“What’s your favorite movie of all time?” is a question that gets asked a lot, especially when meeting new people for the first time. It’s a great ice-breaker. Who doesn’t like movies, right? But I struggle to answer that question these days. I love watching movies and I have seen numerous over the years that I adore but I can never pick just one. My mind always goes to Star Wars or Lord of the Rings but I can’t seem to choose a specific title. However, if you were to ask me what my all-time favorite TV show was, I would have an answer for you immediately, and that answer would be Scrubs.
Created by Bill Lawrence (Spin City, Ted Lasso) and airing for a total of nine seasons from 2001 – 2010, Scrubs starred Zach Braff, Donald Faison, Sarah Chalke, Judy Reyes, John C. McGinley, Ken Jenkins, and Neil Flynn. I mention the entire core cast in that last sentence because if you took away even just one of them, the show just wouldn’t be the same. It’s one of the best ensemble casts for a television comedy that I’ve ever seen. It’s also considered to be the most medically accurate show set in a hospital.
The series centers around Dr. John “JD” Dorian (Zach Braff) as we experience his journey by getting a front row seat inside his head, allowing us to hear his thoughts as he attempts to navigate life as a doctor. Narration is nothing new in movies and television. Grey’s Anatomy also utilizes this technique but Scrubs did it first and they did it extremely well. It’s not just the main character telling the story as the episode marches along; JD will often react to a situation in his head first before making an audible or visual reaction for the other characters. Or we might see him walking down the hall and he’ll just be talking to himself inside his head, describing his surroundings before a scene between him and another character begins.
But perhaps the most clever use of this style of storytelling are the daydreams JD has throughout the series. When he has one of his fantasies, JD will tilt his head slightly to one side and glance upwards. The camera will spin around and take us to a new scene; oftentimes showing us a quick glimpse into his imagination before we are quickly brought back to reality. His fantasies are part of what makes Scrubs unique in comparison with other comedies, and they are typically triggered when another character says or does something that sparks JD’s vivid imagination.
Although Scrubs is classified as a comedy, there are no shortages of dramatic moments. The writing has a way of switching from a comedic moment to a more serious or dramatic moment at the drop of a dime. If you’re not familiar with the “Where do you think we are?” moment from season three, it’s probably one of the saddest episode endings in television history. I could probably find a clip of it on YouTube and link it here but I’m afraid I’ll start sobbing just searching for it.
As mentioned previously, the entire cast is a great ensemble and the chemistry between all the characters is perfect. Dr. Christopher Turk (Donald Faison) has been JD’s best friend since the two were first paired up in college as roommates. When the series begins, they’ve already graduated from college and completed all four years of medical school together, and now they are doing their internship at the same teaching hospital. This is also where JD meets Dr. Eliot Reid (Sarah Chalke), another first year intern with whom he has an on-again, off-again relationship over the course of the series. And although their friendship is rocky at first, Eliot and Nurse Carla Espinosa (Judy Reyes) become best friends in the long run. Dr. Perry Cox (John C. McGinley), a seasoned physician at Sacred Heart Hospital, becomes a mentor to JD, if not reluctantly at first. Rounding out the cast is Dr. Bob Kelso (Ken Jenkins), the Chief of Medicine and everyone’s boss. He gives off villainous vibes throughout the series but deep down is a softie at heart. And then of course, the Janitor (Neil Flynn), arch-enemy to our beloved JD, who spends every waking moment trying to make his life more difficult than it needs to be.
The chemistry between all these characters throughout the run of the series gets better every season. You can tell that the cast really enjoys being around each other and it shows in their performances onscreen. The most obvious example is the friendship between JD and Turk. Their relationship is so believable because Zach Braff and Donald Faison became real life best friends while working on this show together.
Everything I’ve written here so far are examples of why I love this show, but they are not the sole reason why it is my favorite show of all time.
I will admit that I did not start watching this show when it first aired. I would catch some episodes here and there but once I got to college, I stopped watching television altogether, mainly because I didn’t have cable. I was also a Theatre major so finding the time to sit down and watch an episode was rather difficult, especially since streaming was not a thing yet. But during the last summer before departing on my internship to Europe, I binge watched all six seasons while I worked at the Fine Arts box office. A year later, when I returned home and finally graduated, I would watch the final three seasons on a weekly basis. And once the show officially ended, I would purchase all eight seasons on DVD and make it a point to re-watch the entire series once a year. I am aware there are nine seasons. More on that later.
When I first watched the show, I always found myself relating to JD. He and I share a lot of the same traits. I feel like I’m in my head a lot and I’m constantly caught in reveries. But as I continued to revisit the show, I find myself relating to all the characters in some way. Each one of them has a trait that I can connect with on a deeper level: I can be competitive and jealous like Turk; anxious and neurotic like Eliot; strong and caring like Carla; annoyed and angry like Dr. Cox; cold and heartless like Kelso. I’m sure it’s the same for a lot of people who love and watch this show.
What surprises me the most is just how relevant the show still is after all these years. Whatever I was going through personally in my life, Scrubs always had an episode that mirrored my own experiences. It was comforting. Especially knowing that a lot of these writers probably experienced the same thing in their own lives and likely used their craft to help cope with their emotions. That’s the type of writer I’d like to become someday.
Back in 2020, right before the pandemic ruined everyone’s lives, Zach Braff and Donald Faison started a Scrubs re-watch podcast titled Fake Doctors, Real Friends. I am not a podcast person. I don’t have anything against them. I just wasn’t interested in anything nor did I feel like I had the time to sit and listen to something. Most people can listen to podcasts while they work but not me. Sometimes it’s difficult for me to focus on work and a podcast at the same time. I listen to music when I work as I feel it’s less distracting but also gives me something to have on in the background. But I had to give this podcast a shot since it was based on my favorite show of all time. Besides, I hadn’t watched the show in years at that point and thought it would be a great way to get back into it.
Their podcast is actually pretty great. You can tell that these two people have been in each other’s lives for the past twenty years and they genuinely care about each other. As much as I enjoy listening to them talk about each episode, it’s sometimes more enjoyable to hear their banter or talk about what’s going in their lives. It’s also great when they have guest stars such as the other cast members or even a few of the guest stars who appeared on the show.
Recently, they finished the final episode of season nine, taking just over four years to cover the entire series on the podcast. That is the one season I did not re-watch nor do I ever. Don’t get me wrong, I love all the actors that appeared in that season and I completely understand this was ABC’s way of introducing a new set of characters in an attempt to keep the show going for more seasons but it just didn’t work for me. It’s funny because Zach and Donald talk about Michael Mosely’s character, Drew, as being the only character that they liked in season nine. I was the complete opposite. I hated Drew. In the beginning, I felt like he was just a jerk for the sake of being a jerk. At least Dr. Cox had his reasons for being the way he was and still somehow endearing. For me, Drew was just unlikable. It was another attempt of trying to capture that same magic of the original series for a new audience with new characters. And it didn’t work at all. Season eight ended the show in such a beautiful way that going straight into season nine feels like I’m cheating on these beloved characters with a group of people with whom I share no connection.
Regardless, this is a show that I will continue to watch throughout the rest of my life. These characters and stories are something that mean a great deal to me. They may be fictional but they have helped me in countless ways. They have saved me from myself and I am forever grateful to the cast and crew that made this show possible.
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