Absence makes the ‘Scrubs’ scripts grow wackier

Spending long periods of time in an enclosed space, with no contact with the outside world, can do things to a person.

Just ask “Scrubs” creator Bill Lawrence and star Zach Braff, who have been toiling away at their show – shot at a deserted hospital in the San Fernando Valley – for half a season now, with no one having seen their work.

“I think as actors, we were a little bit extra-wacky and silly, and I think the scripts were a little more surreal and crazy,” Braff says.

Viewers will finally get to see the extra-wacky fruits of their labor when “Scrubs” begins its fifth season on NBC with back-to-back episodes on Tuesday night.

The late start stems from the fact that the network opted for only four comedies on its fall schedule, with “My Name Is Earl” and “The Office” filling the 9 p.m. Tuesday hour that was “Scrubs’ ” primary home the past couple of seasons.

Lawrence says not being on the air at the start of the season “was initially tough,” but the cast and crew were buoyed by the show’s first-ever Emmy nomination for outstanding comedy series, along with Braff’s first acting nod.

NBC’s scheduling decision also led the cast and crew to realize that, 90-plus episodes into its life, the show’s ratings (OK, but not stellar) are what they are, and they could focus solely on making good shows.

“I feel like this season, more than any, is really aimed at doing all the things we know that people who really love this show love about it,” Braff said

So, for instance, the 100th episode (airing Jan. 24), directed by Braff, will feature an extended homage to “The Wizard of Oz.”

“Turk (Donald Faison) is looking for a heart for a transplant,” he explains, “Elliot (Sarah Chalke) needs brains because she has to give a talk she’s afraid to give, Carla (Judy Reyes) needs courage because she’s afraid to have kids, and I’m stuck in the hospital and just want to go home.”

Viewers also will get to see a fantasy sequence involving Braff’s J.D., who ponders whether the aftermath of a booty call has been awkward since time immemorial.

Cut to Braff dressed as a caveman, explaining that “Look, I haven’t had fire for weeks, my little sister just got carried off by a giant bird. I’ve got a lot of things on my plate right now.”

Since “Scrubs” last aired on NBC, the first two seasons of the show have been released on DVD to good sales and strong reviews from critics and fans.

That gives Lawrence some hope that the show’s absence has made fans’ hearts grow fonder.

“If there is any angle to that, it would be not only that (sales were good) but also that we picked up some new fans by people that responded to the DVDs,” Lawrence says.