Bill Lawrence Discusses the Future of ‘Ted Lasso,’ ‘Shrinking,’ and the ‘Scrubs’ Revival After Season 8
As the saying goes, “nothing is certain but death and taxes,” and the conclusion of television series is no exception. Two comedy series, co-created and executive produced by Bill Lawrence, are defying their original three-season frameworks. Apple TV’s Ted Lasso and Shrinking are gearing up for their fourth seasons, much to the delight of fans and executives alike.
Jason Sudeikis’ Ted Lasso returns three years following its Season 3 finale, which concluded the journey of the jovial American coach of AFC Richmond, a Premier League soccer team. The upcoming fourth season will launch a new three-season arc, focusing on Ted’s next challenge: coaching the women’s second-division team of Richmond. Despite the long hiatus, the series remains a global favorite on Apple TV, prompting strong calls for more content from both fans and the studio, Warner Bros. TV.
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In a surprising move, Apple TV has also announced an early renewal for a fourth season of Shrinking, featuring Jason Segel and Harrison Ford. Originally planned as a three-season narrative, the series explored themes of grief, forgiveness, and moving forward through Segel’s portrayal of a therapist coping with his wife’s death.
Lawrence previously experienced a similar situation with his show Scrubs, which was picked up for an eighth and final season in 2008, culminating in what was intended as a series finale. The medical comedy later returned for a ninth season with a largely new cast, deviating from its original premise. A revival featuring the original stars is set to premiere on February 25 on ABC.
“I’ve tried to figure out how to navigate this,” Lawrence stated. “Everybody who has been talking to me lately goes, ‘Oh, Shrinking just got picked up for a fourth season; it was a three-season story, and Ted Lasso is going, and Scrubs is rebooted.’”
He emphasized the distinctions between the series. “Scrubs is different. We made 1100 episodes of Scrubs. It’s an old-school model, and it’s fun to see those characters again,” Lawrence explained. He also pointed out that while Shrinking was initially pitched as a three-season story, it has completed only 36 episodes thus far, equating to a season and a half of Scrubs.
From 2001 to 2010, Scrubs aired a total of 182 episodes, typically producing between 22-25 episodes per season in its early years. “What’s cool about streaming television is that when you pitch a story for Ted Lasso with a clear beginning, middle, and end, you can complete that story,” Lawrence continued. “And it’s apparent that Jason and his team are working on a brand new three-season story for Ted Lasso.”
First-look images for Ted Lasso Season 4, set to debut this summer, reveal Sudeikis’ character alongside his new team and assistant coach. “If in the fourth season of Shrinking Jason Segel woke up and said, ‘I’m still super sad about my wife,’ everyone would question that because we’ve seen that already,” Lawrence added. “But we have a new story to tell, which may become a two- or three-season narrative.”
Regarding Scrubs, the new season will follow the narrative established in the original series finale, rather than the alternative ending presented in the ninth season. “We picked up this year as if the eighth year was the finale, and we’re starting now,” Lawrence noted.
When asked about Season 9, which received mixed reactions, Lawrence replied, “I’ll never pretend Season 9 never happened. It was a fascinating experience and was supposed to be called Scrubs Med and focus on med school.” He acknowledged that while it didn’t work as the ninth year of Scrubs, it could hold interest as the first year of a new show featuring actors like Michael Mosley and Eliza Coupe.
The Scrubs revival is set to air on February 25 on ABC.
