Scrubs 2.0: Zach Braff Inks Deal To Return For ABC Revival — Who Else Is Expected Back?
The in-the-works Scrubs revival has locked in its leading man.
TVLine can confirm that Zach Braff has closed his deal to reprise Dr. John Dorian (aka JD) in the ABC sequel series, which is still awaiting an official green light at the network.
Attention now turns to closing deals with fellow legacy cast members Donald Faison (Turk) and Sarah Chalke (Elliot), who, along with Braff, are expected to return as series regulars. Additionally, TVLine hears that talks are underway with a number of OG Scrubs supporting players — Judy Reyes (Carla) and John C. McGinley (Dr. Cox), among them — to recur.
Reps for ABC and the Disney-owned 20th Television declined to comment.
Buzz that 20th Television was looking to resurrect Scrubs intensified last fall when series mastermind Bill Lawrence revealed to our sister site Deadline that the new iteration was "getting really close to being figured out," adding, "Big chunks of the creative team behind the camera, and most of it from in front of the camera, are all super invested and excited, so very close."
The primary obstacle to Scrubs returning had been Lawrence's current exclusive overall deal with Warner Bros. TV, home to the EP's Bad Monkey, Shrinking and Ted Lasso. Come December, sources confirmed that 20th — which is under the same Disney corporate umbrella as ABC — had worked out an agreement with Warner Bros. that would allow Lawrence to shepherd the new series (although he will not serve as showrunner should the project move forward).
Later that month, Lawrence told TVLine that a potential Scrubs redux would stay true to the developments of Season 9, which shifted gears (and locations) and focused on a quartet of med school newbies, including Season 8 holdover Eliza Coupe.
"Kerry Bishé, [Michael] Mosley, Dave Franco... they're all still working for a reason. They're all very good," he said at the time. "I'm not against seeing those people [again], and I think it would be fun to have one of them zip by." However, "what I think we will really be focusing on is a place where some of our core regulars still work as physicians. And who are the new interns or residents at that hospital?"
Are you hopeful that the Scrubs revival will move forward at ABC — especially now that they've locked in Braff? Drop your thoughts in a comment below.