Is Zach Braff’s Scrubs Character Based On A Real Person? The Real JD Explained

Zach Braff led Scrubs‘ ensemble cast throughout most of the sitcom’s run, but his character of John “JD” Dorian wasn’t a completely original creation. Although JD’s exploits were largely fictionalized, Braff was actually tasked with playing someone in all nine seasons of Scrubs who was based on a real person outside the world of the show. However, the figure in question was also heavily involved with the medical sitcom’s production.

Although the Scrubs revival has yet to be officially confirmed, comments from the original cast and crew make the show’s comeback seem like an imminent inevitability. So, there remains a strong possibility that Braff will be afforded the opportunity to reprise his most famous role for the first time since Scrubs was canceled in 2010 after a failed ninth season. The man on whom JD was based served as the rough template for only Braff’s character, but the show’s vital behind-the-scenes figure went on to guide the story of every doctor in Scrubs.

Zach Braff’s Scrubs Character Is Loosely Based On Dr. Jonathon “Jon “Doris

The Real JD is still a practicing cardiologist

Dr. Jon Doris is a college friend of Scrubs showrunner Bill Lawrence, with the real-life doctor serving as a jumping-off point for Braff’s character during the writing process. Lawrence folded some of Doris’ genuine experiences into JD’s life, allowing them to flesh out the authenticity of Scrub s‘ leading man and his career at the fictitious Sacred Heart Hospital. Of course, Braff also had a hand in creating the character who shared such a similar name to his real-life counterpart, and his zany performances as JD became just as important.

Related

10 Episodes Of Scrubs To Get Someone Hooked On The TV Show

These ten episodes capture how Scrubs’ irreverent sense of humor and emotional storytelling elevated the Zach Braff-led medical dramedy.

Doris is still a practicing physician to this day. According to Kaiser Permanente, he works at Los Angeles Medical Center and specializes in cardiology. Interestingly, Dr. Jon Doris’ place of employment is not too far from the hospital that was used as Scrubs‘ main set in the first eight seasons – the North Hollywood Medical Center. The latter building was demolished in 2011 but was an active hospital until 1998 before eventually being taken over as a TV set.

Dr. Doris Was A Medical Advisor On Scrubs

Bill Lawrence made full use of his friend’s expertise

Doris was actively involved in how Scrubs was made, and he remained part of the crew even during the show’s divisive Med School era – despite Braff himself being gradually phased out. He is credited as a medical advisor on almost every Scrubs episode, and he has spoken about his contributions to the show on the official rewatch podcast – Fake Doctors, Real Friends with Zach Braff and Donald Faison. As well as revealing that Doris’ nickname on set was “Real JD” to avoid confusing him with Braff’s character, he described how his role changed as the show went on.

Although he now specializes in cardiology, Dr. Doris was still in the earlier stages of his career when Scrubs first began. As such, he dealt with a vast array of conditions and illnesses. However, as the show went on, so did Doris’ career. As he started to specialize in cardiology, more of the patients in Scrubs started to be diagnosed with and treated for heart issues, as these were what Doris was mainly working with at the time. The non-heart-related conditions don’t vanish, but the ratio certainly shifts.

The Real JD’s Involvement Proves Scrubs Was More Than Just A Sitcom

Scrubs’ medical accuracy is perhaps unexpected from a sitcom

As a show that was primarily a comedy, Scrubs could easily have phoned in the show’s medical accuracy and focused instead of making the audience laugh. Thankfully, Bill Lawrence clearly wasn’t content with that approach. Instead, he heavily consulted Dr. Doris so they could make an authentic medical show that also just happened to be a sitcom with random cutaways to JD’s musings. Making a purely comedic medical show would have resulted in a very different project if not for Dr. Doris’ expert input. He allowed the characters to face real peril thanks to conditions rooted in reality.

Even though most of the Scrubs viewership will lack any kind of medical expertise, there is an expectation for shows set in hospitals to be filled with impressive-sounding medical jargon – some of which can become common knowledge and therefore easier to parse. Scrubs clearly paid attention to this and used Dr. Doris to enable the show to meet its full potential. Not only did the medical accuracy help highlight some of the more emotional moments, but it also juxtaposed brilliantly with some of the tripper jokes in Scrubs.

Source: Kaiser Permanente, IMDb

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