Scrubs is back on the 2026 TV schedule this week for the second season of its much-discussed revival, which began filming months ago. If you’ve been following along since the original series, Zach Braff and some of his castmates have been on the medical comedy for eleven seasons over the years now (between both shows). Given that, I’d think that would give them unwavering confidence about the show’s revamp from the jump. However, that’s not what Braff told me during CinemaBlend’s exclusive interview with him.
I certainly expected the renewal to be a total no-brainer for ABC after Scrubs returned last year. But, as it turns out, Braff was nervous about whether it would have a triumphant return to primetime. Ahead of the second-season premiere, Braff said:
It was thrilling [getting a second season]. We worked so hard on this. We were very nervous that we would not nail the tone for them. Scrubs has a very specific tone, so to come back all these years later with us being our ages now, we were just very anxious about threading the needle and bringing back the Scrubs that they loved, but obviously with us in this stage of life as the heads of the hospital.
Scrubs originally ended in 2009 after an impressive nine-season run and is still considered one of the best sitcoms in TV history. However, I can certainly understand some nervousness over bringing fans the show back in a way they would approve of all while also bringing in new fans, too. There’s also the worry that the format that worked in the 2000s might not be effective over 15 years later. And yet, the revival nailed it! As Braff added:
The reaction from the fans was just beyond what we could have ever daydreamed. I mean, as I directed the pilot, I was so thrilled when I saw that the overwhelming sentiment was, ‘Oh my God, it's like they didn't miss a beat.’
It very much helps that franchise OG Bill Lawrence is back as creator and executive producer, even though he’s also behind a bunch of Apple TV’s best shows like Ted Lasso, Shrinking and Bad Monkey. I know I wasn’t sure what to expect from Scrubs when it came back , but it ultimately felt like a sweet homecoming. And I even found myself getting as attached to the new interns as have the original characters again.
Also, last season, the series also brought back a bunch of fan-favorite supporting characters like John McGinley’s Dr. Cox, Judy Reyes’ Nurse Carla, Christa Miller’s Jordan Sullivan and Neil Flynn’s The Janitor. The whole season was a real treat, and I was eager to tune in each week.
After Season 1 of the revival, there are definitely a lot of storylines I’m ready to see explored in this new season. For one, Dr. Cox was recently diagnosed with a serious autoimmune disease called microscopic polyangiitis, and the team at Sacred Heart are going to help them.
Then, I’m always curious about the shenanigans going on between J.D., Turk and Elliot – I even asked the cast if we’ll ever see J.D. and Elliot’s kid. In Season 1’s finale, J.D. found a new love interest in Rachel Bilson’s Charlie, and there was a cliffhanger involving two of the interns and an unexpected kiss. We'll have to wait and see what goes down but for now, I'm just grateful that Braff's initial concerns proved to be unwarranted
You can watch the new season of Scrubs, which premieres on Wednesday, September 30 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and is streamable the next day with a Hulu subscription.
