Last September, Zach Braff, Donald Faison, Sarah Chalke, Judy Reyes, John C. McGinley, and Bill Lawrence posted a picture from the first table read for the Scrubs reboot. I’d had mixed feelings about this revival, but that picture did make me excited to see the gang back together. Well, time flies, and Scrubs will officially be back on ABC on Wednesday, February 25. It will also stream on Hulu.
On Wednesday, ABC dropped the first full trailer for the series, which you can watch below. It looks like we’re in for more J.D./Turk shenanigans, including dorky dancing, a secret handshake, and, of course, their signature move, the Eagle. USA Today did an interview with Scrubs‘ new showrunner, Aseem Batra, who was a writer, producer, and actor during the show’s first run (she played Josephine, the intern with the squeaky voice). In the interview, she talked about bringing back the Eagle and previewed a new character.
The “Scrubs” Eagle celebration will never be retired as proven in the first full trailer for the revival series, revealed exclusively on USA TODAY.
Reunited zany doctor best friends J.D. (Zach Braff) and Turk (Donald Faison) show they can still pull off the signature greeting of the absurdist medical comedy that ruled NBC for seven seasons (2001–2008) and ABC for two seasons (2009-10).
However, 16 years after the original series ended, J.D. enthusiastically jumping onto Turk’s back to soar leads to a middle-aged doctor wipe-out in Sacred Heart for the new “Scrubs,” premiering on ABC Feb. 25 (8 ET/PT).
“Eagle was a huge priority for the show, it’s a fan favorite and also a favorite for Donald and Zach,” says “Scrubs” showrunner Aseem Batra. “We’ll always find a way to find a clever way to make the greeting age-appropriate for them. It’s fun embracing where we all are now and how things have changed.”
Much has changed in the world, and the medical world. But “Scrubs” brings back the epic J.D.-Turk bromance as well as key original stars such as Sarah Chalke as Elliot Reid, John C. McGinley as Dr. Perry Cox and Judy Reyes as Carla Espinosa. Show creator Bill Lawrence returns as an executive producer to help shepherd the reboot.
The new series features a cadre of new medical interns in need of mentoring at Sacred Heart along with Sibby (“SNL” alum Vanessa Bayer) the new wellness director/human resources manager who attempts to reign in the behavior of the staff and the darkly sarcastic Dr. Cox.
“That’s a character that didn’t exist in the original that was born out of interviews with hospitals that are much protective of their residents,” says Batra.
But no one can truly contain the “Scrubs” mayhem. As the trailer proclaims, “The comedy that left you wanting more, is back.”
I’ve always liked the premise of having former mentees J.D., Turk, and Elliot becoming the mentors while still getting teased by Dr. Cox. I appreciate a good full circle storyline. The trailer looks like it captures both the comedy and heart from the golden years of the original show. I laughed at Dr. Cox now referring to J.D. as “Oldie” and the Eagle gag with them falling down. Those moments are both very Scrubs-like ways to address that our original interns have aged while still acknowledging that some things never change. The joke about Elliot having no rhythm was a fun callback as well. I’m also digging the addition of Vanessa Bayer as an HR manager. I wonder if she’ll be more of a foil to their zany antics or an exasperated authority figure a la Toby in The Office. Anyway, after the trailer, I’m now officially looking forward to checking out the reboot.
Here’s the trailer:
My internet is slow, so I can’t watch it yet, but I guess I’m finally subscribing to Hulu. I’ve resisted so far, but scrubs is an all time favorite.
I’m in!