But not so fast, tubehead. Stay glued -- ABC looks likely to pick up the show for a final go-round. And not because of ratings. Not even because of desperation. (Although, really, name a current ABC half- hour comedy. Go ahead.)

Synergy is at work here. Scrubs is produced by Touchstone/ABC Studios, which is a unit of Disney, which owns ABC. And also owns the rights in syndication, where the very visible show already runs both on local stations and Comedy Central cable. And also owns the DVD rights on Buena Vista home video. Cough up a few more episodes, and you've got yourself another full-season DVD set to sell -- a true "final" season, which all Scrubs fans will feel compelled to buy to round out their full-series collections.

Doubtless, the ABC/Disney corporate behemoth would also like to make sure to keep creator Bill Lawrence happy, and star Zach Braff happy, and other key Scrubs contributors happy, so they'll all want to sprinkle their magic fairy dust over other future projects at the synergistic dream factory. And Lawrence & Friends would surely like to see their baby off head into Classicland with a fitting finale, not a post-strike quickie.

Scrubs is that rare kind of unique-toned show that cultivates a loyal audience who really care about the characters. That sense of connection just might help ABC launch a new comedy series behind the show's sure-to-be-much-hyped final episodes. That's something ABC had no luck doing this year, with Miss/Guided, for instance, dying in a Thursday 8 p.m. slot when the network had no suitable lead-in with which to funnel viewers into it. Great as a hit like Dancing With the Stars might be for show sampling -- Samantha Who? sure got watched behind it -- it can only help one show, which does nothing for audience flow when DWTS ends and the network has nothing else to pair its new comedy with.

So see, it isn't always just about ratings, after all. Yes, synergy can be bad: Networks buy so-so shows from their own studios rather than taking chances on perhaps more interesting concepts from somebody else. But synergy can also be fruitful. The Fox network renewed its expensive series 24 after a middling-rated first season thanks partly to its Fox studio pedigree and its Fox Home Entertainment DVD prospects. CSI, dumped before it ever aired by its original network/ studio (ABC/Touchstone), found itself a home at CBS when that network's studio got cut a piece of the action. Law & Order: Criminal Intent lived on because when NBC's lineup didn't have room for new episodes, cable partner USA's did. And so on.

Nobody likes a monopoly that won't play nice with others, true. But Scrubs fans see that controversial showbiz glass as half-full right now. We read Hollywood trade paper reports that the show quietly went back into production in March, despite NBC's rebuff. We read on Zach Braff's MySpace blog this week that he's hard at work filming 18 more episodes. He touts NBC's May 8 "season" finale (an elaborate fairy tale fantasy) as "the coolest episode we've ever done." We can watch the latest episodes free online anytime. And now we have a whole 'nother Scrubs season to look forward to. (Hopefully, on ABC, when its 2008-09 season lineup is announced May 13 during the networks' annual upfronts week.)

Today, folks, synergy is our friend.