“Scrubs” Pulls a Medical Miracle and Returns from the Dead
By Matthew Wexler

Just when you thought it was over, Scrubs pulls a medical miracle. The hilarious TV show, which officially ended over six months ago, has returned to ABC with a brand new season. Only this time, we have a brand new cast of new characters to join the old crew.

For those unfamiliar, Scrubs is a medical comedy that premiered back in 2001 on NBC. It follows a young doctor named John Dorian, nicknamed J.D. (played by Zack Braff), as he and his fellow doctors handle the various problems and situations that pop up when working in a hospital. The show is famous for not only for its quirky narrative style, zippy one-liners and surreal day dreaming scenes, but for its surprisingly moving drama and well developed character relationships.

The new season begins about a year after the end of the last one. J.D has returned to the hospital to help teach new med students, along with fellow doctors Christopher Turk and Perry Cox. Other former characters make sporadic guest appearances as well (though most of these are only in the first episode). In addition to the old cast, several new characters have been introduced to the show’s roster, freshmen med students just starting out their medical careers. These include Lucy, a neurotic girl with tendency for day dreaming and narration similar to J.D., Drew, a drop-out med student trying his hand at the profession again, and Cole, an arrogant young jerk who gets away with murder due to his parents being major hospital donors. Along with Denise, the intern from the previous season, this group constitutes the new blood, each one interesting and hilarious in their own way.

Even with the new kids, Scrubs still hasn’t changed its core nature. It’s still full of the jokes and drama that we’ve all grown to love. It feels like a kickback to the first few seasons, with the med students struggling to get by, going through all the good and bad times of being a doctor. The jokes are nothing new, but they’re nowhere near worn out, and long time fans will have many nostalgic laughs. Doctor Cox shines in particular, once more becoming the sarcastic hard ass that loves making his students’ lives a living hell.

Still, there are changes. The show feels more focused, and has ditched much of the randomness of old (though none of its silliness). It is also shifting more focus away from the old cast, and slowly pushing the new students as the main characters. Some of them even mirror the traits of the established characters (Lucy being an almost direct parallel to J.D.). It is only a matter of time before Scrubs becomes almost entirely about the new generation.

The new Scrubs may feel a little strange and different, but it’s still able to deliver the laughs and tears we’re used to. It is definitely worth a watch, and it’s still early enough in the season that both old fans and those not familiar with the show can jump right in.