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Scrubs continues to have one of the most diehard and consuming fan bases in network television (enough even to nurse the show from one network to another), but I must say that even as just a fair-weather fan, it has never really made good on its no-laughtrack goofy potential. At first it was simply my aversion to Tara Reid - in a small role on the series - that kept me at arm's length, but even after Miss American Pie hit the high road, there has continued to be something about Scrubs that doesn't connect with me.

That being said, however, it's not completely without merit to say that Scrubs is one of a kind. Before Tina Fey turned laughtrack-free television into an Emmy-winning powerhouse, Scrubs attempted to be not just another goofy sitcom, but something unique - a fantastical comedy half-hour that took the E.R. dramatic ethos of its day and turned it on its ear. And for sheer adventurousness in construction, I offer Scrubs a round of applause - if anything, there's a lot of charm here.

And the show continues to be more than just fart jokes and romantic cooing, and for that alone it deserves its success. Somehow, even in this ninth season (which, as even diehard fans will tell you, is not as air-tight as earlier go-rounds) never appears interested in remaining complacent - for every obvious, nail-on-the-head yuk this season offers, it really digs deep for something zanier, even perhaps deeper. But see - this is where the show figuratively has me hooked, but realistically keeps me at bay - on paper, the sentiment I just offered makes clear sense, but when it comes to this writer actually watching Scrubs, I can't help but feel the show is overbearing and full of itself almost to a fault. Zach Braff and his crew of surgical nincompoops and goofball brainiacs are definitely up to the challenge - I may bitch and moan about the show's tone, but it goes without saying that the performances (especially from Braff and John C. McGinley) are top-notch - but the material they're given never materializes into something really true.

But what's new in this Complete Eighth Season box set? Well, it's always nice to see Courtney Cox Arquette, who shows up as Dr. Taylor Maddox in the season's first few episodes, and Braff's interaction with new intern Denise (Eliza Coupe) gets pretty funny - he insists upon referring to her as 'Jo', after the Facts of Life character. Even future Parks and Recreation hornball Aziz Ansari gets some moments here as Ed, a do-nothing lazybones with a quick wit.

All told, I'd say Scrubs is far more important and notable a show for what it attempts than what it achieves. It’s refreshing to see a non-laughtrack comedy aim for the kind of endearing tomfoolery that the Scrubs folks shoot for, but it doesn’t all add up at the end of the day.

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