By RICK PORTER — Zap2It.com
NEW YORK — NBC confirmed on Wednesday that “Scrubs” will end its seven-season run on the network in May. Which doesn’t necessarily mean the show is going away for good.
It’s widely expected that “Scrubs” will end up on ABC next season, given that it’s produced by the network’s Disney brother ABC Studios and network entertainment chief Stephen McPherson helped develop the show back when he ran the studio. Recent reports have said a deal with ABC is near completion; ABC will announce its schedule in mid-May, during the traditional upfront week.
NBC boss Ben Silverman managed to get in a diss of ABC in noting that following its season finale in May, “Scrubs” will be a free agent. “If they can go 1-for-21, good for them,” Silverman said, referring to ABC’s less-than-stellar recent record at developing comedy hits.
More bits and pieces from NBC’s not-upfront:
- Next season will be the final one for “ER.” The show, once the top-rated series on television, was to have ended this spring, but the writers’ strike led NBC to re-evaluate that idea and bring the show back for a 15th-season swan song. Silverman says the season will air without repeats, beginning in the fall and running straight through 18 to 22 episodes, which would put the finale somewhere in February or March 2009. The show also hopes to bring back some familiar faces, teasing the return of Noah Wyle’s Dr. John Carter in a promotional video.
- “Saturday Night Live” will jump into primetime for a set of election-themed specials in the fall. “SNL Thursday Night Live” will be paired with “The Office” for a few weeks in October, presenting live sketches and “Weekend Update” segments pegged to the week’s campaign news. A 90-minute “SNL Presidential Bash” special, featuring classic presidential sketches and newer material from this cycle.
- On the casting front, Donal Logue (” The Knights of Prosperity,” “Zodiac”) is joining Damian Lewis, Sarah Shahi and Adam Arkin as a regular on “Life,” which will move to Friday nights in the fall. Matthew Broderick will guest on the season finale of “30 Rock” in May, and current “Dancing with the Stars” contestant Adam Carolla has been tapped to host the American version of “Top Gear.” Also, “Today” weatherman Al Roker will host the summertime show “Celebrity Family Feud.”
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