- Bill Lawrence is the creator of Scrubs
- The series ran from 2001 until 2010
- Lawrence teased some more info about the reboot
Rebooting dominates TV trends lately, along with remakes. With a Scrubs reboot now confirmed, more information continues to emerge. ABC confirmed the reboot, fitting since the medical show aired on ABC for its final two seasons after an eight-season run on NBC. Creator Bill Lawrence is actively involved, and the series is currently in early development.
The original show features Zach Braff as medical intern John Dorian (JD), navigating life at Sacred Heart Hospital alongside other trainees and doctors. The cast also includes Sarah Chalke, Judy Reyes, and Donald Faison.
Lawrence stated he will not serve as the showrunner but hinted at a new showrunner in discussions with Deadline, along with other updates about the reboot. Find out all the details here!
What has Lawrence said already?
Before diving into Lawrence’s recent comments, let’s revisit what he has already shared. First, he won’t serve as the showrunner. Lawrence told Deadline, “Big chunks of the creative team behind the camera, and most of it from in front of the camera, are all super invested and excited.”
In the same interview, Lawrence confirmed his desire for Braff to reprise his role as JD. Braff and Lawrence have collaborated since, with Braff even making a cameo on Lawrence’s show Bad Monkey. Lawrence told Deadline recently that the studios were “close to working out” a deal.
He also declared, “There will be a bunch of the original Scrubs writers on the show; there will also be a bunch of new writers.” Additionally, Lawrence promised to explore fresh ideas in the reboot.
He expressed interest in bringing back other cast members but not as the main characters. He wants to introduce new young interns at Sacred Heart. Sounds a bit like a young JD, doesn’t it?
What did he say recently about a Scrubs reboot?
Lawrence shared details about the Scrubs reboot and his thoughts on it during an interview with the Los Angeles Times.
The interviewer directly asked the Scrubs showrunner what motivated him to bring back the series. Lawrence replied, “It’s so interesting because you can’t give an answer that makes everybody happy. I’ll start with, if I thought it was a bad idea, I wouldn’t do it.”
Fans and journalists have persistently questioned Lawrence about rebooting Scrubs since the show ended over fourteen years ago. It seems he finally decided to move forward with it.
In general, he called the idea a “No-lose” situation, which is promising. We think…
His hesitation, however, stemmed from the content rather than the concept itself. Lawrence explained that he could shape the story around a different plot. He said, “Am I curious and can I think of a bunch of stories about where some of these characters are years later, not being kid interns anymore, and having new young people around them, with the way the medical world has changed — yeah, without a shadow of a doubt.”
Perhaps he hinted at the reboot’s plot, imagining Sacred Heart’s beloved staff returning as mentors for a new generation of doctors. You have to admit, that would be adorable. However, he didn’t confirm any specific details about the storyline.
Hesitancy around Disney and Warner Bros
Lawrence’s main reason for hesitating to reboot Scrubs came down to an interesting logistical issue. He explained that since he no longer worked for Disney, he felt awkward about possibly doing the show while collaborating with Warner Bros.
Some of his ABC hits, like Cougar Town, fell under Disney’s ownership because Disney owns ABC. The same applied to Scrubs.
In contrast, his later successes, Ted Lasso and Shrinking are Apple+ TV productions made in collaboration with Warner Bros. This is also the case with Bad Monkey and Lawrence’s new HBO comedy which were made in collaboration with Warner Bros. Warner Bros and Doozer are producing the new comedy show.
Cast and crew reunions
On a heartwarming note, Lawrence shared that one of the reasons he wants do the Scrubs reboot was to reunite the cast. He mentioned that some writers and actors were available, encouraging him to consider the reboot further.
He also made it clear that he doesn’t care about the online skepticism surrounding the reboot. After all, we’ve seen some truly awful reboots (Gossip Girl anyone?), but Lawrence couldn’t care less.
“Someone was like, ‘I hope this doesn’t happen.’ That made me incredulous. Like, why the f— would you care if it happened?” He continued, “He’s like, ‘I just love the show so much, it would tarnish it.’ I don’t think that’s true. Shows that I care about have had reboots. This is my attitude: If it’s a show I love, I’m gonna watch it. If it’s great, I’m gonna be super happy. If it’s good, whatever, at least it didn’t offend me. And if it sucks, I’m gonna be super happy to badmouth how much it sucks to my friends.”
Showrunner and staff deals are being made
The biggest and probably most exciting update that Lawrence gave was that a deal with a showrunner is currently being made. He also said things in the writer’s room would start “in the new year” when the deal was finalized.
However, the 56-year-old didn’t spill on who the showrunner would be. He probably doesn’t want to jinx it. Can’t say I blame him.
He hinted he had been having casual chats with the person in question who is one of his “old friends”. If you want to get your speculations specs on, now is the time. Lastly, Lawrence revealed he wanted to “get the old music restored” on old episodes. The original theme song was Superman by the band Lazlo Bane.
Was there any other info on the Scrubs Reboot?
For the rest of the interview, Lawrence spoke about other projects like Ted Lasso and his new untitled comedy show.
Of course, fans will have the Scrubs reboot on the brain, but with a promise of shooting next year, we may get more information on the official plot synopsis and casting news. And no, no original Scrubs stars have officially signed on yet, but stay tuned for updates on all things Scrubs.
