‘Scrubs’ Is Back With Old Flames and New Drama

Ian Spanier

So much fun that J.D. is a little clueless (some things never change) about how this might affect Elliot. Many fans were disappointed that the two had divorced in the years between the original series and the revival, but they are amicable, and the chemistry is still there. Braff says, “J.D.’s not doing a very good job of being sensitive in front of Elliot with Charlie.”

Do-over Dating: Fan-Favorite Scott Foley Returns

Luckily, Elliot takes her ex’s new relationship as inspo. “[Elliot] looks over and she’s like, ‘Oh, maybe I want that, too,’” Chalke says. Elliot’s boyfriend from the first season, Wes the pilot, has flown the coop. He wasn’t right for her, and she’s decided to focus on work until a fan favorite from the original series, Scott Foley, returns as the loveable marine biologist Sean Kelly who dated Elliot. “The writers wanted to bring Elliot’s neurotic self back. Seeing him upends her. She’s confident in her job, but then becomes very not confident in herself and her dating life,” Chalke says.

In the first round of Scrubs, the two met when he was her patient at Sacred Heart Hospital. They started dating and J.D., who had feelings for Elliot, got very competitive with Sean, who eventually settled down with Dr. Briggs. Yep, Sacred Heart can sometimes have General Hospital vibes. It’s TBD what happened with that relationship.

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Chalke shares why she’s so glad Foley’s back: “Sean was such a great foil for J.D., how much he threatened J.D. and how much J.D. didn’t like him, that was hysterical. And for Elliot, other than the J.D./Elliot relationship in the first round, her biggest, longest relationship was with Scott Foley. When we were being asked last season, ‘Who do you wish to come back?’ we were all like, Scott Foley. He’s so funny and he fits so well into our whole dynamic.”

Faison points out Foley’s other undeniable attribute: “So handsome. Let’s just cut to the chase.”

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It’s notable that Sean’s original complaint when he entered Sacred Heart way back in the early 2000s was an irregular heartbeat. You could say Elliot caused Sean more heart trouble by dumping him — twice — but Batra says that won’t dissuade the former Sea World animal trainer. “He hasn’t changed much in that he always seems to gravitate toward Elliot,” she says. “Sean probably sees Elliot as the one that got away, whether it’s healthy or not!”

Turk and Carla Hit Refresh, Tosh and Asher Hit Start

J.D.’s displays of affection for Charlie affect Turk, too. “Turk realizes, ‘When’s the last time I went overboard for my lady?’” Faison says. “J.D. awakens a side of Turk that [his wife] Carla [Judy Reyes] hasn’t seen in years.”

Batra reveals that some of the storylines with Turk and Carla come from Faison’s real-life experiences. “We enjoy mining Donald’s life for some of these stories. He’s an endearingly dedicated father and husband, but he has some very vocal and hilarious opinions on the kind of work that entails,” she says.

What we’ll see is “Turk has gone through his own issues with burnout and emotional/mental health. We acknowledge that Carla and Turk’s good relationship is ‘goals’ for the rest of us, but that doesn’t mean it’s perfect or easy. Marriage is work and that comes with a lot of feelings and sometimes resistance.”

We’ll also get plenty of Turk’s classic physical antics. “Donald wants everyone to know that, while Turk threw out his back in Season 1 doing ‘Eagle’ [a classic Scrubs move where Turk carries J.D. on his back and runs around the hospital screaming, “Eagle!”], in real life, he’s quite capable of still lifting Zach,” Batra says. “Basketball is a different story, though, but he might be mad at me for telling you that. We think Donald is incredible and look forward to having him show off his moves in Season 2.”

While Turk and Carla rekindle things, another hospital couple is just beginning their love story. Interns Tosh (Ava Bunn), who paid her way through med school as an influencer, and Asher (Jacob Dudman), a compassionate Brit, are now halfway through their internship. Bunn says, “They’re navigating the butterflies of being in a new relationship, and how much should you show your real self in front of that person when you’re trying to blossom a relationship. They’re both kind of awkward, so, that’s a barrier.”

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Of course, their workplace relationship will draw the scrutiny of warm-and-fussy human resources and staff wellness director Sibby (Vanessa Bayer), who handles her job with a mix of corporate diligence and trendy therapy-speak. Sibby won’t find these interns getting hot-and-heavy on the job like J.D. and Elliot did in the supply closet in the original series. “They’re not huge hookup-in-the-hospital people. They’ll do an occasional smooch, but for the most part they’re joking around and… they keep it at home,” Bunn says.

The Case of Dr. Cox

Not everything is butterflies, roses, and balloons. Figuring out why Dr. Cox’s autoimmune illness isn’t responding to treatment is job one for the team. “Other than Charlie distracting him, obviously on the serious side of things, figuring out the correct diagnosis for Dr. Cox is J.D.’s main focus,” Braff says. But to do that, he must give a litany of tests to Cox, who struggles with being a patient and not having control, even with an advocate like his demanding and cutting ex-wife Jordan (Christa Miller).

“J.D., of course, knows that Dr. Cox’s autoimmune illness is not good news, but he also knows that medicine has come a long way and it’s a treatable illness,” Batra says. “He’s declared that he needs to be there for Dr. Cox, and, just like so many of us with aging parents, he makes that transition from being cared for to being a caretaker, both emotionally and otherwise. As J.D.’s own father [played by the late John Ritter] has passed, J.D. is going through this with Dr. Cox the way he would with a parent. However, he’s also his doctor and knows he has to stay objective and strong for him.”

Turk and Elliot are also on the case. “He was our mentor, too,” Faison says. Chalke adds, “It’s all-hands on deck.”

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The series prides itself on being one of the most medically accurate shows on television, and that goes beyond the team’s attempts to figure out how to treat Dr. Cox. In Scrubs, the nurses, just as their real-life counterparts, can sometimes diagnose what a patient really needs. It’s Carla who realizes that the depleted Dr. Cox will benefit from an emotional Rx and gives him a helpful pep talk. And expect no lies to be told by sassy nurse Francois (Michael James Scott), who established himself last season as the co-charge nurse who does not suffer fools, especially those who sit in his chair.

In another bit of painful medical realism, Dr. Cox’s treatments are not cheap. As anyone who’s getting health care in the United States knows, it’s possible to get stuck with a giant bill. To avoid that, J.D. works the system, but his maneuverings are frowned upon by a younger member of the team.

Rookie Mistakes

Hey, don’t get too mad at the rookies for siding with the corporate overlords. They are still figuring out how to make their way in the maze that is a medical career. Along with Tosh and Asher, confident surgical intern Dashana (Amanda Morrow), who has a lot in common with competitive Turk, sheltered and homeschooled Amara (Layla Mohammadi), and alpha-male Blake (David Gridley) are being mentored by the senior docs.

Tosh is paired with Elliot, who helps the newbie regain her self-assurance after making a potentially deadly medical error last season. “There was self-doubt in that mess up, but Tosh gained a lot of confidence in her mentor, Elliot, in their teamwork. That’s so scary and sticks with someone, but she feels a lot more trust in Elliot to guide her,” Bunn says.

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The accuracy demanded in Scrubs causes a different kind of stress for Bunn. Sure, the consequences of an acting error are only re-takes, but the actor still sweats it. “Taking someone’s blood was really hard,” Bunn says. “Right before I booked Scrubs, my friend Sam was training to be a phlebotomist. I volunteered to give blood to him because I was superstitious and thought that that would get me the job. Here we are! But when I had to take blood this season, it was so hard. I was trying to talk and do it at the same time. You have to flip the vial and then put in a new one. It’s so impressive to me that for doctors, it’s nothing.”

Bunn uses her and Chalke’s real-life friendship to picture what Elliot and Tosh might do to relax outside work. “Something I can say about me and Sarah personally is we love scream-singing Alanis Morissette and jumping up and down together. I’d like to imagine that after a long week at work, they go to a karaoke bar together and blow off steam,” Bunn says. “This season, they’re closer. It mirrors [my] and Sarah’s relationship off-screen with her mentorship for me. I feel very lucky.” There is conflict, though, when Elliot gets frustrated that Tosh doesn’t take her advice on choosing a medical specialty.

And that’s not the only doc-on-doc drama. Cox pushes J.D. to become a better mentor, so J.D. focuses his efforts on the new chief resident Dr. Grant (John Higgins), who reminds J.D. a lot of himself. But it doesn’t go as planned. “Dr. Grant Summers is a fun thorn in J.D.’s side,” Batra says. “J.D. is eager to mentor him and make a connection with him, like the one he feels he had with Dr. Cox; however, Grant takes a completely contrarian view to everything J.D. says. It makes him incredibly difficult to teach, but Dr. Cox would likely point out that he was no picnic, either. Higgins is hilarious and we’re really enjoying having him as foil for J.D.”

That’s not J.D.’s only antagonist. The cutting and now very successful Janitor (Neil Flynn), who appeared in the revival’s first season to mercilessly harass J.D. as he did in the initial run of Scrubs, will return in the fourth episode. His son, the Maintenance Man (Darcy Michael), is trying to follow in his dad’s footsteps. But, Braff says, “Much like many nepo babies, he’s having trouble living up to the legacy of his father.” Luckily for viewers, this revival of Scrubs is having no trouble living up to the legacy of the original series.

Scrubs, Season 2 Premiere, Wednesday, September 30, 8/7c, ABC