‘Scrubs’ returns: Everything you need to know about the medical comedy’s second life
The doctors are in. Fifteen years after its series finale, Scrubs is scrubbing back into ABC's primetime lineup for the 2025-26 season, with at least three of its original stars set to return. Zach Braff, Donald Faison, and Sarah Chalke have confirmed their involvement in the revival, with series creator Bill Lawrence leading the behind the scenes creative team.
"Scrubs means so very much to me," the Ted Lasso and Shrinking exec producer said in a statement. "So excited for the chance to get the band back together."
Grab your stethoscopes and banana hammocks — here's everything you need to know about Scrubs' second act.
What's Scrubs about?
In case you missed the show's original 2001-10 run, Scrubs followed the lives and loves of a not-so-crack team of novice doctors at Sacred Heart Hospital in the bustling California town of San DiFrangeles. Braff headed up the ensemble as physician J.D. Dorian, while Faison played his buddy and surgical superstar, Christopher Turk.
While the duo lived happily as heterosexual life partners in the vein of Jay and Silent Bob, they also formed romantic attachments with fellow doctors over the course of the series. J.D. had an on-again, off-again relationship with Chalke's Elliott Reid that eventually found them married with children. As for Turk, he quickly paired off with Sacred Heart's head nurse Carla Espinosa (played by Judy Reyes) and also became a husband and father.
Beyond the core quartet, Scrubs had a deep bench of fan favorite supporting characters, including John C. McGinley's gruff, but golden hearted Dr. Cox, Neil Flynn's prankster janitor, and Ken Jenkins as boss man Bob Kelso. And the bench of big-name guest stars was even deeper, with everyone from Heather Graham and Michael J. Fox to Ryan Reynolds and Elizabeth Banks passing through Sacred Heart's doors over its nine-season run. (For the record, that final year was a semi-spin-off that changed locations from a hospital to a medical school.)
Who else is returning?
Beyond the trio of Braff, Faison, and Chalke, no other O.G. cast members were included in ABC's initial announcement. But the network did tease that other actors are in discussions to return, with Reyes seeming one of the most likely candidates given Carla and Turk's always-enviable marriage.
Per Variety, the Scrubs revival will take place in the present day and finds the characters back at Sacred Heart. "J.D. and Turk scrub in together for the first time in a long time," reads the official logline. "Medicine has changed, interns have changed, but their bromance has stood the test of time. Characters new and old navigate the waters of Sacred Heart with laughter, heart and some surprises along the way."
How did Scrubs fare with awards voters?
During its previous lifespan, Scrubs received a grand total of 17 Emmy nominations, including Best Comedy Series nods in 2005 and 2006 and a Best Comedy Actor nomination for Braff in 2005. It ultimately went 2-for-17, winning statuettes for multi-picture editing in 2005 and sound mixing in 2007.
Braff also received three Golden Globes nominations between 2005 and 2007 and the show was a three-time PGA Awards nominee between 2004 and 2006.
When can I watch it?
No premiere date has been announced for Scrubs' return, but it will likely be back in 2026. It's one of two new-ish shows that ABC has on its schedule for the upcoming TV season — the other being 9-1-1: Nashville, the latest extension of Ryan Murphy's emergency responder franchise. Nashville is a hike from San DiFrangeles, but don't count out the possibility of a crossover event.