Scrubs’ Revival Is Made Even More Exciting Thanks To This Behind-The-Scenes Detail

With Scrubs season 10 looking more and more likely, the buzz around the medical sitcom’s comeback is made even more prominent by the workload of key figures associated with the show. The various actors, writers, directors, and producers from Scrubs‘ original run have gone on to work on other projects since the sitcom was canceled in 2010, but one person in particular will be especially primed to return to Sacred Heart Hospital. While a Scrubs revival hasn’t yet been officially greenlit, showrunner Bill Lawrence has declared that the sitcom’s return is “so very close.”

All nine seasons of Scrubs are not viewed as equal, as the final run of episodes – the softly rebooted Med School era – included drastic changes and was not well received. Although Lawrence has confirmed he once more wants to combine the original Scrubs cast with new characters, the updated formula will surely not be a carbon copy of the failed ninth season. In fact, the showrunner will have learned how to improve a Scrubs revival in ways that go far beyond the lessons he experienced due to Med School crashing and burning.

The Scrubs showrunner has branched out a lot since 2010

The Scrubs showrunner used the sitcom’s success to continue an incredibly impressive career. Immediately after Scrubs ended, Bill Lawrence went on to make six seasons of Cougar Town with Friends star Courtney Cox in one of the starring roles. After a few less triumphant projects like 2016’s Rush Hour show and 13 episodes of 2019’s Whiskey Cavalier, Lawrence embarked on the densest period of his career with Ted Lasso season 1 in 2020.

Even the huge success of Ted Lasso is impressive in isolation, but Lawrence has since gone on to serve as the creator and showrunner of other Apple TV+ shows alongside some of the biggest names in Hollywood. As well as 2023 allowing Lawrence to assemble an amazing Shrinking cast, consisting of acting legends like Harrison Ford and Jason Segal, the Scrubs creator also adapted a 2016 Carl Hiaasen novel with Vince Vaughn leading the Bad Monkey cast. Among all that, Lawrence also found time to revive his 2002 animated sitcom Clone High, for a 2023 comeback season.

Lawrence’s Scrubs formula was already great the first time around, but his knowledge and experience have been enormously added to since the show ended – especially in recent years. As such, there is no better time for Bill Lawrence to bring Scrubs back. He’s on a roll both creatively and professionally, and that is great news for the sitcom’s revival. Although his ongoing ties to Apple TV+ have been an issue, Lawrence has been very vocal about the negotiations that would also allow him to work with Disney at the same time and make more episodes of Scrubs.

How Scrubs Served As The Bedrock For Bill Lawrence’s Other Comedy Shows

Scrubs’ blend of comedy and drama has been reworked and applied to Lawrence’s other projects

Although it strongly engages with almost all the classic sitcom tropes, Scrubs doesn’t shy away from devastatingly emotional moments. In fact, many of Scrubs‘ best episodes are also the saddest installments. Because of this, it wouldn’t be entirely inaccurate to describe the show as a dramedy rather than a traditional sitcom. The blend of comedy and drama is very close to being a 50/50 split, which makes it stand out among its sitcom contemporaries like Friends and Everybody Loves Raymond.

Lawrence’s post-Scrubs career has allowed him to toy with this ratio quite a bit, especially in his Apple TV+ shows. If he hadn’t been able to experiment so much with Scrubs, projects like Ted Lasso likely wouldn’t have had moments with such emotional gravitas. The same can be said for Shrinking, which follows very closely in Ted Lasso‘s footsteps. Even Bad Monkey, a dark crime comedy, has recognizable elements of Lawrence’s signature approach to showrunning.

Bill Lawrence’s Other TV Shows Also Run The Risk Of Hurting Scrubs Season 10

Lawrence’s immense workload could be a negative for the Scrubs revival

The first time around, Lawrence was able to apply himself pretty much entirely to Scrubs. Now in the throes of his golden era, the showrunner has arguably spread himself a little too thin to recapture the magic of the show’s original run. Although he has developed additional storytelling tools to bring Scrubs back in a form that could be better than ever, he may not be able to be available to ensure they’re properly applied. Hopefully, his schedule allows him to pay the Scrubs revival the attention it deserves.

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Scrubs: Med School was a bold new direction for the long-established sitcom, but I think it could have thrived under different circumstances.

The respective futures of Lawrence’s various Apple TV+ shows all look promising. Shrinking season 3 has been confirmed, and at this point, it would be very surprising if Ted Lasso season 4 didn’t happen, along with Bad Monkey season 2. There is even talk of a collaboration with Steve Carell for a new HBO show. With a Scrubs revival thrown into the mix, it becomes unclear when Lawrence will find the time to helm the show, and when he does, how committed his substantial workload will enable him to be.

Scrubs is a Sitcom and Medical Comedy/Drama created by Bill Lawrence that follows a group of medical students throughout their daily lives at the Sacred Heart Teaching Hospital. The series stars Zach Braff, Sarah Chalke, and Donald Faison, as they work their way up from Medical Interns while juggling all sorts of hospital shenanigans.

Cast

John C. McGinley , Robert Maschio , Donald Faison , Christa Miller , Neil Flynn , Judy Reyes , Aloma Wright , Zach Braff , Sarah Chalke , Sam Lloyd , Ken Jenkins

Release Date

October 1, 2001

Seasons

9

Showrunner

Bill Lawrence