Scrubs creator Bill Lawrence confirms plans for the sitcom to return to TV. Airing from 2001 to 2010 across nine seasons, the sitcom follows a group of friends as they progress through their medical internship, learning important life and career lessons as they become fully-fledged and experienced medical professionals. While Scrubs stood out for its slapstick humor and surrealist daydream sequences of the cast’s inner thoughts, the series also had a heart and sincerity that tackled medical struggles respectfully.
Return to Sacred Heart
Over 14 years after viewers checked out of the second Sacred Heart hospital, Lawrence opens up to LadBible about a Scrubs reboot. Despite the passage of time since the series ended, Lawrence is incredibly eager to return for a revived series, revealing not only would he like to begin work within the next six months, but that he would also like to introduce a new cast alongside the legacy cast’s stories as they face today’s medical challenges.
Lawrence’s Statement:
“Yeah, you know, I’m really candid about it. We’re definitely going to do it, just because we’ve all been enjoying hanging out.
Look, there’s no huge drive because everybody’s successful, and I think the show was on for like, 72 years, but on the other hand, medical people over here right now are very heroic to me. It’s been a tough road, and no one’s becoming a doctor right now to get rich here in America, and we’ve all been hanging out and talking.
So I’m open to it. I’m open to it, and I don’t want to do it as a movie, but I’m definitely open to doing a couple more years of that show. It would not only be fun to see where the characters I used to love are now, but also to see what a young doctor nowadays looks like, as far as the kids coming in behind them, you know.
So we’ve been talking a lot about it, and I think we’ll figure it out in the next six months or so what we want to do. I’m just busy too, man, in a great way.”
Could Bill Lawrence’s Scrubs Revival Plans Work?
While Lawrence has always been somewhat confident that Scrubs could return, having kept in close contact with the cast, he isn’t the sole creative hoping for a revival. Donald Faison, who played surgeon and later university teacher Christopher Turk across all 9 seasons and co-hosted the Fake Doctors, Real Friends rewatch podcast alongside friend Zach Braff, is also a firm believer in an inevitable return. However, despite the enthusiasm, Lawrence’s plans may introduce an obstacle that led to the show’s cancellation initially.
Lessons from Season 9
Lawrence will need to consider season 9’s lessons and strike a better balance. With Scrubs season 9, the series not only made its way to a newly constructed Sacred Heart, but divided its attention between the remaining longtime cast and a fresh-faced class of interns. While it passed the torch gracefully to a new lead and laid the groundwork for a new structure to mixed success, season 9 failed to balance the show’s legacy and a new frontier, with the series’ lowest viewership yet leading to its cancellation. As such, should Scrubs make one more return, Lawrence will need to consider season 9’s lessons and strike a better balance.
Returning Cast
Regardless of whether Scrubs‘ potential reboot may face familiar challenges, it is clear that Lawrence is eager to bring the show back. Not only is it clear the showrunner has a vision, but his good relationships with many cast members may make their returns guaranteed. As such, with Lawrence ready to begin work within the next six months, viewers may see an announcement of Sacred Heart reopening its doors once more.
Which Scrubs Cast Members Could Return In A Potential Reboot?
In order for this possible reboot to work, it may be necessary for more of the core Scrubs cast to return as regulars rather than the limited capacity from the original season 9. This would be helpful for season 1 to feel like a proper reboot, even if not every star returns for season 2, eventually passing the torch to some of the fresh-faced performers as the show gets off the ground. This kind of return could be possible, considering the fact that many of the original stars have remained active, though coordinating their schedules could provide a major hurdle.
Of the main cast of the first eight seasons, the reboot’s cast would probably only be certain to be missing Ken Jenkins, who played the curmudgeonly Dr. Bob Kelso. Jenkins seems to have effectively retired from acting, as the now 82-year-old actor has not been seen onscreen since a performance in the 2019 TV movie Girls Weekend. John C. McGinley, who played the hot-tempered Dr. Perry Cox, has also taken a recent break from acting. However, the remaining cast may be available, including Neil Flynn, who played the Janitor and went on to star on the long-running sitcom The Middle.
The Middle ended up running for even longer than Scrubs, with 215 episodes total compared to the medical comedy’s 182.
Potential Returnees
Of the four remaining core medical staff members, it seems most likely that Braff and Faison would be the easiest to get back, considering the fact that they have already reunited on their podcast and a recent run of T-Mobile commercials. Sarah Chalke (Dr. Elliot Reid) may also have some flexibility because she has largely taken voice roles in recent years, which aren’t tied to any particular location. Judy Reyes (Carla Espinosa) may have the toughest schedule to wrangle, though despite many recent roles she has not taken on another long-term television gig that would impact her schedule significantly.
Many of Scrubs‘ iconic ensemble players may also be available. Unfortunately, there is one major exception as supporting cast member Sam Lloyd, who played the lawyer Ted on 95 episodes, passed away in 2020. Additionally, while Robert Maschio, who played the juvenile surgeon known as “The Todd,” may make a cameo appearance, he has stepped away from acting to pursue his career as a real estate broker in Santa Monica.
Source: LadBible
