[media]

WHO WANTS TO PLAY DOCTORS?

YOU gotta love "Scrubs." Please.

NBC this week is pushing the zany bunch of doctors and nurses from "Scrubs" hard enough to break a wrist.

Seven episodes - several with guest appearances by the likes of Brendan Frasier, Scott Foley, and John Ritter - are running this Tuesday and Thursday.

That's a lot of intensive care devoted to the meds of Sacred Heart Hospital.

The reason? NBC is trying to create a new hit where it's never been able to before - in the coveted, Thursday-at-8:30 p.m. slot. Right after "Friends."

And it may have a chance where forgettable shows like "Inside Schwartz" and "Single Guy" have flopped.

"If any show is an example of smart writing, it's our show," says Zach Braff, who plays Dr. John "J.D." Dorian.What makes "Scrubs" unique, Braff says, is "that dance between comedy and drama" which was best epitomized in "M*A*S*H," the show "Scrubs" most resembles.

" 'M*A*S*H' was really eloquently done," Braff said. "In a half hour, you could have physical comedy and then, come around the corner, be dealing with death. They were amazing at it. That's the tone we're aspiring to."

And J.D.'s resemblance to Hawkeye, played in the series by Alan Alda?

"Hawkeye had a still in his tent and made martinis but, when push came to shove, he was the best doctor in Korea," says Braff, 27.

Braff - who People magazine recently tapped for its list of "50 Most Eligible Bachelors." - says this season will have more of an emotional emphasis with the characters "figuring out who they are while they're trying to save lives."

As far as extracurricular activities, no need to worry.

"There's a tremendous amount of sexual energy floating around a hospital," he said. "These young doctors spend their whole lives there, so the hospital is the only place to meet people and be flirtatious."

A native of South Orange, N.J., Braff's closest contact with the medical profession was as a volunteer with his community's ambulance corps while he was a high school student.

"I was into the adrenaline rush of coming to the rescue," he said.

That highly charged excitement is likely to be matched this week, when Braff hits the stage - playing Sebastian to Julia Stiles's Viola - in The Public Theater's Shakespeare in Central Park production of "Twelfth Night," which begins previews tonight.

"My first professional job after college was at The Public Theater in a production of ‘Macbeth' with Alec Baldwin and Angela Bassett," said Braff.

Braff will have to leave the play a week early to start shooting "Scrubs" on the West Coast.

"When 'Scrubs' starts, it's my life for half a year," said Braff, who describes the close relationship among the other cast members. "We spend a lot of time on the set - it's like living in an apartment complex."