‘Scrubs’ Boss Explains Reboot’s Big Relationship Twist
Ushering “Scrubs” into the modern day meant leaving one element of the original series behind for the reboot’s showrunner, Aseem Batra.
The newly minted showrunner, who worked up the ranks from a story editor to an executive producer on the medical comedy, was nervous to take the reins from Bill Lawrence, she told TheWrap.
In order to push the story forward, that meant breaking up the show’s long-standing will-they-won’t-they couple. Seasons 8 and 9 of “Scrubs” saw J.D. and Elliot finally tie the knot, but within the first five minutes of the revived series the couple are already off again.
“When we went to Bill with that idea, he was like, ‘Absolutely not. It’s J.D. and Elliot,’” she told TheWrap. “But after a very quick conversation, we all kind of realized we need places to go.”
For the “Scrubs” reunion team, there was always writing on the wall that J.D. (Zach Braff) and Elliot (Sarah Chalke) may not be meant to be.
“They did crazy things to each other, and so it made sense that they may not have worked out as a couple,” Batra added. “But they always have such a love and a friendship that we want to show that building back and that gives us so much to do that it was just as from a writing standpoint.”
The series creator said that the choice felt right as the characters returned to the world nearly twenty years wiser.
“I’m lucky enough that I’ve been with the same partner for now 26 years,” Lawrence told TheWrap. “But since ‘Scrubs’ started, there are a lot of people that have changed their lives up and are now co-parenting … It was a cool story to write about. It’s so common and real.”
There were a couple elements of the original series that Batra knew she could not leave behind, though – the most important being the leading trio: J.D., Elliot and Turk. Season 9 of the series, also referred to as “Scrubs: Med School,” received backlash from the fanbase for not giving them the payoff that the original cast did.
As she approached the show for the modern day, Batra knew that newer characters would have to be eased in slowly but surely, testing the waters of the fanbase and warming them up.
“We understood we couldn’t just make this about our legacy cast, and yet we would deeply disappoint people if we didn’t give them their due,” she said. “What we hope to do is very slowly introduce them to the point where you start to feel a connection.”
The rebooted season sees five interns join the team at Sacred Heart: three medical – Ava Bunn, Jacob Dudman and David Gridley – and two surgical – Layla Mohammadi and Amanda Morrow. These characters are also joined by the “Feelings Police” played by Vanessa Bayer and J.D.’s medical rival played by Joel Kim Booster.
Bayer’s character was a key piece in bringing humor to the modern version of the show. The “SNL” alum serves as a check on the older, more jaded doctors at the hospital and protector of the interns’ mental health.
“We did so many interviews with interns and residents and would ask them, ‘How would Dr. Cox be received?’ They would laugh in our faces, because they were like, ‘There wouldn’t be a Dr. Cox. He’d be so gone,’” Batra explained. “We knew we had to address that.”
“We were hearing that attendings are having a really hard time telling residents, ‘You screwed up,’” she added. “There is a protection around them now that did not exist and when we were doing ‘Scrubs.’”
For Braff, who directed, starred and executive produced the reboot, he was proud that the show continues to give an accurate picture of the medical world, while also bringing comedy to the forefront.
“The American Medical Association said, even though ‘Scrubs’ was a comedy, it was the most accurate of all the medical shows ever made, and we want to keep that going,” Braff told TheWrap. “We have that goal to pick up, that up again.”
The first two episodes of “Scrubs” aired on ABC Wednesday. Episodes will be available stream on Hulu the following day.
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