“Scrubs” are back.
The hospital comedy series, which first aired on NBC 25 years ago in 2001, is returning to ABC and Hulu for a revival season that sees original stars Zach Braff, Donald Faison, Sara Chalke and Judy Reyes return to Sacred Heart Hospital.
I spoke with the cast at the revival’s red carpet premiere Monday night at the Academy Museum in Los Angeles. Braff, who plays John Michael “JD” Doria, was working as a waiter years ago when he found out he had booked his first “Scrubs.”
“I wore a beige tunic and served French-Vietnamese food, and people often scolded me for not serving bread. So I was lucky enough to audition six times and get on this show, which changed my life,” Braff said.
He admitted that he never imagined there would be a revival “1,000 years” later. “I never expected that after all these years it would still be in demand and have such a worldwide audience. It’s crazy that the show continues to go on,” Braff said. “In some countries, it’s even bigger than it used to be.”
Faison, who plays Christopher Turk, remembers auditioning three times for “the hottest pilot of the season.” “I remember being at a restaurant and my agent called me and said they got it,” he said. “I remember the wait between when I heard it was going to start and the wait before it started. It was a long wait and I didn’t have a lot of money at the time, so I thought, ‘This is what I need to start shooting.'” But once it started rolling, it was such a great ride and I can’t believe I’m back here. ”
Chalke and her best friend were returning home from a concert when her audition script was delivered to their door. “I remember opening the envelope and thinking, ‘Wow, this is the best thing I’ve ever read, and the audition was nine hours long,'” said Chalke, who plays Elliot Reed. “I remember reading that script and thinking it was so groundbreaking and different. I love the combination that[series creator]Bill Lawrence does in all of his shows. There’s heart and comedy and pathos and hope, and I just remember it being so unique and different from anything I’d ever read. And I knew I wanted to be a part of that.”
“And then you go through a series of auditions, like the first one, and then a callback with Bill, and then the studio, and then the network,” Chalke continued. “I remember Bill calling me and saying, ‘I got the job,’ and I thought, ‘Oh my God, I’m so lucky. This is incredible.'” It was life-changing. ”
Reyes, who plays head nurse Carla Espinosa, said the first day of filming the revival was a “surreal” experience. “They rebuilt the whole hospital in the Vancouver phase, so it was a little hard to get our bearings because it was so weird, but other than that we knew each other so it was like coming back. The staff were more used to each other than we were.”
A second season of the revival hasn’t been greenlit yet, but I asked the cast about possible dream guest stars.
“I would like Kate McKinnon to be my patient in the episode,” Chalk said.
What kind of disease should the former “Saturday Night Live” player suffer from? “I’m actually not a real doctor, so I don’t know,” Chalke said. “But there has to be something regular for her to be around for a while.”
Faison would like to have two of his acting idols appear in the film: “Harrison Ford, because he’s one of the reasons I’m an actor. That’s him and Denzel[Washington].”
Reyes has few ideas. “It could be Boris Kodjoe. It could be Idris Elba. It could be Bad Bunny,” she said.
I asked Reyes to brainstorm a storyline for Superstar, a Grammy Award-winning Super Bowl halftime performer. “This rapper comes to the hospital. Carla is a huge fan, but every time she goes to see him, she feels like she’s going to throw up and she can’t treat him.”
Braff said of former guest star Scott Foley’s return: “He used to play Sarah’s love interest. Scott Foley is one of the funniest straight guys ever. A lot of people know him because he’s always played some heartthrob role, but I’d love for Scott Foley to come back and be my nemesis again.”
