Beyond Jumping the Shark: the new television musical

This article explores the recent musical episodes of television series, among them ones from Xena: Warrior Princess, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and particularly Scrubs, in order to develop a greater understanding of the uniquely modern television musical episode. By examining the ways in which music, heightened reality and camp aesthetics are used in the musical episodes of the three series, the article explores why these three recent episodes have succeeded in a landscape dominated by both critically and popularly panned musical television episodes and failed musical series like Cop Rock and Viva Laughlin.