Everything we know about the Scrubs Reboot

After months of speculation, with fans salivating over dropped hints on social media; we have it confirmed! The Scrubs reunion is definitely happening! Scrubs creator Bill Lawrence has been quoted as saying: “We’re gonna do it because people still care about it and we enjoy spending time with each other” (Independent.co.uk, 2024). 

Scrubs was a sitcom staple that ran from 2001 until 2010. Eight seasons with the original cast followed by a somewhat ill-fated ninth season with a mix of original and new characters.  Starring Zach Braff as John Dorian ‘JD’, a daydreaming young doctor and king of the non-sequitur due to his various bizarre fantasies. The series follows JD as he progresses from an intern to an accomplished resident under the tutelage and biting sarcasm of his reluctant mentor, senior doctor, and fan favorite; Dr Cox (played by John C McGinley). JD’s friendships, romances, and multiple embarrassments have been immortalized through reruns and thousands of diehard fans.

In recent years entertainment has been enriched with various reboots and reunions from 90’s – early 00’s TV shows (Friends, Sex and the City, and Frasier to name but a few). Fans have been teased with the possibility of a Scrubs reboot for years by the cast themselves. 

In  July 2023, Christa Miller who not only played series regular ‘Jordan’, is also married to Bill Lawrence, posted a picture on her Instagram. The picture includes Braff, McGinley, and Lawrence, Miller quips about a Scrubs reboot. Both Miller and McGinley simultaneously posted the same picture in April ‘24, when the majority of the cast met up for a ‘pizza party’. McGinley posted the photo on X (formerly Twitter) including his comment “…getting the band back together”.

McGinley has since confirmed exclusively to Thatsmye.com, not only that there will be a reboot but also his involvement:

“…we all were in agreement that: as long as Billy (Lawrence) is at the helm of this reboot? We would  all dive-in, with reckless abandon!”

This proclamation will surely send fans into a frenzy speculating just what a Scrubs reboot will look like.

Braff himself was asked during an interview with Screen Rant what he thought JD would be up to these days. Braff reminds the audience that JD is a “grown a** man now” (according to the show’s timelines JD would now be 50) and would probably be more in the Dr Cox position. Braff has an interesting pitch of present JD yearning to return to the “innocence of his youth”(Screen Rant, 2024). Over thirty years in medicine would wear anyone’s positivity down.  Braff would like to see a jaded JD trying to recapture some of the joy from his youth.

And what of JD’s snarky mentor? Dr Cox would now be 65, the average age US physicians retire. Would a character as committed to his job as Dr Cox be able to retire completely? It would be ironic if Dr Cox, after getting some distance from modern health care, becomes the positive one of the dynamic. Would Dr Cox return the favor of years previous and help JD find joy in helping people again? However, would this be staying true to the misanthropic, ranting attending that the fandom fell in love with?

Fans have also discussed the possibility of a reboot including the character’s canonical children in the original series run. Dr Cox’s and Jordan’s son, Jack, would now be 21. JD’s own son, Sammy, would be 17. Izzie, the daughter of JD’s best friend Turk (played by Donald Faison) and his wife Carla (played by Judy Reyes) would be 18. Will this new generation play a big part in the reboot? Some fans suggested Jack would be following his father’s dream of being an ice hockey player and that Izzie would be following in her parent’s footsteps into medicine. 

It’s all fun to speculate what the Scrubs gang would be doing with the backdrop of 2024/25. However, it cannot be denied that the cultural landscape has changed since the 00s. Shows such as Friends and Sex and the City have met a reckoning of sorts for their lack of diversity and their portrayal of certain minority groups. Past sitcoms look very different under the lens of the ‘20s, particularly after the historic events of recent years. 

Scrubs has faced its own share of criticism over its comedic use of blackface. In the context of the show, the use of blackface is when JD is imagining himself or other cast members as his African American best friend Turk. Scrubs episodes are punctuated by JD’s outlandish daydreams. In the wake of the BLM protests over the summer of 2020, Braff and Faison used an entire episode of their Scrubs rewatch podcast ‘Fake Doctors, Real Friends’ (available on Spotify) to discuss the use of blackface in the TV series. 

The podcast episode is titled; ‘Our Difficult Past: Blackface on Scrubs’ was originally aired on June 29^th 2020 and ran for around 42 minutes. The episode included Bill Lawrence and actress Sarah Chalke, who played ‘Elliot’. Three episodes of the TV show included blackface ‘gags’. 

Lawrence takes full responsibility for the content, although all four members took accountability and offered their sincere apologies. Lawrence didn’t want to make excuses but elucidated the reasoning of his past self. The showrunner blamed it on “the arrogance that comes with success” (Braff, 2020). He thought they had a “free pass” as they had created such a diverse show both in front of and behind the cameras. For the era, Scrubs was extremely progressive, with a diverse main cast, an interracial couple starring in the show, and a varied age range among the stars.

The episodes in question were immediately pulled from Disney+  under Lawrence’s instruction. At the time of this publication, the episodes are still removed from Hulu, and two of the three are from Amazon and iTunes. Lawrence has also received criticism from the other side of the cultural divide; that the situation is another example of PC culture ruining art. However, Lawrence is steadfast in his belief that art is better for it. When doors are opened for people of different backgrounds and experiences to tell their stories, it can only enrich and diversify storytelling. 

Being accepting of one’s own mistakes makes us more understanding and compassionate which ultimately makes us better storytellers. Lawrence and the rest of the cast will take these experiences and lessons when creating what is sure to be a fantastic reboot.  Unlike other reboots such as ‘Sex and the City’ which tried to course-correct after the criticisms that the original series wasn’t diverse enough in its casting. The reboot seems to overcompensate by quickly adding a plethora of new characters who are POC, disabled, and non-binary. Even with the best intentions, this comes across as tokenism. Scrubs already had a diverse cast for a mainstream show.

Lawrence told Joe.co.uk that we can expect a reboot in “six months to a year” (Joe.co.uk, 2024). Whatever a reboot will look like, fans will eagerly await it and speculate just what a ‘20s Scrubs will include. With Lawrence’s passion, Braff’s unique insight, and McGinley’s enthusiasm it will sure to be an exciting addition to a classic show.