“Scrubs”
Tuesday 9pm, ABC
In one of the more baffling moves in recent TV history, ABC opted to pick up an eighth season of NBC’s hospital comedy “Scrubs” after the Peacock gave it the ax. This is despite the fact that the show has never exactly been a ratings bonanza (last year it came in as the 115th most-watched show on air—ouch), and it has lost most of the buzz and creative verve it had in earlier seasons. To be fair, I loved the show in seasons 2 through 4, but even its super-likable cast couldn’t keep things from getting stale. And the show’s once-promising breakout star, Zach Braff, has totally squandered the heat he generated with his 2004 hit indie film, Garden State. So it’s a puzzler that the show still exists at all, much less that it got picked up by another major network. In any event, look for a three-episode guest stint by Courteney Cox, who plays the unethical new chief of medicine now that crotchety Dr. Kelso (Ken Jenkins) has retired.
“Damages”
Wednesday 10pm, FX
Nobody plays a bitch on wheels like Glenn Close, and few bitches have more wheels (or…something like that) than high-powered lawyer Patty Hewes on “Damages.” The riveting drama is back for Season 2, with Close, Rose Byrne, Tate Donovan and Ted Danson along for the ride, joined this time by William Hurt as a scientist who shares a past with Patty, Timothy Olyphant (“Deadwood”) as a new love interest for Byrne’s Ellen, and Marcia Gay Harden as a new legal sparring partner for Patty. And although Zeljko Ivanek’s Ray Fiske committed suicide toward the end of Season 1, expect the actor to make an appearance or two as Season 2 progresses.
“24”
Sunday & Monday 8pm, Fox
Poor Jack Bauer’s about to start another incredibly shitty day. Season 7 (!) of Kiefer Sutherland’s real-time action series starts with two two-hour episodes this week. A lot has changed going into S7. Jack’s old agency, CTU, has been disbanded after numerous major screw-ups. A new president is in the White House, a woman, played by Cherry Jones. Jack’s shark-bait daughter, Kim, is back in the picture. And Jack’s formerly-thought-dead coworker Tony Almeida is apparently not so dead, and not so good anymore, as he is rumored to be one of the bad guys this time around. The action starts off with a major breach of sensitive American computer files, but you know how “24” rolls. By the end of the season it could end up being something totally different. My money’s on militant nuns or zombie kids.
