One Of Scrubs' Longest Running Jokes Began With Brendan Fraser And An Ad-Libbed Line

Brendan Fraser's tenure on "Scrubs" led to one of the most soul-crushing TV episodes of all time, but we don't need to talk about that right now. Instead, let's remember the good times, as Ben's appearance in Season 1, Episode 23 marked the beginning of J.D.'s long-running "eagle" gag. What's more, we have Zach Braff's imagination to thank for coming up with the bit.

"When Brendan picked me up and started spinning me, I thought, J.D.'s so nerdy he'd be like 'no, no' at first — but then he'd be thinking it's like soaring, like a 'great eagle' ... And that's what came into my brain," he told News.com.au.

The ad-libbed gag has even bled into the real world. Braff noted that fans of the beloved sitcom sometimes shout "eagle" at him, but he never anticipated the line taking off when Fraser was carrying him around. He also didn't expect "Scrubs" creator Bill Lawrence to keep the joke in the episode.

Zach Braff has praised the nurturing environment of the "Scrubs" set, and Bill Lawrence is the type of creator who accepts input from his stars. So why did Braff expect the show's creator to leave the bird-themed gag on the cutting room floor?

"I never thought Bill would ever put that on the show," Braff told Entertainment Weekly. "I thought J.D. was so dorky that he would initially not want to get picked up, but then it would get fun for him because he would like to pretend that he was soaring like an eagle."

After Ben dies in heartbreaking fashion on "Scrubs", J.D.'s best friend, Turk (Donald Faison), takes on the mantle of carrying him through the halls of Sacred Heart. Now that the "Scrubs" revival series has been renewed for a second season, fans may continue seeing these beloved characters keep up their silly "eagle" antics for the foreseeable future.