I'm still working my way through some tv seasons that I picked up on DVD. Season 7 is a really short, only 11 episodes. There was a writers strike about half way through production. NBC had announced before the show started that there would only be 18 episodes in season 7 and it would be the last. That didn't happen exactly that way and the show was picked up for two more seasons on ABC. The number of viewers dropped through S7 starting with 6.9 and ending with 5.3 million. The shows were still written pretty well and I got some laughs. JD (Zack Braff) has to deal with the responsibilities of parenthood, his lack of feeling for the mother of his child Kim (Elizabeth Banks) and his feelings for Elliot (Sarah Chalke). Turk (Donald Faison) and Carla (Judy Reyes) have their problems with parenthood, so does Dr Cox (John C McGinley) and Jordan (Christa Miller). Dr Kelson (Ken Jenkins) has to deal with forced retirement, luckily he gets muffins for life at the coffee shop in the hospital. Dr Cox gets promoted to head doc. The Janitor (Neil Flynn) is up to his usual antics but this year he gets a girlfriend (Kit Pongetti). They all had some nice little scenes and bits of great dialog to work with and everyone does a great job. It must be a well oiled machine by this time and they can get the writers they want with all the money they would be rakin' in from NBC. But it wasn't enough money I guess and the show moves to ABC.
The season ends with a fantasy show. Dr Cox tells his son a story based on his day at the hospital. All the fantasy scenes are like a medieval fairy tale. All the hospital staff play versions of fairy story characters. Elliot is the beautiful princess, JD the village idiot, Dr Cox a Knight and Dr Kelso a demon. Diggin' that cape, Dr K. Turk and Carla get melded together in the best Rosie Grier-Ray Milland tradition. I like silly shows like this and it was a fun way to end the season. The nice thing about short seasons is you can breeze through them in an evening or two. Recent sales at Half Price Books and the earlier January sales have leff my tv shows to be watched shelf groaning from the weight. I should complain, huh.
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