By the time “Scrubs” hit its fourth season, it was in full stride. It got past its first year of novelty, and it went beyond the second year of finding its footing. In the third season, the writers tried to give more depth to the characters, and they did, only slightly hurting the humorous side of the show.

Although the show is in its sixth season on regular TV, it’s in its fourth season on DVD. Like the first three seasons of the show, the DVD set is a great choice to pick up. Unlike other TV-on-DVD shows, the special features offered on the discs are still full and rich. There are several audio commentaries, along with spotlights on everything from J.D.’s quest to be Dr. Cox’s mentor to a retrospective of the love interests on the show.

Keeping the slate of DVD special features fresh is actually a greater achievement than running a great show for that long, it seems. Too many series resort to sticking seasons three through the end on discs with nothing more than a few talking heads. That’s why it deserves such special mention early on in this review.

What’s pleasant about “Scrubs: The Complete Fourth Season” is that the shows are as good as ever. The writers seem to have gotten over the junior hump of trying to keep the characters deep and relevant without losing their edge. Of course, things aren’t as fresh as the first season. They never are. However, they still are enjoyable and fun to watch.

Now with “Grey’s Anatomy” on television to give “Scrubs” some competition, the show has to step up its game. Season four is the last one out there without the competition of “Grey’s.” I still enjoy this show better than “Grey’s” mainly because it’s actually more realistic and less of a soap opera. (In short, I would much rather be a patient at Sacred Heart than Seattle Grace any day.)

In the fourth season, the writers finally put an end to the love tangle between J.D. and Eliot. It was about time, really. They milked three whole seasons out of it, and they wanted to make sure the show wouldn’t hinge on it any more. With the strong characters support of Turk and Carla, the show continued to run without being crippled by losing J.D. and Elliot’s relationship. In fact, breaking them up but keeping them at the same hospital (and eventually the same job) kept their stories fresh.

As was the case with earlier seasons, there are periodic guest stars, including Tara Reid, Heather Graham and Matthew Perry. It’s not as loaded with guest stars are previous seasons, but that’s okay. Guest stars have often sunk shows by making them more about the guests than the stories of the characters.

Instead, the show relies more on its brilliant supporting cast who, at times, delivers better comedy than the main cast. These characters include Neil Flynn as the Janitor, Sam Lloyd as Ted the neurotic lawyer and Robert Maschio as The Todd.

This is a bit of a relief because I am going through a little bit of Zach Braff overload. With his recent appearance in “Chicken Little” and his stinker films like “The Last Kiss” and “Garden State,” he’s getting tired. Too many of his appearances outside of “Scrubs” are just retreads of J.D., proving he really doesn’t have the chops to do anything outside of the show. Hopefully he got some good residuals in his contract.

Still, any overdoes of Zach Braff isn’t enough to steer me away from the show. “Scrubs: The Complete Fourth Season” is a great selection for fans of the show. It’s also a nice way to encourage those who never watched the show to pick up the first three season.



Specifications: Dolby Digital Surround Sound. Full frame (1.33:1). English language subtitles for the hearing impaired.