Today's Latest Headlines

tv

ABC sets 'Scrubs,' 'Better Off Ted' returns

Low-rated, audience-adored comedies will return to ABC in December

Published on Thursday, Oct 29, 2009 By Daniel Fienberg
  • Share
  • Share It
  • 2Comment
  • Like it? 0
ABC sets 'Scrubs,' 'Better Off Ted' returns

 Jonathan Slavin of 'Better Off Ted'

Credit: ABC
ABC, already having a comedically successful fall, will welcome "Better Off Ted" and "Scrubs" back to the schedule in December.
 
Both shows drew perilously low ratings last spring and continued ABC's long-term difficulties launching new comedies. This fall has been a different story, with "Modern Family" and "Cougar Town" drawing doing strong numbers, particularly in the key demo, and even "The Middle" attracting the kind of viewership "Scrubs" and "Better Off Ted" would have killed for. 
 
Network sources confirm that "Scrubs" will return with a pair of episodes airing at 9 and 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday, December 1. 
 
That will give viewers a little extra time to get to know the new "Scrubs," featuring a new medical school setting and a mixture of new and returning stars including John C. McGinley, Donald Faiso, Eliza Coupe, Michael Mosley, Kerry Bishe and Dave Franco. While original star Zach Braff is expected back for multiple episodes, it's unclear if he'll be in either of the season-starters.
 
Casting overhaul aside, this will be the ninth season for "Scrubs" and the second since it moved over to ABC.
 
"Better Off Ted" will kick off its second season the following week, Dec. 8, in the 9:30 p.m. slot. The critically adored comedy launched last fall and aired seven oddly staggered episodes before going off the air. After the show got an unexpected renewal, ABC burnt off the final six episodes of the first season in a staggered summer run, with an hour-long finale in August.
 
The comedy continues to star Jay Harrington, Portia de Rossi, Andrea Anders, Jonathan Slavin, Malcolm Barrett and Isabella Acres.
Related Searches: ABC, Scrubs, Better Off Ted, premieres

You Might Also Like

Upcoming Events

Comments from HitFix Nation

+ Post a Comment

Got something to say about this? There are 3 ways to tell us:

Comment instantly as a guest.
Use your Facebook account Connect
Become a Member or Login to your existing HitFix account
  • Default-avatar
    • Rena Moretti said
    • How was ABC "comedically successful" this Fall? None of their new shows managed to hit the (low) bar of 10 million viewers.

      ABC has been very successful getting the press to say it was successful, but in reality it was anything but.

      I like Better Off Ted and I hope it gains speed this year.
    • Nov 24, 09 at 02:29PM EST
        Reply to Comment
  • Gizmo_bigger_talkback_profile
    • dan said
    • Rena - No network with the possible exception of CBS views "total viewership" as anything meaningful. What "Modern Family" and "Cougar Town" have done is raise the demographic bar for ABC, while also significantly outperforming the numbers ABC has gotten for almost all of its non-"Dancing"-inflated comedies in recent years. You want to know what constitutes success? Improvement. And ABC's comedies this fall have all shown demographic ratings improvement for the network. Thus? Successful. - Daniel
    • Nov 24, 09 at 04:20PM EST
+ Post a Comment