Bill Lawrence Movies

A fortysomething divorcée (Courtney Cox Arquette) with a teen son considers reentering the dating pool, which just happens to be full of younger men. ~ Joe Friedrich, Rovi

By this time a key element of NBC's Thursday-night sitcom lineup, Scrubs launches its sixth season as protagonist/narrator J.D. Dorian (Zach Braff), an attending physician at Sacred Heart Hospital, learns to his astonishment that his urologist girlfriend Dr. Kim Briggs (Elizabeth Banks) is pregnant. Also in "a family way" this season is nurse Carla Espinosa (Judy Reyes), impregnated by Dr. Christopher Turk (Donald Faison), and Jordan Sullivan (Christa Miller), ex-wife of Sacred Heart's long-suffering chief of surgery Perry Cox (John C. McGinley). In fact, virtually the only principal female character who isn't pregnant is the hapless Dr. Elliot Reid (Sarah Chalke), who's miserable about her non-preggie status. This year's plot developments include Elliot's desire to go into private practice, whereupon she is mercilessly needled by Dr. Cox, who at one juncture begins acting exactly like the antihero of the TV medical drama House; a curious malady which causes J.D. to black out at inconvenient times; the unfortunately-not-permanent vacation of J.D.'s nemesis The Janitor (Neil Flynn); the sudden departure of Sacred Heart's resident gossip Nurse Laverne Roberts (Aloma Wright); and a touching story arc involving an Iraq war veteran (Michael Weston). Other choice moments include an impromptu musical comedy inspired by a patient (played by Broadway actress Stephanie D'Abruzzo); the change-of-pace episodes His Story IV, narrated by Dr. Bob Kelso (Ken Jenkins), and "Their Story," with the narration chores shared by Sacred Heart's lawyer Ted (Sam Lloyd), sex-obsessed doctor Todd (Robert Maschio), and Jordan Sullivan; and the guest appearance of Keri Russell as Elliot's freewheeling sorority sister. In the events leading up to the season finale, Elliot becomes engaged to mild-mannered resident Keith Dudemeister (Travis Schuldt), causing J.D. to have second thoughts about breaking up with Elliot -- even as he prepares to move in with Kim. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

One of the few new TV series of the 2001-2002 season to earn almost unanimously good reviews, the weekly NBC comedy drama Scrubs was created by Bill Lawrence, late of Spin City. The series offered a skewered view of life in a big-city hospital, as seen through the eyes of a group of interns fresh out of medical school. Zach Braff headed the cast as J.D. Dorian, who in addition to deflecting the patronizing comments of the "established" doctors and the tongue-clucking of the more experienced nurses, also had to deal with the social situations brought about by two fellow interns: his best friend Chris Turk (Donald Faison) and the competitive yet insecure Elliot Reid (Sarah Chalke). Also on hand was the ever-reliable John C. McGinley as gimlet-eyed Dr. Perry Cox, who despite his huffing and puffing genuinely cared about the greenhorn interns placed in his charge, and Carla Espinosa (Judy Reyes), a good-hearted nurse who caught the eye of Turk. Scrubs was supposed to have debuted on September 25, 2001, but coverage of the World Trade Center disaster moved the premiere date to October 2. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Figuring they have better things to do, Cory (Ben Savage) and Eric (Will Friedle) try to get out of playing with their dad Alan (William Russ) in a father/son softball game. To save them the embarrassment, Alan claims that the game was cancelled anyway. When they find out that their dad is lying to spare their feelings, the Matthews boys are sore ashamed. Somehow all this is tied in with Mr. Feeny (William Daniels) and his attempt to explain and interpret the Pledge of Allegiance to Cory and his classmates. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Telecast on weekday afternoons, this Canadian quiz show was the TV equivalent of the old parlor game "Dictionary" (more recently revised as "Balderdash"). The celebrity contestants would be given an odd word and invited to come up with definitions; only one player knew the word's real meaning, and it was up to the others to determine which definition was correct. Typically, funny answers were encouraged by the producers. Debuting April 5, 1976, It's Your Choice was on the air for only a few weeks when one of the regular contestants, Don McGill, died suddenly. He was replaced by guest "team captains" until the series ran its course on September 5, 1977. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi