Friendship made 'Scrubs' special

Q. I will miss the J.D.-Turk friendship on "Scrubs." The chemistry was fantastic.

A. I loved that friendship, too, and I loved the way their partners accepted it. J.D. and Turk were bros, and humorously self-conscious about it, but they were also very childlike and innocent in their attachment.

Q. What's your favorite show right now?

A. From what is actually on TV at this moment - which wouldn't include "Mad Men"? I'd have to say "In Treatment" on HBO. That show blows me away in almost every episode. Gabriel Byrne is giving the performance of a lifetime. Each half-hour is like a little play.

Q. I thought you'd say "Breaking Bad."

A. I do like "Breaking Bad" a lot right now, and recommend it. But "In Treatment," I think, is definitely among the best shows I've ever seen. It's just good old-fashioned scripting and great acting, and yet it feels almost experimental in its reach.

Q. Two questions: Why do you so love "Friday Night Lights"? It seems too wholesome to me. And why did you give so much attention to Carmela when Dr. Melfi was the female heart of "The Sopranos"?

A. Oh no you didn't. "FNL" and Edie Falco - two of my great loves in one fell swoop. 1) "FNL" is about families, so yeah, it's wholesome, I guess. But it's also filled with characters battling dark despair and struggling for meaning. 2) Carmela was the primary female character, as she colluded with and reacted against Tony. Melfi was critical to the show in that through her we saw everything in a psychological light. But she was a step outside the action. Plus, Edie Falco: Amazing.

Q. "Friday Night Lights" is one of those shows you can only truly appreciate over the long haul. When you've watched all along you can see that most of the emotions are truly earned.

A. Yes. And that is true with many shows. I remember dropping into "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and being all "What? So." But once I got into the rhythm of the show, and understood the context of the actions, and felt the characters' histories, I could see so much more there.

Q. Which is the better show: "The Wire" or "The Sopranos"?

A. You are a troublemaker. I've toyed with this one many times, and I always end up coming down on the side of "The Sopranos." That's because I prefer the psychological point of view, over the more sociological point of view. But of course they are both TV classics.

See the full chat transcript at www.boston.com/viewerdiscretion, and check out this Thursday's chat at noon on Boston.com.