Exclusive: NBC Talent Banned from 'Scrubs' Finale

Four months after ABC stole Scrubs away from NBC, absence apparently has made the Peacock’s heart grow…Wait, no. It’s actually grown smaller than the Grinch’s on Christmas Eve!

For the death-defying comedy’s likely series finale on ABC, which was shot last week for a probable spring airing, series creator Bill Lawrence gathered all of the significant guest stars from the past eight years for a jaw-dropping scene that’ll rival the mass reunion in Seinfeld‘s sendoff. But two actors currently appearing on NBC programs — Heroes‘ Masi Oka and Chuck‘s Sarah Lancaster — weren’t permitted to participate.

“They both wanted to do it, but NBC said they weren’t allowed to,” explains Lawrence, who, as you know, has never been shy in calling out his old network for its lack of Scrubs promotion and constant time-slot changes. “Typical classy stuff.”

Although networks tend to frown on letting their stars fraternize with the enemy, things have been loosening up in recent years. For instance, ABC gave Scrubs leading lady Sarah Chalke the OK to continue her recurring gig on CBS’ How I Met Your Mother this season. In turn, the Eye loaned out The Unit‘s Scott Foley for Scrubs‘ penultimate episode. Even NBC has been known to play nice on occasion: The net is allowing its newest Law & Order: SVU ADA, Michaela McManus, to revisit her alma mater, The CW’s One Tree Hill, this season.

Natch, the double standard is not lost on Lawrence, who suggests that the slight is almost certainly sour grapes over Scrubs‘ defection. “But [Masi and Sarah] should not have been part of that fight,” he sighs. “It felt kind of petty to me.”

Well, despite the NBC dis, the scene in question — which featured such Scrubs grads as Tom Cavanagh, Amy Smart, and Nicole Sullivan — “turned out awesome,” tattles one spywitness. “It was very emotional. It should be an incredible finale.”

And before you ask, yes, that was the scene I was invited to appear in — and would have appeared in had “forces beyond my control” not intervened. (Someone was going to ask, right?)