“Scrubs” is returning to television more than 15 years after its original run ended. The 2026 revival of the beloved sitcom premieres Wednesday, February 25, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC with two back-to-back episodes. New episodes will air weekly and stream the following day on Hulu.
The series once again takes place at Sacred Heart Hospital and features much of the original cast reprising their roles.
The Original Cast Returns for ‘Scrubs’ Revival
Zach Braff returns as Dr. John “J.D.” Dorian, alongside Donald Faison as Dr. Christopher Turk and Sarah Chalke as Dr. Elliot Reid.
Judy Reyes reprises her role as Carla, and John C. McGinley returns as Dr. Perry Cox in a recurring capacity. Christa Miller and Neil Flynn will also make guest appearances. Ken Jenkins, who played Dr. Bob Kelso, does not appear in the new season.
Series creator Bill Lawrence has returned for the revival. Ahead of the premiere, Lawrence told the Associated Press it felt like the right time to revisit the characters.
“They’re still 12 years old every time they’re together, but they’re also still both leading very big, responsible adult lives,” Lawrence said. “It just felt like it was time to revisit the old gang.”
The first episode opens with J.D. jumping onto Turk for a piggyback ride down a Sacred Heart hallway, echoing the original series’ tone.
However, the characters have aged. Turk now deals with sciatica, and J.D. wears reading glasses.
Our Favorite ‘Scrubs’ Are Back, But Now They Are in Charge
The revival continues the story of the original characters 16 years later. J.D. and Elliot are married with two children. Turk and Carla are also married and now have four children. The friendship between J.D. and Turk remains central to the show.
This time, the former interns serve as mentors to a new group of rookie doctors.
“We were new and we were scared as interns and scared in this new element of medicine and insecure and unsure of what we were doing,” Chalke said. “So to get to come back, we really have grown and really become great leaders and great teachers.”
Braff said the revival returns to the grounded tone of the early seasons.
“Bill Lawrence would be the first to say that what he really wanted to do was sort of ground it again and start back with the based-in-reality thing that we had in the first couple years of the show,” Braff said. “We still have a mix of drama and comedy, but reset to based completely in reality.”
The revival consists of nine episodes, with the possibility of renewal. The original series aired from 2001 to 2010.
