Braff

Scrubs, the surrealist hospital sitcom that spent seven seasons as a stepchild of NBC’s schedule, has come close to cancellation more times than its creator, Bill Lawrence, cares to remember. So it’s a surprise, even for Lawrence, that the show is getting to write its own ending.

Well, some sort of ending, anyway — on a new network. In a rare move for network TV, Lawrence’s Scrubs is moving to ABC, beginning tonight.

“It’s freaky,” Lawrence said. “I can’t believe we get to do it. It’s incredibly odd in this landscape to actually get to end a show.”

Even the end might be in question. This season will be the last one for Lawrence and the show’s star, Zach Braff. They have already taped what they call a series finale.

But in TV, some shows reflect the whims of executives and the tug of the Nielsen ratings. Based on those two factors, Scrubs could continue without Lawrence and Braff, perhaps with a different name.

Scrubs is lucky to have come this far. With its daydream sequences, slapstick humor and recurring jokes, the show has always required something of a learning curve from its viewers. Its meandering success can be credited both to the eccentric vision of the writers and to the cultish devotion of fans, who interact with the creator and cast members online and devour every extra clip on the season DVDs.

ABC has ordered 18 episodes of Scrubs and ABC could renew the show after that.