Zach Braff Says theScrubsCast Was 'Exhausted' and 'Starting to Repeat Jokes' by the Final Season: 'Just Kind of Fried'

Mar. 15, 2025

Zach Braff as Dr. John ‘J.D.’ Dorian, Donald Faison as Dr. Christopher Turk in season 1 of ‘Scrubs’.Photo:NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty

NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty

udy Reyes as Nurse Carla Espinosa, Zach Braff as Dr. John ‘J.D.’ Dorian, Sarah Chalke as Dr. Elliot Reid (back, l-r) John C. McGinley as Dr. Perry Cox, Donald Faison as Dr. Christopher Turk, Ken Jenkins as Dr. Bob Kelso on season 1 of ‘Scrubs’.Chris Haston/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty

Chris Haston/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty

“We were starting to repeat jokes. Everyone’s pretty fried,” he recalled of the role, which earned him threeGolden Globenominations and anEmmynod. “We would do insane hours that people don’t even do anymore. We didn’t really have much of a life outside of it. So we were just kind of fried.”

While the sitcom’s conclusion in 2010 definitely felt like the right thing, Braff said that he’s definitely open to revisiting Sacred Heart Hospital in the future.

“But now looking back, and there’s talk of reboots, and that’s a conversation, I think, ‘Oh my gosh. Being able to laugh –bellylaugh – with these people again, would be a lot of fun,'” he told Rosenbaum.

As he admitted the show “changed my whole life,” Braff shared the parameters he has around a potential reboot ofScrubs.

“When we signed up to do our show, they can put you under a pretty insane contract of, like, seven years and stuff, which was… which I wouldn’t do [again],” he said. “But some sort of a limited thing? You’re basically saying, ‘Do you wanna go get the gang back together and f—ing laugh your ass off with some of your best friends and be paid well?’ Yeah, that sounds amazing.”

Zach Braff as J.D. in ‘Scrubs’.Danny Feld/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty

Danny Feld/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty

“We are going to do it — because we are lucky enough that people care,” he said. “If you ever have an excuse to work with people that you would want to spend time with anyways — run to it. It’s the greatest thing about this gift.”

Faison, 50, who played Dr. Chris Turk, said that they “all would love to work together again,” but, like Braff, noted that there are some parameters around it.

“It’s just that — it can’t be a full season of a show,” he said during the panel. “It would have to be a movie or something where you could only get a couple of months to it — because everyone else is doing something. [Lawrence] is never going to be free again.”

Braff added of Lawrence at the panel, “We can’t possibly do anything else without the Wonder Kid here. And he is a little bit busy [withTed Lasso]. If he finds time, I would definitely be down to do it.”

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Scrubscan be streamed in full on Hulu.

source: people.com