numbers prove it. But Scrubs has hung on to become quite popular, and even as they defy TV conventions, its creators are also embracing every new technology they can get their hands on in an effort to connect with viewers.