Scrubs — the Emmy-winning sitcom that launched the career of Zach Braff, introduced the concept of the pancake drawer, and most importantly, gave us The Turk Dance — aired for seven seasons on NBC. It was canceled in 2008, but returned the next year for two more seasons on ABC before it wrapped up for good in 2010. Or so we thought.
Here’s everything we know about the Scrubs reboot, including plot details, returning cast members, and premiere date.
Plot
After years of rumors, it was confirmed this month that a Scrubs reboot is in development. According to The Hollywood Reporter, “ABC is in the early stages of developing the project from 20th Television and creator Bill Lawrence.”
Lawrence, who also co-created Cougar Town, Ted Lasso, and Shrinking (and therefore, is probably quietly one of the richest TV producers in Hollywood), has an overall deal at Warner Bros. TV. But he worked out a clause in his contract that will allow him to work on the reboot for Disney’s 20th Television and ABC, although not as showrunner.
“Yeah, I will help,” Lawrence wrote on X. “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.” He added, “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.”
No plot details have been revealed (expect hospital hijinks!), but Lawrence hinted that Nu Scrubs will be a mix between a revival and a reboot. “We’ve been talking about a lot, and I think the only real reason to do it is a combo,” Lawrence told Deadline. “A: people wanting to see what the world of medicine was like for the people they love, which is part of any successful reboot. But B: I think that show always worked because you get to see young people dropped into the world of medicine, knowing young people that go there are super idealistic and are doing it because it’s a calling. There’s no cliché ‘rich doctors playing golf’ — that’s not what it is anymore…. No matter what it is, it would be a giant mistake not to do as a combo of those two things.”
Cast
Deadline highlights four original cast members who are expected to return for the reboot: Zach Braff (J.D.), Donald Faison (Turk), John C. McGinley (Dr. Cox), and Sarah Chalke (Elliot). What does that mean for Judy Reyes (Carla), Ken Jenkins (Dr. Kelso), Neil Flynn (The Janitor), and Robert Maschio (“The Todd”)? It’s unknown at this time, but hopefully they’ll be back, too. Sadly, Sam Lloyd, who played scene-stealer Ted, died in 2020.
“We’re on our way to doing it,” Faison, who hosts the Scrubs-centric Fake Doctors, Real Friends recap podcast with Braff, told NBC Insider earlier this year. “It’s gonna happen. I don’t know when, but within the next five years.”
Release Date
Just because a Scrubs reboot is in development doesn’t mean it’s going to premiere soon. The earliest timeframe is maybe sometime in 2026.
Trailer
So until then, why not rewatch the most heartbreaking scene in Scrubs history?
