Scrubs had a healthy run on broadcast TV in the 2000s, airing its first seven seasons on NBC, and the last two seasons on ABC. Unfortunately, the “most realistic” medical show, which ranks as one of the best sitcoms of all time, ended on an underwhelming note with the polarizing ninth season. However, nearly a decade and a half later, fans may get to revisit this world that blended together comedy and drama seamlessly. Yesterday, it was announced that the long-discussed Scrubs reboot is finally in development, with Bill Lawrence, the original show’s creator, coming back to shepherd it, albeit not as showrunner. Now the writer/producer/director has taken to social media to defend the reboot after fans expressed concern about Scrubs returning to ABC.
This all started when Lawrence, who’s been keeping audiences entertained in recent years with Apple TV+ subscription-exclusive shows like Ted Lasso and Shrinking, responded on X (formerly known as Twitter) to a fan of the original Scrubs who said he “ truly loved this show growing up but there is no reason to bring these characters back.” This fan tagged Lawrence to ask him if he’s involved in the reboot, to which Lawrence answered:
Yeah, I will help. Why would you hope it doesn’t happen? Not a ton of people are working out here. The cast/crew all love each other. And if it’s great you’ll be psyched. If it’s not you won’t watch. Get on board! lol. #Scrubs
While there are various reboots/revivals of popular shows from decades back that don’t end up working out, that’s not deterring Bill Lawrence from wanting to give Scrubs the same treatment. Between both providing work opportunities and the camaraderie that still exists with the actors and behind-the-scenes talent, that’s more than enough justification to move forward with the project, in his eyes. The fan followed up and told Lawrence that the ending of the Scrubs Season 8 finale, which was originally intended to be the series finale, was “beautiful,” and he was concerned whether the reboot “can recapture that magic or will it feel forced.” Lawrence told him in another X post:
I hear you man. And I’m grateful you’re invested. But we will have to come up with something that makes it seem worthwhile. And hopefully we will nail it. But big fun to try. It’s our job!
Lawrence then wrote up a third X post to acknowledge the concerns various fans have over Scrubs being brought back, saying that this is something worth trying to do. In his words:
Guess the easy reboot sum up: I get some folks reservations the same way I get others’ excitement. Both just feel like pressure to do something cool/new/good. We’re gonna try. I imagine the world will let us know if it works. #Scrubs
Per the information shared yesterday, now that Bill Lawrence has boarded the Scrubs reboot, the next step is to secure original series stars Zach Braff, Donald Faison, Sarah Chalke and John C. McGinley, who respectively play John “J.D.” Dorian, Christopher Turk, Elliot Reid and Perry Cox. Judy Reyes, who plays Carla Espinosa, also “factored into early plans for the reboot,” but now that she’s a series regular on High Potential, it’s unclear if she could participate in the reboot, too. There’s no mention about if we’ll see Ken Jenkins and Neil Flynn respectively reprise Bob Kelso and Janitor.
At this point, it’s not guaranteed yet that the Scrubs reboot will make it to the airwaves, but we’ll keep you updated on the project’s progress as more news comes in. For now, you’re welcome to revisit the original with a Hulu subscription and look over our ranking of the 10 best Scrubs episodes.