The Pop Culture Pundit

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Scrubs is one of THE best shows of all time. Following the lives of John “J.D.” Dorian (Zach Braff), Turk (Donald Faison), and Elliot Reid (Sarah Chalke) as they go from medical interns to full-fledged physicians and surgeons, Scrubs ran from 2001-2010, and it was a wild ride. Initially cancelled after season 7, it was renewed on ABC for an eighth and final season, before being un-cancelled and having a ninth season with only a few cast members returning. The upcoming tenth season will see Braff, Faison, and Chalke all returning, as well as other cast members including Carla Espinosa (Judy Reyes) and J.D.’s reluctant mentor Dr. Cox (John C. McGinley). 

Scrubs’ superpower was its ability to make you cry one minute and laugh the next. It also featured surreal imagery, as J.D.’s all-powerful imagination provided many wacky fantasies for viewers to revel in each week. Creator Bill Lawrence has been an absolute powerhouse in the year since Scrubs, creating timeless shows including Ted Lasso, Shrinking, and Bad Monkey.  Furthermore, though Braff and Faison have been an endless presence on our screen these past few years with their approximately one billion T-Mobile commercials, it’ll be a joy to watch them step into their–ahem, scrubs again. Before we jump into the tenth season, let’s review some of the best episodes from its original run. 

“My First Day” – Season 1, Episode 1

Scrubs begins without missing a beat. It’s J.D., Turk, and Elliot’s first day at Sacred Heart as interns after graduating medical school, and they are all a combination of excited, nervous, and straight-up terrified. J.D.’s fantasies begin here as he imagines himself as a deer in headlights being hit by a truck; but the episode ends with him having to give the time of death of a patient for the first time. Scrubs wasn’t messing around when it introduced itself, and it would stick true to balancing the line between hilarious and heartbreaking throughout its run. 

“My Own American Girl,” Season 3, Episode 1

Elliot gets the glow up she deserves as she goes from a mousy, meek intern to a confident, poised doctor after a transformative haircut. Naturally, this was all sound-tracked to “American Girl” by Tom Petty, of which series creator Bill Larence is a massive fan (his other show during the 2010s, Cougar Town, all had their episodes named after Tom Petty songs). Sarah Chalke has been on other shows, including Roseanne and How I Met Your Mother; this episode is one of her best performances of all time. 

“My Screw Up” – Season 3, Episode 14

Many regard this as the best episode of Scrubs and one of the best episodes of television of all time–which means this is bound to break your heart. Future Oscar winner Brendan Fraser guest stars as Ben, Jordan’s brother and friend of Dr. Cox. In season 1, Ben was diagnosed with leukemia. Here, he’s back at Sacred Heart, with a camera on his neck that he vows to not take off until the “day he dies.” Little do we know that this episode is when he dies, delivered via a heartbreaking twist when Dr. Cox realizes he’s not at a birthday party but rather Ben’s funeral. Yeah, you’re definitely going to need a box of tissues for this one. 

“My Cake” – Season 4, Episode 6

Back in season 1, sitcom legend John Ritter guest starred as J.D.’s dad. Ritter tragically passed away before he got to appear again on Scrubs, so this episode pays tribute to him. When J.D.’s brother Dan (an underrated Tom Cavanagh) shows up to his apartment with a giant cake, J.D. knows something’s up. From there, Dan and J.D. shows their grief in different ways, with the former staying in a bathtub all week and the latter riling up Dr. Cox so much he gets punched in the face. The ending is sweet though, with all three hanging out on the couch proving that even if you’re not biologically related you can still be each other’s family. 

“My Last Chance” – Season 4, Episode 8

J.D.’s latest love interest, Dr. Molly Clock (Heather Graham), is leaving Sacred Heart for a new job. J.D. is desperate to sleep with her but is sabotaged by Elliot, his prior love interest whom he previously screwed over. His attempts to see Molly before she leaves escalate; he crashes his scooter, is abandoned in the middle of nowhere (by the Janitor, of course), and ziplines through an apartment window, only to crash into a pile of garbage, get rejected and receive a taunting note from Elliot. Hey, at least J.D. and Elliot would make up and ultimately get married by the series’ end. Can’t wait to catch up with them now! 

“My Life in Four Cameras” – Season 4, Episode 17

It’s pretty clear through the series’ run that Scrubs loves paying tribute to former sitcoms, and this episode sees Sacred Heart being transformed into a multi-camera sitcom a la Frasier or The Big Bang Theory, complete with an annoying laugh track and a “celebrity cameo” in the form of American Idol runner-up Clay Aiken (this was the 2000s, after all). Reality hits though when the flu hits the hospital and people start dying, pulling J.D. out of his fantasy. Another instance of Scrubs making you laugh one minute and cry the next. 

“My Jiggly Ball” –  Season 5, Episode 4

This episode was a masterclass in deceit–J.D. spent the entirety of it thinking of a speech for introducing Dr. Kelso at an awards ceremony only to not need it, as well as pretend to know the completely made up game “Jiggly Ball,” only for the Janitor to catch him in his lies and have the entire hospital pelt him with tennis balls. In the end though, none of these small things seemed to matter when Dr. Kelso’s decision to offer a drug trial to a wealthy patient causes another one to die. 

“My Way Home” – Season 5, Episode 7

Scrubs pulled out all the stops for its 100th episode by paying homage to The Wizard of Oz (Zach Braff is truly an excellent Judy Garland). It’s one of the more whimsical episodes, made all the more epic by the fact the resident daydreamer J.D. himself, Zach Braff, directed the episode. If only the cast of Scrubs had cameos in Wicked. 

“My Finale” – Season 8, Episodes 18 and 19

Scrubs was on the bubble the last few seasons it originally aired–in fact, it was initially cancelled the previous season on NBC before moving to ABC–but showrunners and stars alike were convinced this was the last season. So much so that they named it “My Finale,” had J.D. moving on from Sacred Heart, and had nearly every guest star return for a final montage. It was  a huge shock, then, when Scrubs returned next season before promptly getting cancelled again. With Scrubs returning for a tenth season, it’s to be seen if season 9 will be accepted as canon, or we’ll instead pick up with season 8. Whatever it may be, it’s great to see the returning cast back on the screen again. EAGGGLLLEEE!!!! 

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