They’re still wearing their hearts on their sleeves at Sacred Heart Hospital, which is about as reliable a prescription for a good time as you could hope. After more than 15 years, the hospital comedy Scrubsreturns with its endearing formula of irreverent shenanigans and unabashed pathos undimmed by time. The Pitt may rule, rightfully so, as the medical show of the moment, but there’s something encouraging about seeing old friends don the uniform to engage in familiar horseplay without losing a step. (It probably doesn’t hurt that series stars Zach Braff and Donald Faison kept their onscreen bromance alive and well in a series of T-Mobile commercials over the years.)
Some things have changed — the hospital’s janitor is actually friendly (though I do miss Neil Flynn) — but for the most part, Scrubs is still Scrubs, which means we experience the world of Sacred Heart through the fertile and manic mindset of Dr. J.D. Dorian (Braff), who as the revival begins is doing “house calls for the upper crust” as a concierge doc. He’s still prone to incessant voice-over narration spiced with rapid-fire fantasy sequences — a James Bond spoof in the second episode is particularly choice — and as he finds his way back to those generic hospital hallways, J.D. and Turk (Faison) are as giddy as ever in their boisterous bro-love.
Much of the gang is still there, including the neurotic Elliot (Sarah Chalke), the formidable head nurse Carla (Judy Reyes), curmudgeonly Dr. Cox (John C. McGinley), and even the cheerfully obnoxious “The Todd” (Robert Maschio) with the sort of innuendos that send “Wellness Director” and workplace sensitivity monitor Sibby Wilson (Saturday Night Live alum Vanessa Bayer) into a tizzy. Sibby’s a strong addition, with Bayer’s eccentric and droll mannerisms suggesting strange depths beneath her prim exterior. Forever lurking to caution the docs to “bring it down,” she naturally prompts an elaborate “feelings police” daydream. J.D. even gets a new nemesis in the bitchy and resentful Dr. Park (Joel Kim Booster), who’ll take every opportunity to darken the good doctor’s innate idealism.
Much like with the longer-running and similarly undying Grey’s Anatomy, where characters we once knew as interns are now in charge, Scrubs‘ new batch of interns will probably require a fairly large runway to establish themselves as memorable characters. For now, they’re types: the handsome cocky one (David Gridley), the naive and squeamish one (Jacob Dudman, a British import), the eager and insecure one (Layla Mohammadi), the ambitious and impatient one (Amanda Morrow), and the inevitable social influencer (Ava Bunn) who Elliot perhaps unfairly dismisses as “Dr. Selfie.”
Because young or old, they’re all still learning, with each shift providing valuable life lessons, which can verge on the cloying when sandwiched into a half-hour time frame alongside so many quips and sight gags. Bottom line: If you liked Scrubs then, you’ll almost certainly like it now. And if you’re new to the party, you’re in for a treat. Say “ah,” then “awww,” then smile.
Scrubs, Series Premiere (two episodes), Wednesday, February 25, 8/7c, ABC
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