really disappointing
Okay, so I watched "Scrubs" last night. It was my first exposure to the show, and I can't say I'm slavering for more. On the contrary.
Since I was a kid, I've hated laugh tracks (and when I was a kid, all sitcoms had 'em). Even with sitcoms I liked, I always thought, "Man, I wish there were no 'live studio audience.' " Even when I wanted to be in the live studio audience, I didn't want to hear it in the final product. I know what I think is funny, and I know when to laugh; I don't need canned laughter as a trigger. It just grates, and it actually causes me to laugh less.
"Scrubs" is a half-hour situation comedy that doesn't use a laugh track, and I was glad to find this out last night. At least, until the first scene change, when I discovered it uses something worse: the musical cue.
All the big jokes -- which were mostly cheap gags -- were followed by a few notes of "funny" music for two purposes. One: The music served to separate one scene from the next. Two: It was the melodic equivalent of canned laughter. Ew.
Of course, the show needed something to encourage people to laugh. It just wasn't funny. Not even the "House" gags -- I think I might have laughed once or twice the entire half-hour, and at the end, I kind of wanted my time back.
Granted, I'm not familiar with the show, so maybe it would have been funnier if I knew more about the characters. I mean, there has to be a reason "Scrubs" is so crazy popular. But having seen it once, it seems like an odd choice to slot between "The Office" and "30 Rock," two well-done, indie-feeling programs that rely on personal interaction for the majority of the comedy.
Speaking of "The Office," that show just gets better and better. I know I go on about it a lot, but last night's eppie was simply brilliant. And it's so well edited; there's no need for musical cues when you've got powerful performances (Jenna Fischer as Pam in the hallway, crying -- a beautiful contrast to the hilarity of the previous scene) and great writing. A good comedy isn't all about the gags.