Plot: JD and Turk scrub in together for the first time in a long time: Medicine has changed; interns have changed; but their bromance has stood the test of time. Characters new and old navigate the waters of Sacred Heart with laughter, heart and some surprises along the way.
Review: Eagle! From 2001 through 2010, Scrubs was one of the most original and beloved sitcoms on television. Created by Bill Lawrence and starring Zach Braff, Donald Faison, and Sarah Chalke among an ensemble of quirky characters, Scrubs was a heartfelt comedy that blended surreal fantasy sequences with touching emotional moments. For its last season, the series took a detour that did not live up to the eight that came before it, but the charismatic friendship between Braff and Faison has remained strong in a T-Mobile advertising campaign over the last few years. With Bill Lawrence on a roll with his hit series Ted Lasso and Shrinking on AppleTV, it came as no surprise that a revival of Scrubs would be in the works. The first season of Scrubs could have been another nostalgia-laden attempt to cash in on IP by Disney, but it turns out that the return of the doctors at Sacred Heart is as good as the original series was at its peak.
Sixteen years after the original series concluded, Scrubs opens with John Dorian (Zach Braff) working as a concierge doctor in the suburbs when he stops into Sacred Heart to visit a patient. While there, he is reminded of what drew him to medicine in the first place, and it reignites his desire to teach the next generation of doctors. If you watched the ninth season of Scrubs, you know that was kind of the direction the series was headed in, and it didn’t click despite memorable turns from Dave Franco, Eliza Coupe, and Kerry Bishe. In the revival, Scrubs returns the focus to JD, Turk (Donald Faison), Elliot (Sarah Chalke), and Carla (Judy Reyes), along with returning supporting characters like The Todd (Robert Maschio), Hooch (Phill Lewis), and Dr. Cox (John C. McGinley). Some characters are not back including JD’s nemesis The Janitor (Neil Flynn), Dr. Kelso (Ken Jenkins), Laverne (Aloma Wright), or the late Sam Lloyd who played Ted Buckland, but the originals who reprise their roles slip right back into character along with some new developments to their portrayals that incorporate the fifteen years since we last saw them.
The first season of the new Scrubs shifts the dynamic a bit by having the legacy characters now serve as teachers and mentors, which also means the new doctors and interns need to be as interesting and worth investing in as we felt JD, Turk, and Elliot were on their first day. These new characters include hospital admin Sibby (Vanessa Bayer), who keeps everyone in check from an HR perspective, and JD’s new rival, Dr. Eric Park (Joel Kim Booster). The interns include Serena (Ava Bunn), Asher (Jacob Dudman), Blake (David Gridley), and surgical interns Amara (Layla Mohammadi) and Dashana (Amanda Morrow). In the four episodes made available for this review, the student doctors experience cases that push their skills and experience, but the tutelage of the veteran docs and nurses provides both generations with comedic fodder that never feels plodding while also allowing the writers to explore the different perspectives each doctor brings to the equation. Scrubs definitely has a better balance by not trying to replicate the original cast, instead giving us a solid supporting ensemble.
Luckily, the writers decided not to shift the narration away from Zach Braff as they did in the last season of the original run. Braff and JD are inseparable at this point, and hearing him reflect on the episode’s events, especially with almost 20 years of additional experience as a doctor, adds some heft to the new episodes. His relationships are largely the same as in the original series, but everyone is at a different juncture in their lives, which enriches the story. I won’t spoil what has happened to the main cast since we last saw them, but the writers wisely do not try to act as if this is just the tenth season. These episodes really resonated with me as a viewer because I remember watching the original series when it was airing, and this season nails what worked best in the early seasons without reducing any of the characters to catchphrases. In fact, as the trailer shows, they mock some of the original run’s trademarks by showing how they just don’t work in 2026 as they did twenty years ago.
Series creator Bill Lawrence handed over the day-to-day duties of the new Scrubs to Aseem Batra, who worked on the original series, who scripted the premiere episode with Tim Hobert. Subsequent entries written by Amy Pocha, Seth Cohen, Mathew Harawitz, Michael Hobert, Aaron Lee, Mark Stegemann, Sophie Zucker, Aseem Batra, and Christopher Eddins & Brianna Porter. The premiere episode is directed by Zach Braff, best known for his feature films like Garden State, but who also helmed six episodes of the original run of the series. The show’s visual style and cutaway gags remain consistent, even as some elements, like the iconic opening credits, are slightly adjusted to align with the 2026 setting. Despite not being directly involved as writer or director, Bill Lawrence’s recent experience with his hit AppleTV shows comes full circle as Scrubs retains the emotional maturity that makes the funny moments funnier and the serious moments all the more dramatic.
Scrubs, despite an underwhelming final season, returns just as strong as the original series in its prime. The emotional elements and the comedy work hand in hand, allowing the characters to have evolved in some ways but remaining their rambunctious and silly selves we first met back in 2001. If this revival doesn’t click with audiences, Scrubs will at least have redeemed itself with a much more fitting final chapter. I have no doubt that long-time fans and new viewers alike will discover the new Scrubs and love every minute of it. I found myself smiling and laughing out loud in equal measure. Some other recent revivals have felt wooden, and the jokes missed more often than they hit, but Scrubs is a perfect example of revisiting a classic series and doing it right. I love that this show is back and hope that it sticks around for another decade.
Scrubs premieres on February 25th on ABC.
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Source:
JoBlo.com
