Two shows long assumed to be (but never officially pronounced) dead — ABC’s "Scrubs" and Fox’s "’Til Death" — are generating the online equivalent of a death rattle, thanks to some chatty cast members.
First, "Death" star Brad Garrett told Zap2It.com that his Sunday night Fox comedy had bit the bullet. As he himself noted, the ratings made the cancellation inevitable.
"After year two, when you’re getting beat by Telemundo, it’s time to go home," Garrett said. "I mean, even the show my housekeeper watches was beating the show that was paying her salary. I’d come in the room, and she’d quickly turn off Telemundo."
This is wholly unsurprising since "Death" was actually left for dead last year at this time, but only saved when Sony cut an innovative deal with Fox to keep the show alive one more season (two words: syndication revenue). It was always a given that this was a one-year arrangement and that after this season, "Dead" would die.
Well, the season’s over. And a Fox rep confirmed to TheWrap Tuesday that yes, indeed, there will be no more "Til Death" produced — though a whopping 14 episodes remain to be aired.
Meanwhile, ABC isn’t commenting on a statement former "Scrubs" star Zach Braff posted to his Facebook account Tuesday. "It appears… ‘Scrubs without JD’ is no more," he wrote. "It was worth a try but, alas… it didn’t work."
Braff really didn’t break any more news than Garrett. "Scrubs" aired its last episode of the season last week (did you notice?), and every report about the show for the last few weeks has included the words "highly unlikely to return."
But unlike "Death," which really has been canceled, ABC hasn’t officially told "Scrubs" producer Bill Lawrence that his show is dead. That’s because there remains a teeny tiny chance every single new show ABC pilots this spring will totally suck, and that some bean counter at Disney will declare it makes financial sense for ABC to order more episodes of "Scrubs."
Unlikely, of course. Our point is not to give the remaining "Scrubs" fans any hope of a revival, but to note that Zach Braff doesn’t decide when "Scrubs" is officially dead. ABC will make that call, and when it does, maybe Braff will let Lawrence — the man who made Braff a star — break the news.
