Scrubs (ABC, Syndicated)

common sense media says

Goofy medical comedy with heart; for older teens.


parents & educators say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this show can be screamingly funny but is very adult-oriented. Main character J.D., prone to fantasies, often fantasizes about sex, and most of the characters discuss their sex lives in varying levels of detail. Some patient conditions aren't suitable for children, such as a man who had a light bulb lodged in his rectum (not shown).

Positive messages: The cast is diverse, with Hispanic and black, male and female main characters. Although some goofy antics go on at the hospital (and therein lies the comedy), the young doctors and nurses go to great lengths to help people and take their jobs to heart.
Violence: Not applicable.
Sex: A lot of sexual-tinged subject matter and innuendo. Occasional partial nudity and implied sex.
Language: Profanity on the level of "ass" and "bitch" is fairly frequent.
Consumerism: Not applicable.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: The characters often hang out at a local bar and have a drink or two.

More on Scrubs

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
Families can talk about how the characters cope with their highly stressful jobs, make tough decisions, and deal with life-and-death situations. Is humor a realistic reaction to sickness and death? Do you think the work environment at the hospital is realistic? Would you expect your supervisors to treat you the way J.D. is treated? What would you do if they did?

What's the story?

What's the story?
The young interns of Sacred Heart may be well on their way to becoming fine doctors, but right now they're still learning the ropes. Patients present one new challenge after another, and as "newbies," the interns get dumped on constantly by senior physicians and even the janitor. SCRUBS is grounded in the experiences of Dr. John Dorian (J.D., played by Zach Braff), a still-somewhat-innocent and awkward physician out to impress his elders and become a great doctor. He doesn't always succeed in getting the approval and validation he craves, but in his active fantasy life he's godlike.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 
Episodes mainly focus on situations at the hospital, both funny and serious, and as the series has progressed, the personal lives of J.D.'s friends and colleagues have come more into play -- there's a bit more General Hospital in the show now than when it first premiered as an offbeat and highly original comedy. But the writing and acting are still top-notch. Not necessarily one for the kids, but one parents may like to record and watch by themselves.

TV themes & details

TV Details
TV Rating: TV-14
Network: ABC
Cast: Donald Faison, Sarah Chalke, Zach Braff
Genre: Comedy
Where to watch: ABC

This review was written by Betsy Wallace
 
 

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What parents & educators say

10

Most useful reviews by all members

ikraus484
teen, 17 years old
 
Is scrubs really ment for kids?
I would say kids over the age of ten could basically watch Scrubs. The material may be a little iffy for the ages ten to twelve, but it should be acceptable. younger children, as to eight and under should not be watching it. Now, the maturity of eight year olds and under are lower then ten year olds, because ten year olds learned about puberty already. The show "Scrubs" is got very mild sexual references, intact, most of them don't have any. The language in all the episodes are very mild such as, "crap", "hell", or "shut up", that would be okay for ten year olds.

moviegeek97
teen, 15 years old
 
this is one of my most favorite shows i have watched allmost every episode

will_turner
teen, 14 years old
 
this is funny and stupid
it is funny but probobly one of the stupidist programmes ever!!!

zazmopepperz
teen, 16 years old
 
The show is probably the best hospital show ever made. It's got everything, jokes, romance, fantasy (J.D. always day dreams) and characters who are real d--ks but are insanely funny (got to love Dr. Cox). The sex is quite explicit, one character, Elliot, often talks about her sexual fantasies but it's not shown. Great show recommended for teens.

rollercoaster
teen, 14 years old
 

emarpgo
parent
 
great show
talks alot about the human condition

LuLu_Pippin
teen, 15 years old
 
Hilarious!
Scrubs is really funny. The acting is good, and a lot of things that happen are very realistic. However, I really dislike all the sex. Not like I've never heard of it before, contrary to many adult's beliefs, but it gets kina gross. But overall, it's a really good show, with lots of laughs!!! :)

heymondayfan
teen, 16 years old
 
Great show with good messages
I'm 15, I watched this show when i was 14, it's really not too bad. Most of the sexual innuendos will just fly over a kid's head, so it's not too funny unless you're old enough to get it. It does have a lot of sexual activity in it, which makes it awkward to watch with your parents lol, but it's honestly one of the best shows I've ever seen. It's uproaringly hilarious (I genuinely laugh out loud), the characters are shown with depth and realistic traits, and it's got great messages in each episode about family, love, relationships, friendships, work, dedication, etc. Awesome show, sad to see it cancelled.

babyg9311
teen, 18 years old
 
awesome show
great comedy:) lots of heart with positive messages. good show for teens but not for kids

ilooovememyfig ...
teen, 15 years old
 
really good show
great show, that i watch with my little brother.

actress4jesus
teen, 15 years old
 
Great Show On Handling Stress and a Career, Bad Messages On Sex
I've just begun to watch the first season, but already I love it. My favorite character has to be Dr. Cox, a frank, rebellious, sometimes hostile Doctor and the main character, J.D.'s, role model. The show does talk a bunch about the ups and downs of both friendships and romances, sometimes ending with a positive theme. But the sexual content, that's where it gets B.A.D. Elliot, one of the girls, constantly talks about only wanting a relationship for the sex. J.D. and Elliot have a VERY physical relationship even before they're dating. Even though the show is good, the lessons they teach on sex are NOT very wholesome. Scratch that- not wholesome at all.

green1048
teen, 15 years old
 
Ive watched "Scrubs" since i was 11 and i love it. The only thing that i just wish they could take out is all the sexual behavior. But the caractors REALLy draw you in to the show. JD is the charactor thats shows wat it REALLY is like to work for people in this world. Elliot cracks me up because she is always desprit for attention and a relationship. She will do anything to get what she thinks she needs. Turk is a normal every day guy. He helps with JD's problems (or trys to) and he is married so he trys to make his wife happy no matter what. The Janitor is a hard worker who just likes to have fun by playing pranks on JD and the rest of the cast.

Gyllbane
teen, 15 years old
 
Amazing.
This show is, by far, one of the funniest shows on TV. JD's narration and imaginative daydreams bring a new level to the show; it's like you're seeing it from his point of view, though the narration does sometime switch between characters in some episodes. Alcohol/Drugs - JD often makes remarks aobut his trademark appletinis - his favorite drink at the local bar. Other than that and a few beers every once in awhile, it's pretty clean. Sex - Lots of sexual innuendos and implied sex. Some of it will go over kids heads, but other stuff won't. I'd suggest a 12 and up because of this. Language - D**n and crap are used regularly, as are b**ch and hell. This would give it the 13-and-up rating - though I was watching Scrubs at the age of 11. And as for the whole lightbulb-up-the-butt patient - why would parents get angry about that? I think I would've died laughing if I was eight and I saw an x-ray of a lightbulb up someone's butt.

jacob0929
parent of 16 year old
 
hil-f*ckin-arious
soooooo funny. language - (Crap, Boobs, D*mn, H*ll, A**, B*tch) Dialogue - (Inuenndos, Sexual References) Sex - (Reference to sex, bedroom scenes) Violnce - (Medical) ages 13+

movieman4
kid, 12 years old
 
Sexual Content (PG-13): Characters have sex, with some discussions of having sex too. Language (PG): Risky few times, but mild for the average show. Role Models (G): You do not want your kid acting like DR. Cox, or Dr. Kelso, or the Janitor, for they are all mean characters.

 
unimaganably dumb and highly addicting
One of the VERY few TV shows that can get a genuine laugh out of me almost every episode.

 
Watch ABC in 2009
"Scrubs" will be moving to ABC in 2009. Many people thought the show was canceled after the NBC finale in May, but ABC announced it would carry the show starting in 2009. For those who have yet to see the show, it's good, but beware of the sexual content. That's the reason why the show used to be rated TV-14 on NBC. When the show aired it's final episodes on NBC, and moved from 9:30 to 8:30, it started becoming rated TV-PG. Now, since all ABC sitcoms are rated TV-PG, I would assume that "Scrubs" would keep the TV-PG rating when it moves to ABC next year. Here's my ratings for the show: all episodes before the last NBC episodes--"pause" for 15+; the last NBC episodes--"pause" for 13+.

Meghan O.
teen, 15 years old
 
I love this show my math teacher is always talking about it i watch it like almost everyday

MississippiQueen
parent of and 2 , 2 , 5 , 7 year old
 

JWilliams303
teen, 17 years old
 
great show!!!
this show isn't that bad. the show has the same kind of humor the simpsons have. really great show.

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