How The Scrubs Revival Pays Homage To Dr. Bob Kelso — And Why Ken Jenkins Isn't In Season 1

The "Scrubs" revival includes a quiet nod to Sacred Heart's former chief of medicine.

In Episode 1, eagle-eyed viewers might've spotted a plaque for "The Robert Kelso Wing," fittingly located where Bob's beloved Coffee Bucks once stood. But the homage is not meant to suggest that Ken Jenkins' cantankerous alter ego is no longer with us.

After stepping down as chief of medicine in Season 7 — rather than be forced out due to his age — Kelso spent much of Season 8 collecting free muffins like they were infinity stones. In the series finale, it was revealed that Bob was returning to work part time, entering family practice locum tenens, which would require the former chief and his oft-mentioned, never-seen wife Enid to travel.

(Season 9 later revealed that Enid had passed away, and that Bob returned to teach part time at Winston University... but we don't talk about Season 9.)

While the revival has reunited much of its original ensemble, Ken Jenkins is the one legacy cast member not accounted for in Season 1.

Zach Braff (J.D.), Sarah Chalke (Elliot), and Donald Faison (Turk) return as series regulars, while Judy Reyes (Carla) and John C. McGinley (Dr. Cox) recur in four and three episodes, respectively. Neil Flynn reprises The Janitor in one episode, and Christa Miller also returns in one episode as Jordan. (The late Sam Lloyd, who played Ted, is also honored this season: The new bar where the doctors gather is named Lloyd's Tavern.)

In a December interview with Esquire, conducted before the final two episodes of the nine-episode order had been written, Braff said he wasn't yet sure whether Flynn or Jenkins would appear in Season 1. "They're both interested in doing it," Braff stressed, explaining that the question was whether the show had "the bandwidth... to service a story that would be worthy of Ken and Neil."

Showrunner Aseem Batra has since told TVLine there were early conversations about bringing Jenkins back, but filming in Vancouver, rather than Los Angeles, introduced logistical complications. Even so, she noted that the creative team's "wish list is to get all our legacy people back — at least for a couple of episodes."

Prior to the revival's official greenlight, series creator Bill Lawrence told TVLine, "I hope Ken [who was then 84] is able to come play with us a little bit. He's a little older, but we love him so much."

For now, Kelso's name on a Sacred Heart wing serves as an affectionate acknowledgment. It should not be mistaken for a farewell.