10 Once Great TV Shows That Became Laughing Stocks

3. Scrubs

Scrubs was something of a pop-culture phenomenon during the majority of its time on the air. A medical sitcom that followed the lives of interns as the Sacred Heart Teaching Hospital, its slapstick humor, witty dialogue and innovative daydream sequences made it an instant hit with both fans and critics - most of whom adored it right up until its Season 8 finale. And if it had ended there, everything would have been perfect.

But alas, Scrubs' perfect run was considered so perfect that ABC decided to roll the dice - a.k.a. capitalise on its popularity - one more time, renewing it for a ninth season in spite of the fact it had been wrapped up in the previous season's finale (which was actually the original series finale). And what returned to screens in December 2009 was not Scrubs.

A spin-off in all but name, only a few originals remained on as it featured a whole new cast of characters - none of whom were anywhere near as engaging as their predecessors. To top it all off, the writing team changed drastically and lead Zach Braff only recurred throughout.

A departure from everything that made Scrubs a success in the first place, it's baffling that ABC ever thought this would be a good idea, and it's a damn shame that it happened because it damaged the show's reputation (even though it did essentially end the year prior) and resulted in it ending on a huge bum note.

For once, fans weren't laughing with it... they were laughing at what it had become.