Scrubs (TV series)
Updated: 12/11/2025, 1:47:11 PM Wikipedia source
Scrubs (stylized as [scrubs]) is an American medical sitcom created by Bill Lawrence. The series follows the lives of employees at the fictional Sacred Heart Hospital, which is a teaching hospital. The title is a play on surgical scrubs and a term for a low-ranking person because at the beginning of the series, most of the main characters are medical interns. The series was noted for its fast-paced slapstick and surreal vignettes presented mostly as the daydreams of the central character, John "J.D." Dorian, played by Zach Braff. The main cast for all but its last season consisted of Braff, Sarah Chalke, Donald Faison, Neil Flynn, Ken Jenkins, John C. McGinley, and Judy Reyes. The series featured multiple guest appearances by film actors, such as Brendan Fraser, Heather Graham, Michael J. Fox and Colin Farrell. Although season eight's "My Finale" was conceived and filmed as a series finale, the show was eventually revived for a ninth season subtitled Med School, with the setting moved to a medical school and new cast members introduced. Of the original cast only Braff, Faison, and McGinley remained regular cast members, while others (except Reyes) made guest appearances; Kerry Bishé, Eliza Coupe, Dave Franco, and Michael Mosley became series regulars, with Bishé becoming the show's new narrator. Scrubs, produced by Doozer Productions and ABC Studios (formerly Touchstone Television), premiered on October 2, 2001, on NBC. The series received a Peabody Award in 2006. During the seventh season, NBC announced that it would not renew the show; ABC announced it had picked up the eighth season of the series, intended to be the final season, which began airing on January 6, 2009. A ninth season, subtitled Med School, premiered on December 1, 2009, and on May 14, 2010, ABC officially canceled the series. In July 2025, ABC revived the series by officially ordering a tenth season, to premiere during the 2025–26 broadcasting season. Braff, Faison, Chalke, McGinley, and Reyes will return with Lawrence returning as executive producer. The revival is set to premiere on February 25, 2026.
Infobox
Tables
| Season | Episodes | Originally released | Average viewers(millions) | Rank | |||
| First released | Last released | Network | |||||
| 1 | 24 | October 2, 2001 (2001-10-02) | May 21, 2002 (2002-05-21) | NBC | 11.20 | | |
| 2 | 22 | September 26, 2002 (2002-09-26) | April 17, 2003 (2003-04-17) | 15.94 | | ||
| 3 | 22 | October 2, 2003 (2003-10-02) | May 4, 2004 (2004-05-04) | 10.41 | | ||
| 4 | 25 | August 31, 2004 (2004-08-31) | May 10, 2005 (2005-05-10) | 6.90 | | ||
| 5 | 24 | January 3, 2006 (2006-01-03) | May 16, 2006 (2006-05-16) | 6.40 | | ||
| 6 | 22 | November 30, 2006 (2006-11-30) | May 17, 2007 (2007-05-17) | 6.41 | | ||
| 7 | 11 | October 25, 2007 (2007-10-25) | May 8, 2008 (2008-05-08) | 6.38 | | ||
| 8 | 19 | January 6, 2009 (2009-01-06) | May 6, 2009 (2009-05-06) | ABC | 5.54 | | |
| 9 | 13 | December 1, 2009 (2009-12-01) | March 17, 2010 (2010-03-17) | 3.79 | | ||
| 10 | 9 | February 25, 2026 (2026-02-25) | TBA | TBA | TBA | ||
References
- Varietyhttps://web.archive.org/web/20090323235123/http://www.variety.com/awardcentral_vstory/VR1117936723.html
- Fanpophttp://www.fanpop.com/spots/neil-flynn/articles/86401/title/neil-flynn-on-how-chicago-improv-shaped-career
- Movielinehttp://movieline.com/2010/01/06/the-middles-neil-flynn/
- Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150264612679616&oid=29112278285
- Scrubs
- USA Todayhttps://www.usatoday.com/life/television/2002/2002-05-28-year-end-chart.htm
- "Nielsen's TOP 156 Shows for 2002–03"https://groups.google.com/group/rec.arts.tv/browse_thread/thread/ee82c0640bcaeb06/82c78e0fe7710443?lnk=st&q=nielsen+top+156&rnum=1#82c78e0fe7710443
- ABC Medianethttps://web.archive.org/web/20080521081534/http://www.abcmedianet.com/Web/progcal/dispDNR.aspx?id=060204_11
- The Hollywood Reporterhttps://web.archive.org/web/20080622125057/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000937471
- The Hollywood Reporterhttps://web.archive.org/web/20080716115645/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002576393
- The Hollywood Reporterhttps://web.archive.org/web/20071025030515/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/features/e3ifbfdd1bcb53266ad8d9a71cad261604f
- abcmedianet.comhttp://www.abcmedianet.com/web/dnr/dispDNR.aspx?id=052808_06
- abcmedianet.comhttps://web.archive.org/web/20090812033258/http://www.abcmedianet.com/web/dnr/dispDNR.aspx?id=052709_07
- TV by the Numbershttps://web.archive.org/web/20101121165731/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2010/06/16/final-2009-10-broadcast-primetime-show-average-viewership/54336
- Screen Ranthttps://screenrant.com/scrubs-revival-show-details-episode-count-confirmed/
- TVLinehttps://www.tvline.com/2036379/scrubs-reboot-release-date-cast-trailer-season-10-abc/
- brown.eduhttps://www.brown.edu/Administration/News_Bureau/2003-04/03-138d.html
- IGNhttp://uk.tv.ign.com/articles/782/782639p1.html
- Broadcasting & Cablehttp://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/107267-Scrubs_a_Near_Lock_for_Next_Fall.php
- The Futon Critichttp://www.thefutoncritic.com/guide.aspx?id=in_and_out
- Hollywood.comhttp://www.hollywood.com/celebrities/56176223/mike-schwartz
- Scrubs
- Huffington Posthttps://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/22/scrubs-trivia_n_7615796.html
- A Rare Condition (Behind the scenes DVD feature – Scrubs – Season 2). 2005.
- "Fake Doctors, Real Friends – 102: My Mentor"https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-fake-doctors-real-friends-60367049/episode/102-my-mentor-60785489/
- Post-Gazettehttp://old.post-gazette.com/tv/20020430scrubs0430fnp3.asp
- "Fake Doctors, Real Friends – 107: My Super Ego with John C. McGinley"https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-fake-doctors-real-friends-60367049/episode/107-my-super-ego-with-john-61829202/
- Show creator Bill Lawrence, during audio commentary on Disk Three of "The Complete Second Season [of] Scrubs" DVD set.
- Scrubshttp://www.nj.com/entertainment/tv/index.ssf/2009/08/scrubs_creator_previews_next_s.html
- Google Maps, Ince Bvld, Culver CAhttps://maps.google.com/maps?q=Ince+Boulevard,+Culver+City,+CA&hl=en&ll=34.023988,-118.391414&spn=0.000778,0.001206&sll=34.02364,-118.400774&sspn=0.035213,0.077162&vpsrc=6&t=h&z=20
- Bill Lawrence in the audio commentary for My First Day
- iTuneshttps://music.apple.com/us/album/superman-single/345106030
- BBC Worldwidehttp://www.digitalfilm.biz/Downloads/tv_standards_worldwide.pdf
- "A new HD frontier for Scrubs"http://www.highdef.com/magazine/archive/HighDef_2008_6NovDec.pdf
- Scrubshttp://hd.engadget.com/2006/05/16/hdtv-scrubs-on-nbc
- Scrubshttp://www.digitalspy.co.uk/ustv/news/a79658/scrubs-creator-12th-ep-will-not-end-series.html
- Gladiatorshttp://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=7541
- TV Series Finalehttp://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/scrubs-nbc-sitcom-may-not-get-series-finale/
- Scrubshttp://tv.ign.com/articles/851/851330p1.html
- Scrubshttp://www.tvsquad.com/2008/04/28/scrubs-to-abc-the-worst-kept-secret-in-hollywood/
- Scrubshttps://variety.com/2008/scene/markets-festivals/scrubs-skirmish-1117981634/
- National Ledgerhttp://www.nationalledger.com/artman/publish/article_272619342.shtml
- Coming Soon.nethttps://www.comingsoon.net/news/tvnews.php?id=42884
- TV Guidehttps://www.tvguide.com/news/scrubs-34543.aspx
- MySpacehttps://www.myspace.com/zachbraff/blog/387269933
- TV Crunchhttps://web.archive.org/web/20080504073155/http://tv.popcrunch.com/zach-braff-myspace-message-scrubs-8th-season-may-8-princess-bride-episode/
- MSNBChttps://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna24594959
- The Futon Critichttp://www.thefutoncritic.com/guide.aspx?id=fall_2008
- Scrubshttps://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-upfronts14-2008may14,0,3549448.story
- Scrubshttps://www.tvguide.com/News/Scrubs-Scrubs-Tuesdays-1000046.aspx
- asitecalledfred.comhttp://www.asitecalledfred.com/2008/05/04/scrubs-blog-my-welcome-back/
- Scrubshttp://www.digitalspy.co.uk/ustv/news/a109429/cox-joins-scrubs-for-three-episode-arc.html
- ABC Medianethttp://www.abcmedianet.com/web/dnr/dispDNR.aspx?id=112108_01
- Scrubshttps://www.hollywoodreporter.com/blogs/live-feed/scrubs-debut-webisodes-lawrence-talks-50528
- TV Guidehttps://www.tvguide.com/News/Elliot-Reunite-Scrubs-1000714.aspx
- ABC.comhttp://abc.go.com/primetime/scrubs/index?pn=mb&cat=147831&tid=492830&tsn=919
- Scrubshttp://popwatch.ew.com/2009/04/28/scrubs-its-time/
- Premium Hollywoodhttp://www.premiumhollywood.com/2009/05/06/a-chat-with-bill-lawrence-the-scrubs-exit-interview/
- Scrubshttp://insidetv.ew.com/2009/06/19/scrubs-moving-from-hospital-to-med-school/
- Made Man on YouTubehttps://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211029/HV64MCYI6YA
- Scrubshttps://web.archive.org/web/20090918071737/http://blog.zap2it.com/korbitv/2009/07/scrubs-eliza-coupe-her-character-officially-promoted.html
- reuters.comhttps://www.reuters.com/article/us-scrubs-idUSTRE57G19X20090817
- Grey'shttp://insidetv.ew.com/2009/08/19/ask-ausiello-spoilers-on-greys-house-ncis-more/
- Scrubshttp://insidetv.ew.com/2009/07/27/armchair-casting-director-scrubs/
- Fox Newshttps://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/report-abc-cancels-scrubs-flashforward-romantically-challenged-and-better-off-ted
- Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=106929062660571&id=99806535469
- Deadlinehttps://deadline.com/2022/06/scrubs-reunion-series-reboot-atx-tv-festival-1235038586/
- Varietyhttps://variety.com/2024/tv/news/scrubs-reboot-abc-bill-lawrence-1236236459/
- TVLinehttps://tvline.com/news/scrubs-reboot-series-order-abc-season-10-revival-cast-1235323552/
- Varietyhttps://variety.com/2025/tv/news/scrubs-reboot-abc-zach-braff-donald-faison-sarah-chalke-1236452414/
- Deadlinehttps://deadline.com/2025/09/judy-reyes-cast-scrubs-reboot-series-1236503509/
- Deadlinehttps://deadline.com/2025/09/scrubs-john-c-mcginley-dr-perry-cox-abc-reboot-1236507702/
- Deadlinehttps://deadline.com/2025/10/scrubs-reboot-tim-hobert-leaving-showrunner-aseem-batra-abc-1236599489/
- Varietyhttps://variety.com/2025/tv/news/scrubs-reboot-release-date-abc-midseason-schedule-1236563493/
- Blogcriticshttp://blogcritics.org/video/article/cultivating-a-cult-audience-an-interview/
- "RT @BradMcHargue The Netflix version of Scrubs uses different songs in a # of the episodes. Why?" The music license didn't cover Netflix"https://x.com/zachbraff/status/218058240968228864
- Playbillhttp://www.playbill.com/article/scrubs-musical-episode-with-qs-dabruzzo-premieres-jan-18-com-137771
- TV Guidehttps://www.tvguide.com/news/Tune-Tonights-Scrubs-35612.aspx
- Academy of Television Arts & Scienceshttp://www.emmys.com/shows/scrubs
- Abc.go.comhttp://abc.go.com/music-lounge/artist/waz/325351
- Amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B000066BZU/
- iTuneshttps://web.archive.org/web/20100809122053/http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/scrubs-vol-2-original-soundtrack/id151910966
- Amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B00138KMN8/
- Zach Braff's Garden State Bloghttp://gardenstate.typepad.com/zach_braffs_garden_state_/2006/02/joshua_radingoo.html
- Last.fmhttps://web.archive.org/web/20090423233943/http://www.last.fm/music/Keren%2BDeBerg/%2Bwiki
- The Screen Fiendhttps://web.archive.org/web/20110717025110/http://thescreenfiend.com/exclusive-interview-with-sam-llyod-and-philip-mcniven-of-scrubs-the-blanks/
- "'Scrubs' is ending, creator tells W&M audience"https://web.archive.org/web/20090510231305/http://www.dailypress.com/entertainment/dp-now-scrubs.j30,0,7059608.story
- Clone High
- Clone High
- HitFixhttp://www.hitfix.com/blogs/whats-alan-watching/posts/cougar-town-something-good-coming-the-hawaii-way
- Entertainment Weeklyhttps://ew.com/tv/scrubs-rewatch-podcast-zach-braff-donald-faison-fake-doctors-real-friends/
- iHeartRadiohttps://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-fake-doctors-real-friends-60367049/
- EW.comhttps://web.archive.org/web/20120411184110/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0%2C%2C1146075%2C00.html
- Common Sense Mediahttp://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/scrubs
- The Truth About Nursinghttp://www.truthaboutnursing.org/media/tv/scrubs/review.html
- IGNhttps://www.ign.com/articles/2005/04/28/scrubs-season-1-review
- IGNhttps://www.ign.com/articles/2005/11/11/scrubs-season-2-review
- IGNhttps://www.ign.com/articles/2006/05/09/scrubs-season-3-review
- IGNhttps://www.ign.com/articles/2006/10/12/scrubs-season-4-review
- IGNhttps://www.ign.com/articles/2007/05/19/scrubs-season-5-review
- IGNhttps://www.ign.com/articles/2007/05/31/scrubs-season-6-review
- IGNhttps://www.ign.com/articles/2008/05/19/scrubs-season-7-review
- IGNhttps://www.ign.com/articles/2009/05/15/scrubs-season-8-review
- Metacritichttps://www.metacritic.com/tv/scrubs/season-1
- Metacritichttps://www.metacritic.com/tv/scrubs/season-8
- Metacritichttps://www.metacritic.com/tv/scrubs/season-9
- IGNhttps://www.ign.com/articles/2010/03/24/scrubs-season-9-review
- USA Todayhttps://www.usatoday.com/life/columnist/criticscorner/2009-11-30-critics-corner_N.htm
- Blogcriticshttp://blogcritics.org/video/article/dvd-review-scrubs-the-complete-and/
- Emmys.comhttp://www.emmys.com/shows/scrubs
- The Futon Critichttp://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2007/07/19/the-59th-primetime-emmy-awards-and-creative-arts-emmy-awards-nominees-are--24989/20070719atas01/
- hfpa.orghttp://www.hfpa.org/browse/?param=/member/30786
- peabodyawards.comhttp://www.peabodyawards.com/award-profile/scrubs
- Credited as Touchstone Television from seasons 1–6 and ABC Studios from seasons 7–9.