By Gavin Boyle
ABC started announcing its fall lineup, and SHIFTING GEARS and the SCRUBS revival have made the cut, securing their third and eleventh seasons respectively.
“I really left behind any fixed expectations a long time ago,” SHIFTING GEARS showrunner Michelle Nader said before the show was renewed. “I truly mean this: As many [episodes] as they give us, I’ll fill them to the brim. If it’s 10, if it’s 13, if it’s 22 – that’s great.”
Related: SHIFTING GEARS Season 2 Glimpses Grief and Finding Love Again
“The new normal is shorter orders, so I try to pack as much as possible into every episode because you just don’t know how many you’ll get,” she added. “It does help to know the number up front so I can plan the season.”
While the show was successful during its first season, it truly found its audience during its second, as its viewership rose 59% over the second season. The season finale earned a total viewership time of 6.9 million viewers. The show is particularly suited for family audiences as the characters bring together three generations, making it relatable for viewers of any age. A portion of Movieguide®’s review of the pilot episode reads:
The pilot episode of SHIFTING GEARS teaches strong positive values. It stresses the importance of family, love, forgiveness, and reconciliation. Also, father uses an overt winsome reference to Jesus when discussing life with his teenage grandson. Despite their differences, the grandfather and his daughter still love each other and want the best for one another. They also bond over the loss of their wife/mom and remember her as a remarkable woman who kept the family together. However, the pilot episode of SHIFTING GEARS has some relatively light foul language and other issues. So, MOVIEGUIDE® advises caution for older children.
Meanwhile, SCRUBS picked up the massive audience it left off with after more than a 15-year hiatus. While the show maintains the fun dynamic between Zach and Donald that fans love, it also leaned into the 15-year time difference and explored how they have changed as they have aged.
“The hardest part is that Zach and Donald have aged. People still have that affinity, and love, for that goofy youthfulness — it’s why the T-Mobile commercials work so well,” said creator Bill Lawrence. “To see what that [friendship] looks like at their age, and [take] a comedic look at what medicine has become since those kids started out as interns, and see how our people would look at it, deal with it, and try to remain optimistic.”
In an entertainment environment where even the most successful shows aren’t safe from cancelation, SHIFTING GEARS and SCRUBS fans can get excited knowing that their favorite shows will return for at least one more season.
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