The long-gestating original Scrubs cast would be returning.
Per Deadline, Braff has now officially signed on to reprise his role as J.D. after months of negotiations. While ABC and 20th Century Television have declined to comment on this latest development, the original report suggests that the initial talks had previously been at an ime over both money and Braff’s requests to film in Los Angeles, rather than Vancouver. No final filming location has yet been announced. With Braff now onboard, it is now expected that deals will be sought with Sarah Chalke, Donald Faison, John C. McGinley, and Judy Reyes.
What Zach Braff’s Return Means For The Scrubs Reboot
J.D's Return Can Make Up For The Troubled Season 9
While it is possible that plans for a Scrubs reboot could still have been pushed forward without Braff’s direct involvement, as the leading character of the original series, it likely would have presented a major hurdle in drawing existing fans back in. Given the response to having Braff’s J.D. only appear in 6 of the episodes in Scrubs’ disastrous season 9, many fans would suggest that any hopes of a successful series return would be contingent on luring Braff back, along with several of his original co-stars.
Scrubs' Worst Season Proved The Show Was Very Wrong About Zach Braff's Departure
Scrubs changed a lot when Zach Braff decided to leave after season 8, disproving what he says the show's producers told him years earlier.
Nonetheless, Lawrence has previously suggested that his plans for the series lay somewhere between a revival and a reboot, and he also intends to introduce a new group of interns alongside the returning cast. It is a plan that sounds somewhat reminiscent of the approach taken in Scrubs season 9, which focused on a new group of medical students at Winston University and introduced Kerry Bishé’s Lucy as the show’s new narrator. With any luck, however, Braff’s involvement will once again see his character return as the show’s main focus and help make up for the show’s lackluster final season.
Our Take On J.D.’s Return
Braff's Character Will Likely Be Very Different From What Audiences
With the Scrubs season 8 finale originally intended to serve as the show’s original ending, J.D.’s departure from Sacred Heart hospital was in many ways the final step in his journey toward actualized adulthood. Choosing to leave his life with his friends behind in order to be closer to his son, the version of Braff’s character shown in the season 8 finale had matured considerably over the course of the show’s previous seasons.
Likely set to borrow many of the lessons he learned from his own reluctant mentor, McGinley’s Dr. Cox, the show’s return may be making way for J.D.’s return, but Braff’s character will likely be a long way from the fresh faced intern audiences first met in 2001.
With the new Scrubs reboot now set to pick up more than 15 years after that original goodbye, it will be interesting to see what a far more experienced and potentially jaded J.D. might look like in the eyes of a fresh group of medical interns. Likely set to borrow many of the lessons he learned from his own reluctant mentor, McGinley’s Dr. Cox, the show’s return may be making way for J.D.’s return, but Braff’s character will likely be a long way from the fresh-faced intern audiences first met in 2001.
Source: Deadline
Scrubs is a Sitcom and Medical Comedy/Drama created by Bill Lawrence that follows a group of medical students throughout their daily lives at the Sacred Heart Teaching Hospital. The series stars Zach Braff, Sarah Chalke, and Donald Faison, as they work their way up from Medical Interns while juggling all sorts of hospital shenanigans.
- Directors
- Bill Lawrence
- Writers
- Bill Lawrence
- Seasons
- 9
- Story By
- Bill Lawrence
- Streaming Service(s)
- Prime Video
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