I have two unrelated ...

Question: I have two unrelated questions, so I'll (try to) be brief: Seeing the promos for The Amazing Race 9 (are you as excited as I am?), I wonder if they have ever considered trying it with teams who don't know each other beforehand. I realize they're probably a little gun-shy about experimenting with format after the last race, but I think it might be fun to see strangers working together. My other question is about Scrubs: I read that there has never really been a truly successful sitcom set in a hospital. Leaving aside M*A*S*H (which is kind of a special case), I can't think of any. Can you? Could it be that Scrubs is a historical first?
Answer: Wow, those are unrelated. But I'm leading with this because (drumroll) I've just seen this week's two-hour opener of The Amazing Race 9, and I'm happy to say: The show we loved is back, as good if not better than ever. Put thoughts of Rob & Amber and the misbegotten family edition out of your mind. The teams are colorful and well chosen. You'll love some, a few will make you cringe, and this is already shaping up to be one of those seasons where you'll be sorry to see most of these teams go. Plus it takes no time for them to leave the U.S. and go someplace exotic (São Paulo, Brazil), and the tension never lets up. I was yelling at the TV whenever the players made mistakes, didn't follow the instructions, got lost, got in a slow cab, etc. So great to have it back. End of commercial, now to the question. Simply put, no to shaking up the format and forming teams of strangers. One of the greatest assets of Race is how it tests and in most cases strengthens friendships, relationships, marriages, and parental and sibling bonds by putting these couples through the stress of competitive travel while sharing the marvels of a worldwide adventure. Pairing strangers for the race would rob the show of one of its most enduring hooks. And as you said, Race is no doubt wary about messing with its formula after the "family" debacle.

As for Scrubs and hospital comedies: A mediocre sitcom called Nurses ran for three seasons on NBC in the early '90s, back in the Golden Girls heyday. It wasn't exactly a hit, cult or otherwise. So Scrubs, despite never exactly blazing a Nielsen trail, probably is the most successful (certainly most acclaimed) medical comedy since M*A*S*H. If I'm missing something, I'm sure my readers will let us know.