"Scrubs" Review: Nostalgic comedy returns to form

Audio By Carbonatix

It’s been sixteen years since J.D. and Turk donned their medical attire in in the long-running sitcom Scrubs (or longer if you don’t include their appearances in the much-maligned ninth season).

Since the show ended, creator and showrunner Bill Lawrence has gone on to help create beloved shows like Ted Lasso and Shrinking, two programs that don't follow the traditional format of a 30-minute sitcom. Considering the success of those two shows, it might seem odd for Lawrence to work on the follow-up of the well-liked Scrubs but after watching the first few episodes of the new series, it also feels like a welcome return to the halls of Sacred Heart.

In the new series, Zach Braff and Donald Faison return as their respective characters, Dr. John ‘J.D.’ Dorian and Dr. Christopher Turk. While J.D. has moved into private practice, Turk has remained as Sacred Heart where he works alongside his wife Carla Espinosa (Judy Reyes) and J.D.’s ex-wife Dr. Elliot Reid (Sarah Clarke).

In the first episode, J.D. returns to the hospital briefly to visit one of his  patients. While visiting, J.D. reconnects with former mentor Dr. Perry Cox (John C. McGinley) and meets the new class of interns. That eventually leads to Cox — recognizing how valuable J.D. could be to the hospital — urging J.D. to return to the hospital as the new Chief of Medicine.

Even though Scrubs ended years ago, the characters fall seamlessly back into place and it's wonderful to see them together onscreen again. It helps that Braff and Faison are great friends in real life and their chemistry is evident from the first time they share the screen. Their bromance remains alive and well.

Braff, Faison and Clarke are executive producers here and they bring the same charm they once did, offering fans the nostalgic love for the characters that the actors undeniably share (although some will be displeased that J.D. and Elliot are separated now).   

Times have changed since the original program went off the air and the writers have fun with that concept, recognizing how interns would behave now and how their supervisors would react to that in a more congenial way. While some of the interns are more focused on content creation than their jobs, Dr. Cox is now restrained by contemporary societal norms. He and the other supervisors can’t treat the interns like he once did and the charming Vanessa Bayer joins the fun here as Sibby Wilson, an HR representative who tries to maintain a hospitable workplace much to Cox's chagrin.   

There’s a reason why the original Scrubs lasted for nine years. There’s a silly outlandish quality to the show that proved endearing to viewers. That quality returns in the new show. The actors and the team here recognize why these characters became so beloved and showing how they react to contemporary norms brings a nice twist to the nostalgia-soaked program.

Fans of the original show will no doubt be ready and willing to scrub back in for this fun endearing follow-up.