Do we want new Scrubs? That is the question posed by Disney, which is resurrecting the millennial medical comedy – but with the twist that its previously zany cast are now in the trenches of middle age and battling both the ravages of time and the fact that Gen Z are even more annoying than our heroes were 25 years ago.
The original series ran for nine seasons, starting in 2001 (it debuted a month after 9/11), and was medical Marmite of the first order – either you thought Zach Braff’s pratfalling John Michael “JD” Dorian was the funniest thing since the whoopee cushion or Scrubs’ gag-a-minute humour went over your head. The good news – for those in the former category, at least – is that Scrubs (Disney+, Thursday) returns older, sadder, and moderately wiser – but with its funny bone intact.
As we catch up with JD, he is living a lucrative and unfulfilled existence as a “concierge doctor” – a sort of house-calling GP catering to the mega-rich. However, when a freak injury suffered by a patient brings him back to his alma mater, Sacred Heart Teaching Hospital, he realises there is more to life than making loads of money by helping millionaires with their golf elbow.
So far, so wacky – and goodness does the show display its age with its manic dialogue and Family Guy-style cutaway gags. Yet in its advanced state, Scrubs has acquired a soulful and poignant quality. There’s the troubled relationship between JD and his love interest in Scrubs, Elliot Reid (Sarah Chalke) – now his ex-wife, from whom he maintains a frosty distance.
More tragic yet is his bestie Turk (Donald Faison), whom younger doctors regard as a cautionary tale of mid-career burnout. He has problems beyond their comprehension: he’s middle-aged, his friendship circle has shrunk to nothing, and he has no idea if life has any meaning beyond getting to the end of another day.
These darker moments are sprinkled between barbed satire of Gen Z, embodied by a bubbleheaded intern nicknamed Dr Selfie (Ava Bunn), who spends more time on TikTok than interacting with patients. That times have changed is underscored by a doctor who can’t stand the sight of blood and by the ever-present HR executive, Sibby (Vanessa Bayer), who runs a “wellness programme” for older staff members who show even a hint of insensitivity towards younger colleagues.
Scrubs creator Bill Lawrence has gone on to produce Apple hits Shrinking and Ted Lasso. He’s back to oversee the new Scrubs, and you can tell he’s delighted to take a break from the high-concept format of the modern streaming show and to just rip loose with gags.
The same can be said for Braff, who was regarded as a quirky movie star in waiting during his time on Scrubs but who never quite made good on that promise. Now in his early 50s, he retains the boyish irreverence that was always central to Scrubs’ humour.
Across each of these new episodes’ zippy 20-minute run-time, the hugely endearing message is that, no matter how badly time has worked its ravages, you can always go back – and that, now and then, it’s okay to chase nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake.