NBC plans low-key exit for ABC-bound "Scrubs"

By James Hibberd

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Like a tipsy party guest, it's going to be pretty tough for "Scrubs" to exit NBC gracefully.

The network's final "Scrubs" episode airs next week, concluding its run with the network after seven seasons. But you'd never know it from watching NBC or perusing the entertainment media.

At the conclusion of what was the comedy's third-to-last episode on NBC Thursday, viewers were simply urged to check out the show's interactive features on NBC.com. The usual array of creator and cast interviews that usually accompany the final episodes of a concluding series are likewise largely absent.

The super low-key exit for "Scrubs" is tied to what's become the worst-kept secret in Hollywood: that the veteran comedy is moving to ABC. The long-pending deal for ABC to pick up 18 episodes of "Scrubs" for next season is effectively, pretty much, essentially, done.

Production has been under way for weeks, while cast and crew have been encouraged to keep quiet. A television studio producing a drama costing north of $1 million per episode without anybody saying who the episodes are for is considered highly unusual, if not a little weird.

ABC plans to confirm the acquisition at next month's "upfront" presentation to advertisers.

Holding series pickup news until the upfronts is a typical network strategy. In the case of "Scrubs," ABC also is waiting for the show to end its NBC run. NBC came out swinging when news of the series' move to ABC first leaked, accusing the show's producer ABC Studios of violating NBC's right of first negotiation. The parties have since patched things up, but a premature celebration by ABC could inflame the situation.

That leaves NBC in the similarly odd position of promoting a farewell to a longtime series that's headed across the dial.