NBC's tack in promoting the return of "Scrubs" on Thursday seems kind of unusual for the show.

Peacock's on-air tubthumping has emphasized that show is in its final season and playing up the will-they-or-won't-they? angle regarding Zach Braff's J.D. and Sarah Chalke's Elliot. The on-again, off-again sparks between those two have been a running thread of the laffer, fer sure, but not as much as you'd think from watching the promos.

Opening seg of season seven, "My Own Worst Enemy" -- penned by exec producers Garrett Donovan and Neil Goldman and helmed by creator/exec producer Bill Lawrence -- and is zany-funny in typical "Scrubs" fashion but not one of the series' highest notes, perhaps because of its emphasis on laying plot track.

The highlight is a quick detour into the "Who Caresies" awards ("take that, Tony Shalhoub!," J.D. declares  in his acceptance speech), which comes on the heels of John C. McGinley's Dr. Cox calling J.D. an "annoying whiny manchild" more than once.

Those who have stuck with "Scrubs" through its ups and downs the past seven years won't be disappointed but here's hoping they return to laugh-out-loud form in the coming weeks.

Emmycast started with a musical number from "Family Guy's" potty-mouthed baby Stewie and Brian. "If you want it you can find it on TV...." The bit had barbs for each of the networks, but there was a particularly nasty one aimed at "Scrubs," about it going into its "seventh and a half" season: "Reminds you a sitcom doesn't have to make you laugh." Ouch! As Emmy host Ryan Seacrest observed when the bit was over, it's clear the Emmys "are on Fox this year."

Not much shaking here backstage yet but "Lost" fans around the world are excited that Terry O'Quinn just won for his role as the mystical John Locke. And how 'bout that pink-pink-pink shirt. During his quips he seemed to make a thinly veiled request for a raise, comparing the duties on "Lost" to those on "Desperate Housewives'" Wisteria Lane.

The series writing and directing noms are always a good bellwether of what shows or individuals are deemed best of breed by industry standards. There's so much politicking and campaigning that goes into the race to grab top series and acting noms. Writing and directing noms are a little more above the fray, though it does seem that Emmy voters sometimes see them as consolation prizes for deserving shows that don't crack the top series categories. To wit, "Battlestar Galactica" (pictured left) was recognized for drama writing and directing, but the show's rabid fans will have to keep the faith until next year to see it break into the top echelon of nominees.

POSTED BY STUART LEVINE

Does the fact that viewer totals are excruciatingly low mean NBC's stellar Thursday night comedy lineup has little chance to be placed in the same class as in the days of "Cheers," "Friends" and "Seinfeld," all of which were ratings behemoths?

Ratings, mind you, have never come close to being equated with quality. Geez, "Veronica's Closet" and "The Single Guy" probably have higher numbers than "The Office" or "30 Rock" will ever do ... combined.

But after a TCA panel with the creator and star of each of the four comedies that air on Thursday -- "My Name Is Earl," "Scrubs," "30 Rock" and "The Office" -- it's quite obvious these guys (and lady) are funny. Really funny. What exactly does somebody have to do these days to get people to tune in?

"It's our job to make the shows good and Ben's job to make them watch," said Lorne Michaels, exec producer of "30 Rock" and "Saturday Night Live" godfather, about the job new NBC topper Ben Silverman has ahead of him.

When a reporter asked "30 Rock" star/creator/exec producer Tina Fey (pictured) whether she was confident last fall that hers was the NBC show-within-a-show would survive to see a second season, unlike Aaron Sorkin's "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip," Fey didn't hesitate in her response.

I was 100 percent sure," she said. "I have a nasty streak in me."

(Pictured above, from right: "Office" exec producer Greg Daniels, Lorne Michaels, Tina Fey and "My Name is Earl" exec producer Greg Garcia.)