Posted in: ABC, Hulu, Review, TV | Tagged: Scrubs

Scrubs Review: ABC Revival Series Grows Up in Ways Season 9 Didn't

ABC's Scrubs revival revitalizes the series after a disappointing ninth season with a winning cast of original series players and new faces.

When Bill Lawrence had that perfect happy ending for Scrubs at the end of season eight that saw Dr. John "JD" Dorian (Zach Braff) moving on from Sacred Heart Hospital, married, and taking a new job, there were a few miscalculations on his part. First, as ABC demanded another season, the series ninth season was rebranded as Scrubs: Med School to differentiate and effectively pass the torch to a new batch of interns led by Kerry Bishé's Lucy Bennett, who would take over voiceover duties, with Braff and Sarah Chalke (Elliot) appeared in a limited capacity with Donald Faison (Turk) and John C. McGinley (Cox) staying as holdovers in the main cast. Ken Jenkins (Kelso), Neil Flynn (Janitor), and Sam Lloyd (Ted) would appear in guest-starring roles, and Aloma Wright and Judy Reyes (Carla) wouldn't appear at all, which made for a rough transition and subsequent cancellation in 2010. Fast forward to 2026, where we pick up the original trio of Braff, Faison, and Chalke back at Sacred Heart, leading the series again, and life has changed dramatically: they couldn't be further removed from their season-one counterparts in 2001, when they were the interns, teaching instead of just learning. The Scrubs revival sees Lawrence back in the fold, but given his additional commitments with shows like Ted Lasso and Shrinking, we find it in safe hands with frequent collaborators like current showrunner Aseem Batra and Tim Hobert in control.

Scrubs Revival Is a Welcome Return of Old Friends and a Welcome for New Faces

Season 10 starts with JD in a far more serious setting, working in an emergency room at a hospital, treating patients accordingly, providing more serious vibes like Grey's Anatomy and The Pitt before it's revealed that JD's real life is as far less glamorous, but well-paying work as a concierge doctor, making house calls to the wealthy. The plot is set in motion when he discovers one of his patients has been admitted to his old stomping grounds at Sacred Heart.

The next sight is a welcome return and a sorely missed presence in Carla, who was lazily written off last season, but was certainly beyond the show's control. As she announced what constitutes a priority at an all-too-common problem of an overcrowded waiting room, JD chimes in, and it's the first warm, fuzzy reunion we have. We pick up where we left off as the characters get back into their motions from Turk and Elliot, as we discover that the season eight happy ending didn't exactly pan out as imagined. As we hit our familiar notes, we're also hit with another harsh dose of reality. The original stars might have similar manic energy as before, but they are also in their 50s, and the more intense physical bits, like "Eagle," as fans might have seen in the trailer, might be too taxing.

As we catch up to their latest problems in middle age, the actors pick up where they left off, treating patients, but also deal with a new set of interns in Dashana (Amanda Morrow), Blake (David Gridley), Amara (Layla Mohammadi), Asher (Jacob Dudman), and Tosh (Ava Bunn). The series does a wonderful job of fleshing out all the new characters without leaving anyone out. Even as we relearn familiar lessons, we see Braff, Faison, and Chalke embrace their leadership roles and remain stoic throughout.

While we also see McGinley back in the fold, he's far more in a minimalist role as Chief of Medicine, Dr. Perry Cox. The same applies to the return of Robert Maschio's Dr. Todd Quinlan and Phill Lewis' Dr. Hooch. The less-is-more approach actually works, as their more abrasive natures haven't aged as well in 2026. The addition of Vanessa Bayer's Sibby Wilson as Sacred Heart's new wellness manager provides a harsh reality check on how certain behaviors on the show might not be appropriate today, from Cox's personal tirades and nicknames to The Todd's sexist double entendres. Rather than acting as the "feelings police," the SNL alumnae's role actually leaves a lot of room for her improvisational skills to shine, becoming one of the series' bright spots.

Also new to the series is Joel Kim Booster, who plays Dr. Eric Park, who becomes JD's new rival at Sacred Heart and Dr. Perry Cox's no. 1 protégé after JD initially leaves. The energy between Braff and Booster certainly wasn't meant to replace what Braff had with Flynn, but Booster's supercharged performance and bisexual energy as Park certainly puts JD on his toes. Make no mistake, there was no replacing what originals like Jenkins, Flynn, Wright, and the late Lloyd brought to the series, and they will be missed. Still, there's plenty of promise here in terms of balancing narrative focus with appropriate levity of humor. It's organic growth, and for a series like Scrubs to succeed, there needs to be a balance and new characters established.

With each episode, we find that the interns are far more than their respective quirks, especially when you see that kind of gut punch that Gridley's Blake experiences at the end of the season premiere. Like any revival and reboot, there will be pushback, and some won't like the change, perhaps nowhere near the toxicity of certain sci-fi franchise minority fanbases, and you have eight seasons of the old series you can enjoy on DVD and Hulu. Scrubs season 10 doesn't waste any of its major characters, and almost nothing feels like a cheap gimmick. It took 26 years, but the series is where it needs to be. The series premieres with its first two episodes on February 25th on ABC and Hulu, with new episodes every Wednesday.

Scrubs

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Review by Tom Chang

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8.5/10

ABC's Scrubs revival feels like an old friend that went away to college, grew up, and became the more mature person you expected him or her to be, but who you can still share a beer and goof around with. While it lacks the familiar zany slapstick and gimmicks of the original series, the spirit of the Bill Lawrence series is alive and well thanks to showrunner Aseem Batra, who also worked on the series during its original run. Zach Braff, Donald Faison, and Sarah Chalke haven't lost a step, resuming their characters again after 16 years like it was yesterday. Welcome additions like Vanessa Bayer and Joel Kim Booster infuse some new energy into the show's universe, with the writing giving everyone a chance to have their moment.

Credits

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Creator

Bill Lawrence

Showrunner

Aseem Batra

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