Another sitcom face-off where I take two similar shows and
decide which one is superior. Today we have two great ensemble comedies, one
from the 80’s and the other from the 00’s.
vs 
Night Court premiered in 1984 and was a major part of NBC’s
Thursday night lineup for years. Scrubs premiered in 2001, and was also a
dependable hit for NBC. What these programs have in common is the type of shows
they were, both being physical comedies with very broad, slapstick kind of
humor including great sight gags and physical comedy. The jokes came fast on
these shows and the characters were quirky and a bit crazy. Both of these shows
were fun, but which one was superior?
As with the last time I did two ensemble comedies, I need to
change the categories a bit. I broke the cast down into three categories, comparing
similar characters on each show. So for the first category, we will discuss the
main characters.
Round 1:Main Cast (1)
Judge Harold T. Stone vs. Dr.John Michael "J.D." Dorian
vs 
Harry
Stone and J.D.
are both fun loving guys who act a tad immaturely at times. Harry loves
practical jokes while J.D. has no trouble expressing his feelings, even
if the
person he is expressing them to isn’t interested. There is a reason why
Dr.Cox
always gives him girl’s names. Of course J.D. is always living inside
his head,
as he monologues to himself every episode. If that wasn’t enough, he
also has
fantasies in his head relating to whatever is going on. Sometimes the
fantasies
can be pretty elaborate. Harry is a would-be magician and practical
joker. He uses
the jokes and gags as a release, since being a judge can be depressing.
It is
said being a doctor is even worst, which is why J.D. needs to find
escapes of
his own. They also both had trouble with relationships, Harry having
only one serious one and J.D. going from girl to girl after a few
episodes. What makes them both great at their jobs is their humanity.
Harry talks
to the defendants like their people and treats them with compassion, and
with
J.D. you can tell he is a doctor who truly cares for his patients. They
are
also loyal to their friends as well, always there for them. So, who is
the
winner? J.D. is a great doctor but sometimes he acts so immature that
it’s real
hard to take him seriously. Most of the time the other cast members feel
like they have to protect him. I don’t have that problem with Harry,
despite the
gags and jokes he is a great judge and knows when to act like, well, an
adult.
That is something J.D. doesn’t do enough, in my opinion.
WINNER=Judge Stone
Round 2:Main Cast
(2)
Dan Fielding vs.
Perry Cox
vs 
So let’s talk about
the other characters on these shows. My two favorites, as pictured, are Dan
from Night Court and Dr.Cox on Scrubs. These are the two characters I tuned in
to watch more than any other. With Dan, you never knew what he was going to
say. He always had a crude comment or a remark, and the way he chased women was
just amazing. However, as good as Dan was with his remarks Dr.Cox takes it a
step further with his remarks and rants. His rants are so amazing I sometimes
can’t believe they were written, if I didn’t know better I would swear the
actor is just adlibbing. That is how good John C.McGinley was. John Larroquette
was good making a horrible lech like Dan incredibly charming, not an easy task.
He won four Emmy awards for a reason, he could be funny and a total jerk not to
mention a spineless wimp. Both characters deep down are really good but flawed
people who keep that side hidden unless it really needs to come out. It takes
some doing, but you can find Dr.Cox being understanding and caring like when he
comforts J.D. after his father died. The problem with Perry is that it is really
hard to get there; sometimes it takes some serious guilt trips or seriously
crossing the line in order to finally express any real feelings. Dan can be
caring and genuine as well, I could list the times he stepped in and helped a
friend when least expected to. It seems easier for him to turn off the vile
stuff and be a nice guy. He doesn’t need to be told to be nice, he just know
when he has to be. Not saying Perry isn’t a great friend it’s just such a
struggle for him. On top of that, he comes off as downright mean in some cases.
So, who wins? Real tough call, I love Perry but I think I have to give the nod
to Dan for knowing when to turn off the crassness and be a good friend.
Winner=Dan Fielding
Round 3=Romantic Interest
Christine Sullivan vs. Elliott Reed
vs 
Both shows had on and off again romance. Harry and Christine
went back and forth just like J.D. and Elliott did. However, let’s be honest.
The romance between Harry and Christine was never that good; I know I never really
cared about it. J.D. and Elliott on the other hand, now that was a true romance
which felt genuine. J.D. and Elliott were great together, and had some real ups
and downs over the years. Elliott was a very flawed character; she had
self-esteem issues and tended to get carried away with things. Christine had
very high aspirations in the beginning; she is the product of an overbearing
father and tends to get carried away with herself being soooo positive. I will
talk about this more, but as the show progressed Christine started to become
less goofy and more real. Elliott likewise learned to have confidence in
herself and her skills. Elliott and Christine are a lot alike. It's no surprise
that Markie Post, who plays Christine, showed up on Scrubs as Elliot's mom! Who
wins? I think Elliott has to win because Sarah Chalke was so hot. Kidding she
wins because Elliott was just a more realistic character and her relationship
with J.D. was more believable.
Winner=Elliott Reed
Round 4=and the rest…..
Supporting Characters
vs 
Christopher Turk was J.D.’s best friend. Actually, they were
more than just friends. What’s that term, bromance? It is nice to see such
close friends on TV but sometimes it was too much. Turk is also an excellent
surgeon. Turk
got together with the receptionist
Carla, who was tough when she had to be and a very good friend. She was
like a
mother hen, watching out for everyone else at the hospital even being
the one
person Perry respected and could confide in. On Night Court, we had the
clerk
Mac Robinson who sometimes felt like the only sane member of the cast.
He was
married to a Vietnamese woman named Quon Le who appeared many times. Roz
Russell was the tough as nail bailiff who deep down was a good person;
she just
had a quick temper and tough exterior. Dr.Kelso was head of the hospital
and
was a nasty person hated by most. Deep down he was a nice guy but was
unable to
show that or else he’d lose the respect of his employees. Then we had
the fan favorite
on both shows. Bull Shannon was the tall bald bailiff who was dimwitted
but had
a big heart. He was usually there to be the punch line, but we loved
him. The
Janitor was mean and anti-social, but the way he aggravated J.D. in
every
episode made us want to watch him. Neither of them would be tolerated in
the
real world, but the actors behind them do such a great job of making
them
charming and likable. Another thing these shows have in common were the
guest
stars appearing as patients or defendants (respectively). Night Court
had Mel Torme, John Astin and at the time unknowns like Brent Spiner and
Teri Hatcher. Scrubs had Nicole Sullivan, Mathew Perry, Michael J. Fox,
John Ritter, Dick Van Dyke and many more. So, who wins? Well,
the supporting cast of Scrubs goes on a bit more if we include Ted,
Perry’s
ex-wife Jordan, the receptionist Laverne, and others who came and went.
It’s
safe to say that Scrubs definitely had the stronger supporting cast and
aside
from that Night Court had lots of cast changes in its early days but
Scrubs
pretty much the people in the pilot were still there at the end and some
had
been expanded. The winner in this category is obvious.
WINNER=SCRUBS
Round 5=Theme Song
As much as I enjoy “Superman” by Lazlo Bane there is no way
I can ignore the Night Court theme. I love this jazzy tune and this opening is
one of my favorites ever. I have watched this show since I was a kid and the
title sequence brings back some great memories.
WINNER=NIGHT COURT
Round 6=Premise
Ok, here is where we get serious. Which show told
better stories
and was just funnier? I said in the beginning that Night Court was a
slapstick
comedy, but the problem was that as great as it was at that, there
wasn’t much else.
Scrubs was a crazy comedy but it did so many other things. They did
serious
episodes and really put the characters through hard times. There were
music bits
in every episode and morals to even the silliest show. The characters
were
allowed to be flawed. They made mistakes, they argued, and they grew.
Night
Court was funny, but that was really it. When they did do a serious
episode it
was only for that episode, and the characters never learned anything
(typical
80’s show). It was pretty much the same formula, some crazy defendant
would
appear in the courtroom and the plot of the episode revolved around the
issue
that defendant brought while a B story usually had Dan chasing, or being
chased
by, some woman. For years the show was more about the environment not
the
characters. When the show did finally start to get more into the
characters, it
sucked! The last couple of years were horrible. Not only were they not
funny,
but it wasn’t even interesting. The character actually started to get
boring, especially Harry and Christine who from fun and positive to
depressing. When Christine got pregnant that was the worst thing the
show could have done. They couldn't even keep Dan the same, making a
do-gooder which likewise made him unlikeable, until a great episode when
they finally returned him back to the Dan we loved. Then in the second
to last season the creators
decided to just mess everything up and suddenly the show was dark and
totally
unwatchable. When they got the final season, the creators had to fix
everything
and put the show back to the way it had been. Scrubs did a much better
job
making the show about the hospital and the environment they inhabited.
We got
just as much laughs from the patients as we did the regular cast. Sure
the show golt old as it went on, I didn't like it when they made J.D. a
father, but it
never really lost that formula. They also took more chances doing a
musical
episode which was great, an episode designed like a traditional sitcom
which
was great, and when time came for a clip show rather than show clips
they
literally reenacted moments from earlier shows. They even did a famous
“sixth
sense” episode featuring Brendan Fraser which I actually thought was
effective.
Point is that what Night Court failed at Scrubs was able to do very
well. That
is, telling funny stories while letting their characters grow and learn.
The one
thing about Scrubs is that it does not have the timelessness that Night
Court
had. I don’t really miss Scrubs and have no great desire to catch it on
re-runs. It is the kind of show you just don’t miss watching. So, while
in its day Night Court could be funny as hell, that doesn’t
change the fact that Scrubs just did a better job.
WINNER=SCRUBS
Round 7=Jumping the Shark
As usual it all comes down to which show did a better job at
the end of its run. First, let me state I am not including that 9th
season of Scrubs n this discussion. That would be like talking about Saved By The Bell and
talking about The New Class. That was its own show which sucked, and that’s how
I feel about that 9th year. For me the show ended at the end of the
8th, with that amazing episode about J.D.’s last day at the
hospital.
I gotta say, that was a very, very well done episode. True I didn't
watch the show so much by that last year but when I tuned it was still
decent enough. Night Court’s last season
wasn’t all bad, though hard as it tried it was still not the funny show
it had
been in the early years. It was still stuck in that depressing mire
where the stories were dark and the show just wasn't as funny. The final
episode had most everyone moving on, and
ended with the most ludicrous scene ever. We see Bull go to Jupiter with
a
couple of aliens. Seriously! Bull and the aliens disappear, and the
credits
roll over silence. What a horrible way to end the series! Final
analysis, I
loved Night Court. It was a favorite when I was a kid and will always
have a special
place in my heart. However, I have to be honest and as much I loved it,
the
better show and winner of this has to be……
Final Thoughts=Think I said all I can, if you agree or
disagree let me know.
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