Zach Braff: Scrubs Revival Will Capture Same 'Humor And Heart,' Show How JD Has Been 'Beaten Down By The System'
ABC's Scrubs revival will do more than just "play the hits."
Series creator Bill Lawrence was joined by leading man Zach Braff at the ATX TV Festival in Austin, Texas, Sunday, where they opened up about the impetus for the highly anticipated follow-up.
"It's fun to talk to [the fans] about it because part of the burden is Zach and Donald [Faison] were going, 'Eaaaaaagle!' Like, those guys are 50 now!" Lawrence exclaimed. "So, we have to figure out what that looks like." And according to Braff, those discussions are well underway.
"When Bill and I shoot the s—t about it, [we ask ourselves] how do you still have the spirit of the [original] show — the humor and the heart of the show, and the fantasies and all the fun stuff that we all loved?" he relayed. "The show was about a young doctor coming into this new world, so what is it like [to be] a doctor who is 50 and has been beaten down by the system? It's very, very hard to be a doctor today."
At this point, Lawrence interjected and acknowledged that, yes, "medicine has a changed a lot. In some dark, hard ways, but [also] in some very comedic ways...."
"And what is [JD's] life like now?" Braff asked. "Obviously, you can still have the bromance, and the love, and the friendship. But coming at it from the opposite angle, what is it like for a guy who has been through this system and dealing with all that stuff for so long?" And that's what excites them as they talk more about a potential Season 10, which is still awaiting an official green light at the network.
Of course, Lawrence and Braff also are looking forward to getting the proverbial band back together. When I moderated the Bill Lawrence & Friends panel the previous evening — an event that also featured Josh Hopkins (Cougar Town), Brett Goldstein and Phil Dunster (Ted Lasso), and Charly Clive (star of Lawrence's forthcoming Steve Carell comedy for HBO) — Lawrence and Braff reiterated just how inseparable the Scrubs cast has remained since its original nine-season run wrapped 15 years ago.
"We're all still friends," Braff said. "People think this is a lie we tell you, but we all really hang out. Bill and I go over to Johnny C. [McGinley's] house in Malibu and sit in his sauna, Donald and I are legitimately best friends... As we speak, he's staying in my apartment in New York City...."
"Neil Flynn is on Shrinking," Lawrence interjected, "and Sarah [Chalke] is out with my wife [Christa Miller right now]."
"We're all very close," Braff continued. "And so when this came up — that ABC and Disney wanted to do it — it just felt like the right time .The idea of going and laughing all day long with this group of people again, that I love so much, sounded like a really good time."