Scrubs Season 9 Wasted A Perfect Moment That Would Have Been So Much Better In The Revival

Although Scrubs season 9 is largely regarded as majorly disappointing, the sitcom’s final run did include a few great moments – but one of the scenes in question could have been elevated even further if it hadn’t happened in 2010 and could be shown for the first time when the sitcom returns. The Scrubs revival may not have been officially confirmed yet, but showrunner Bill Lawrence’s announcement of being “so very close” to making new episodes is certainly cause for optimism. So, although the Med School episodes ended all nine seasons of Scrubs badly, the medical sitcom could finally be redeemed.

Scrubs season 9 shook up the show’s established formula with a new setting and a fresh batch of characters who became the main focus. Many members of the original cast were still involved, but their roles were reduced to make way for the incoming actors. After Scrubs season 8’s perfect finale, making the softly-rebooted season 9 was a huge risk that didn’t really pay off, and it undercut the penultimate run’s final scenes. That being said, the Med School premiere began with a moment that would have been a brilliant way to begin Scrubs season 10.

Turk & JD’s Reunion In The Scrubs Season 9 Premiere Is Brilliant (But It Happened Too Soon)

Med School arugably shouldn’t have included the moment

Scrubs season 9, episode 1, “Our First Day of School,” includes a reunion between Zach Braff’s John “JD” Dorian and Donald Faison’s Chris Turk. The close friendship between the two characters was one of the sitcom’s emotional and comedic cores, so seeing them run toward each other in slow-motion with their arms open wide is very on-brand for them. While it works well as a scene, it’s a huge shame that it happened in Scrubs season 9.

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Although it would have been impossible to reserve the moment for a potential revival around 15 years later, seeing Turk and JD do this for the first time in Scrubs season 10 would have been amazing. JD’s confession to Denise immediately after embracing his best friend also would have been incredibly consistent with the pair’s established dynamic and their desire for an unnecessarily theatrical reunion. After Denise questions them about when they last saw each other, JD’s response of, “This morning, we carpooled. But we haven’t worked together in over a year,” is the icing on the cake.

Season 9’s “Guy Love” Reunion Scene Is A Perfect Example Of Why The Med School Episodes Didn’t Work

The sitcom’s brief Med School era was too unfocused

JD and Turk sprinting toward each other, soundtracked by “Guy Love” from the Scrubs musical episode’s soundtrack, is definitely the kind of moment that belongs in the sitcom’s original era rather than the Med School run. Including it in Scrubs season 9 is a little confusing, as it continues to shine a spotlight on the main characters’ dynamic rather than shifting focus onto Kerry Bishé’s Lucy Bennett and the other new interns. Braff’s presence was only ever meant to be temporary to aid in the transition between, so by this logic, he should have taken a back seat much earlier.

Scrubs season 9 was originally intended to be spinoff rather than a direct continuation, but Disney was cautious about a hard rebrand of a show they’d only just acquired from NBC. As such, the separation between Scrubs seasons 8 and 9 is even more blurry than it perhaps could have been. Having such a big Turk and JD moment – great though it was – makes matters even more uncertain. Although the Med School episodes held a promising future for the Scrubs franchise, the newer format’s indecision of what it wanted to be ultimately hurt any chance of continuing.

Scrubs Season 10 Still Needs To Recreate A Similar Turk & JD Moment

The Scrubs revival can include an even better reunion between Faison & Braff

Misguided though it was to make such a fuss about Turk and JD working together again, including the scene in Scrubs season 9 is evidence of how important their friendship was to the show’s success. So, while there are several reasons why Med School should have resisted the urge to include this scene, that doesn’t mean the Scrubs revival can’t do something very similar. Given that far more time could have passed since Turk and JD were last colleagues, the scene’s potentially updated counterpart stands a great chance of carrying even more weight than the season 9 version.

Scrubs season 9’s Turk and JD reunion isn’t the first time the show has highlighted the two characters coming back together after time apart. In the Scrubs season 4 premiere, “My Old Friend’s New Friend,” the best friends struggle to find each other in the halls of Sacred Heart Hospital after Turk returns from his honeymoon with Carla – and the entire sequence is hilarious. So, there is some evidence to suggest that doing something similar for a third time in the Scrubs revival could be just as effective.

Scrubs is a Sitcom and Medical Comedy/Drama created by Bill Lawrence that follows a group of medical students throughout their daily lives at the Sacred Heart Teaching Hospital. The series stars Zach Braff, Sarah Chalke, and Donald Faison, as they work their way up from Medical Interns while juggling all sorts of hospital shenanigans.

Cast

John C. McGinley , Robert Maschio , Donald Faison , Christa Miller , Neil Flynn , Judy Reyes , Aloma Wright , Zach Braff , Sarah Chalke , Sam Lloyd , Ken Jenkins

Release Date

October 1, 2001

Seasons

9

Showrunner

Bill Lawrence