Yes, the wait for Netflix’s newest original series, The Holiday, is almost over. The series premieres Friday, December 14th, but you can currently binge-watch all eight episodes at once on Netflix’s website.
While you patiently wait for the holiday romance, you might be wondering about Netflix’s other original series that will be arriving in November 2020: Zero.
If you’re unfamiliar, Zero is Netflix’s reboot of the classic Scrubs series that follows the comically inept doctors of Orange County Hospital as they navigate their lives and careers in medicine.
The show is written and directed by Jon Favreau and Scrubs creator and executive producer Bill Heck. Like The Holiday, Zero premieres on Friday, November 5th, but you can currently binge-watch all eight episodes at once on Netflix’s website.
If you’ve never seen Scrubs, Zero is a must-watch. It updates the Scrubs universe while still feeling contemporary and fresh. In addition, the ensemble cast is incredible, led by an amazing John Goodman as the hospital’s chief physician, Dr. Cox.
Since Scrubs ended its eight-season run in 2010, fans have been patiently (and sometimes not so patiently) awaiting its return. Fortunately, we don’t have to wait much longer as Zero is set to premiere in just a few months. And since the reboot isn’t exactly a direct adaptation of the original series, it’ll be interesting to see how these doctors navigate their relationships and careers in a different time and place.
Will There Be More Doctor Drama?
If you’re a Scrubs fangirl (or a fangirl of any kind), then you’ll be happy to hear that Zero will be filled with your favorite doctor couple’s adorable interactions and laugh-out-loud moments. Let’s dive into the good, the bad, and the awkward of the Goodwin-Paquet family:
Good
From the very beginning, Zero set a mood of genuine relatability and quirkiness which, for viewers, makes the show feel more like a conversation than a television show. In the premiere, we meet Dr. Goodwin and his wife, Alice, played with warmth and humor by Jane Lynch and Dana Delany. We also meet their kids – Zoey, Jack, and Hunter. Like many extended families, these three have their quirks, but theirs are endearing and, at times, outright hilarious. (For instance, when Lucy asks her brother Hunter if he’s hungry, he replies, “I just ate, but you could make me eat again if you wanted.”)
The family’s funniest moment, however, comes when the two younger kids try to out-scrubs the doctors. After Dr. Goodwin gives each of them a “scrub’n’sneak’”, they race to his room to change back into their regular clothes. As they’re changing, Hunter keeps saying, “No, no, no, don’t touch that…” followed by “Can I help you with those…” After they finish changing, the scene cuts to them walking down the hospital hallway. As they’re talking and laughing, they trip over a body lying in the middle of the floor. After they check it out, they realize it’s one of their patients who died while they were wearing scrubs.
Overall, Zero is a feel-good show with an incredible ensemble cast. It also features some of television’s most adorable and endearing doctors and their relationships with each other and their patients. Plus, the show is perfectly paced and edited. There are no Scrubs hang-ups, and the pace moves along at a steady clip that never feels rushed.
Bad
While Zero is absolutely filled with charm, some viewers might experience the show as a little bit too cute and cuddly. For instance, when Dr. Goodwin drives off to the hospital after dropping off his kids at school, the camera pans to show his smiling kids waving at him through the car window. It’s a nice moment, but it’s difficult to watch without feeling a tiny bit of sadness. After all, these are kids whose father is a doctor, and who knows what could happen to them in traffic. (Later in the same episode, we see a montage of the kids’ various accidents and injuries while they’re at school. This is also beautifully presented and provides some heartbreaking scenes. For the sake of the show, however, it’s important to remember that these are comedic accidents. The point is to have fun and laugh at these kids’ antics, not remind yourself of how dangerous kids’ school can be.)
In addition, the show is very sexualized. While it’s a relatable story and filled with laughs, viewers might be expected to feel a bit more than just entertainment. The very first scene of the pilot features Jane Lynch’s character, Dr. Goodwin, singing and dancing with a male colleague (played by Peter MacNicol). While this scene is supposed to be funny, it could potentially be problematic for younger viewers who see this type of behavior in a career setting and begin to associate it with their future expectations of what a doctor should be like. (As an adult, however, you can completely understand and enjoy these doctors’ shenanigans. This is definitely a show that appeals to multiple audiences.)
Awkward
While there are certainly humorous scenes in Zero , there are also some uncomfortable and potentially problematic situations. In the show’s premiere, Dr. Goodwin has just started working at the hospital. He’s excited to finally get his hands on some real patients. As he’s checking in his first patient, he notices the nurses are exceptionally beautiful and dresses sharply in a way that makes them uncomfortable. Although he tries to make conversation with them, it becomes clear that he’s more interested in what they have to say than he is in actually listening to them.
In another scene, Dr. Goodwin checks in on a dying patient, only to find that she has a living will and leaves all of her possessions to an ex-girlfriend, with whom she’s having an argumentative discussion. Feeling guilty, he decides to operate and keep the patient alive, even though she doesn’t want to be. After she recovers, she’s furious with him and tells him that she would’ve preferred to be dead. This scene reveals an important fact about Dr. Goodwin: Even though he’s a doctor and knows that death is always a possibility, he doesn’t like to think about it. Despite his attempts to keep his patients alive, he doesn’t want to be responsible for their deaths.
In short, Zero is a sweet show with a dark side. Like any good comedy, however, there are some uncomfortable scenes. It’s not that Scrubs is a bad show, per se, but it is a show that can potentially cause problems for younger viewers. All of this being said, Scrubs is still one of television’s best sitcoms, and Zero is an incredibly funny and charming show that deserves to be counted among its ranks. If you’re a fan of Scrubs, you’ll love Zero.
The Holiday
If you’re still reading this and want to learn more, you came to the right place. We now know what you’re waiting for: the premiere of Netflix’s The Holiday. If you’re wondering what it’s like, here’s a quick overview: