Over 15 years after ending its initial run with a divisive final season that should have been a spinoff the medical dramedy Scrubs returns and like most belated television revivals, which seem to be the trend the last few years, there are good and bad things.
For the most part the reboot, which has aired 3 out of 9 episodes so far, manages to recapture most of the magic of the original series partially by ignoring season 9 for the better much like how the Roseanne revival (which later became The Conners after Roseanne Barr left the series) retconned Dan’s death from the original finale.
While the retconning of season 9 seems to work the verdict is still out on the abrupt revelation the JD and Elliot are divorced which seems to come out of nowhere and on the surface feels like another way to add drama. Although I think it could provide ample ground to explore a newly single JD and Elliot while perhaps bringing back some of their old flames like Keith or even Tasty Coma Wife. It would also be good to see the return of the mother of JD’s first child Kim Briggs and Elliot’s ex-boyfriend Sean who was dating Kim last time we saw them. I have a feeling Rachel Bilson who has been announced as a guest star may end up being a new love interest for JD and I hope they don’t allow JD and Elliot to back slide too soon before embracing their new dynamics. They did have children together who we have yet to see, but hopefully their struggles as co-parents will be addressed in future episodes
Speaking of new dynamics it was disappointing John C. McGinley’s Dr. Perry Cox. has only appeared in the first episode so far before relinquishing his role of Chief of Medicine to JD. While the move is a good choice and sets up an interesting arc for JD this season much like the JD and Elliot’s divorce it feels abrupt and is not given proper time to develop. We will see Dr. Cox (as well as his ex-wife Jordan played by Christa Miller who is creator Bill Lawrence ‘s real life wife and is busy with another Bill Lawrence show, Shrinking) again, but it would have been better to see him ease out of the role and offer JD guidance before seeming to disappear completely.
Aside from the core four (JD, Turk, Elliot, and Dr. Cox) we do see the return of Turk’s wife Carla (who now has 4 daughters) as well as popular recurring characters like The Todd and “crazy” Doctor Hooch. JD’s nemesis Janitor has yet to appear, but has been confirmed for the reboot and unfortunately Ken Jenkins who played former Chief of Medicine Bob Kelso is not set to return, but perhaps will make an appearance if the show is renewed for another season. One character who is noticeably absent is Sacred Heart’s lawyer Ted Buckland portrayed by Sam Lloyd, who unfortunately passed away in 2020. The revival does try and fill his place with HR Manager Sibby Wilson (Vanessa Bayer), but in the first 3 episodes she has failed to really standout
While the reboot undoes the mistake from season 9 of shifting the narrative away from JD it still manages to bring in some fresh faces in the form of new interns both JD and Turk are in charge of mentoring. It is nice to see the evolution of JD from insecure intern to over-confident Chief of Medicine and the interns are given enough screen time to establish their own personality and mesh well with the older returning cast.
While not necessarily needed with the first 3 episodes of the Scrubs reboot manages to erase much of the bad taste left from season 9 while showing are still stories left to tell at Sacred Heart that do not rely on nostalgia but show actual character evolution and growth. For fans of the original run, I would recommend at least giving this a shot.
