Scrubs Finale Reveals The Janitor's Connection To [Spoiler], Introduces Rachel Bilson As J.D.'s Love Interest — What's In Store For Season 2?

A chaotic day at Sacred Heart set the stage for a potential second season of the "Scrubs" revival.

The April 15 finale brought back nearly the entire legacy cast: mainstays Zach Braff (J.D.), Sarah Chalke (Elliot), and Donald Faison (Turk) were joined by returning favorites John C. McGinley (Dr. Cox), Judy Reyes (Carla), and Robert Maschio (The Todd), while Christa Miller (Jordan) and Neil Flynn (The Janitor) made their first appearances in 17 years. (Fellow veteran Ken Jenkins, who starred as Dr. Bob Kelso during the original run, is expected to return in some capacity in a potential Season 2.)

In the episode, J.D. and Dr. Cox tried (and failed) to hide the severity of Cox's autoimmune disease — which, as we learned, was not responding to treatment as hoped — from Jordan. Meanwhile, Turk and Carla tried (and hilariously failed) to play matchmaker for J.D., though he ultimately scored a date with Charlie (new recurring player Rachel Bilson), whom he met in the gift shop while she was visiting her grandmother at the hospital.

J.D. also had to contend with the return of the Janitor — who, if he's to be believed, is now the Chief Custodian of the Joint Commission. J.D. also learned that Maintenance Guy is the Janitor's son, then immediately suggested he was a nepotism hire, putting him at odds with the next generation.

Elliot, meanwhile, rallied newbies Tosh, Asher, Blake, Amara, and Dashana to throw a last-minute wedding for a bride whose father was in their care. At the reception, held at Lloyd's Tavern, Blake lost out on a bridesmaid to Dashana, Blake and Amara grew closer, and Tosh kissed Asher, revealing she'd liked him since their first day as interns.

Below, showrunner Aseem Batra breaks down the finale's biggest moments, from J.D.'s budding romance with Charlie and the Janitor's latest power play to what's next for Dr. Cox, the future of the newbie class, and how the revival could evolve with more episodes.

TVLINE | The finale introduces Rachel Bilson as Charlie. Given Zach's history working with her, there's an easy chemistry there. Is the plan to have Rachel back in a heavily recurring capacity for Season 2?

Absolutely. We want to have a romantic arc for J.D. I mean, it's time. He's kind of had his angst about getting back out there. And we love Rachel and thought, you know, their chemistry is really great. And so we're excited to flesh that out for Season 2.

TVLINE | The finale reveals that Maintenance Guy is actually the Janitor's son — and he also claims to be the "Chief Custodian of the Joint Commission," which... feels questionable at best. Should we take any of that at face value, or is this your way of keeping the Janitor orbiting Sacred Heart however you can?

Totally. We want The Janitor. We don't know what's real. But we also had a fun conversation with Neil at the beginning of all of this — like, "What do you want?" And he said, "It'd be fun to have him back in a different capacity." This was a fun way for him to have power over J.D., or at least a perception of power.

We didn't get a chance to explain what the Joint Commission is, but it's the body that inspects every hospital for accreditation, so if he were really on the commission, he'd have quite a bit of power over J.D. So we thought we thought that was a fun spin [on their dynamic], and something to play with in Season 2 — like, will he be coming back with a team of people? What's going to happen?

TVLINE | John C. McGinley mentioned that the "Scrubs" and "Rooster" schedules shouldn't be in such loggerheads next season. With that in mind, how much Dr. Cox are you planning for in Season 2?

So much of our storytelling was based on how much we could get Johnny, how much we could get Judy — and if [schedules] open up, of course, we would want our family back together. We want that energy. We miss that Dr. Cox energy. So we would love to put him back in the fold if schedules permit, and have a million ideas for that.

TVLINE | Do you see him remaining strictly a patient, or do you foresee finding ways for him practice medicine again in some capacity?
It makes sense that we would have a bit of a patient arc, but that he would, in some capacity, want to come back [to medicine], even if it's to distract himself from what's going on with his health. So yeah, we want to see him do that again as well.

TVLINE | Not that J.D. and Elliot weren't toxic at times, but it was interesting to hear J.D. say he wants what Cox and Jordan have, despite how cynical their relationship can be. Was there ever any discussion about not keeping Cox and Jordan together in the revival?

No. Those two, we always saw — same with Turk and Carla — we always saw them as having this dysfunctional thing that works for them. They just work together. So we never had that discussion.

The J.D./Elliot thing just felt like a no-brainer. And I know some people are going to want to kill me for it, but it just felt like it gave us a lot of story. That's really important when you're doing a show — to not keep things too stagnant, so it was really a decision based on that. And Turk and Carla always felt like they were goals. So we can't do anything to them.

TVLINE | Judy had a great showcase in Episode 7, though it was more of a J.D.-and-Carla story than a Turk-and-Carla one. How much fun was it writing for Donald and Judy as scene partners again in the finale?
Oh, it was great. I mean, they've always had amazing chemistry. And I really loved doing the monologue that Turk has to her [in Episode 7] about how "I get to be there for you now." Because that is something that we've always seen — him as the immature one, and her as the one who's got it together. So that was really fun to have him be, like, "It's my turn." It's a gift to write for those two as partners.

TVLINE | This has never really been a show about the kids, but as you look ahead to Season 2, do you anticipate introducing J.D. and Elliot's or Turk and Carla's children? And might Cox and Jordan's grown children come into play as Cox's health story continues?

Yeah. Look, hopefully with more episodes, there's room to show that. I think fans would be a little curious about the home life. That doesn't mean we're going to do full stories. We had a story broken for Turk and his daughter [in Season 1], but things shift as you're doing these episodes. I would still love to tell that story. We probably won't spend tons of time [with the kids], but seeing the context of [those relationships] helps us because the lives [of these characters] have changed over many years. So I don't mind dipping in and seeing the kids. I think we'll have more time to do that.

TVLINE | Fans really took to a lot of the recurring players this season — especially Joel Kim Booster as Dr. Kevin Park and Vanessa Bayer as wellness specialist Sibby Wilson. Given how in-demand they both are, has there been any discussion about making them regulars next season to ensure you don't lose them to other projects?

Of course. You know, all of these things are just logistical. Vanessa has another show. I'm sure Joel has stuff. And it's really just how do you navigate people's availability? But we love them, and we'd love to see more of them.

TVLINE | And is the plan to bring back the entire newbie class — Tosh, Asher, Blake, Amara, and Dashana? Or, given that it's a teaching hospital, might we see some turnover and new faces in Season 2?

I mean, we love our cast, but I think we do need to move things along. And in "Scrubs," as you've seen in previous seasons, things change. So it's all in talks [right now] of, like, "How do we want to lay out Season 2?" I think we are discovering it as we have these discussions. So nothing is set in stone, but we do love our cast. Just putting it out there — not to scare anyone, everyone's great! But they will be residents either at the beginning of the season or we'll do that at midseason, where they will go from interns to residents. So that brings an opportunity for new newbies.

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