‘Scrubs’ revival twist: JD’s return to Sacred Heart is finally explained as Dr. Cox Announces his retirement
In the Scrubs revival at ABC, Dr. Cox (John C. McGinley) is scrubbing out and J.D. (Zach Braff) is scrubbing in.
**Spoiler alert for the series premiere of the Scrubs revival**
Months after announcing that the beloved comedy series from Bill Lawrence would be returning to the airwaves and focusing on J.D.’s return to Sacred Heart Hospital, it’s now clear that the reason for his return is to take over as the Chief of Medicine at the hospital as McGinley’s curmudgeonly character shares that he is stepping away.
Early on in the episode, it’s a patient being admitted to J.D.’s old stomping grounds that brings him to the hospital where his best friend, Turk (Donald Faison), and his ex-wife, Elliot (Sarah Chalke), still work. While visiting his patient, he and Dr. Cox bond over how much times have changed and how J.D.’s gentle and guiding hand is needed by the next class of doctors, now more than ever.
After some initial hesitation, an immediate beef with another physician played by the hilarious Joel Kim Booster, and observing the seemingly directionless intern class, J.D. accepts Dr. Cox’s offer to return to his old hospital. As all Scrubs fans know well, J.D. has always had a soft spot for the grouchy Dr. Cox, which is why he says that he’s ready to work once again at Sacred Heart. Cue the record scratch.
In a shocking twist, Dr. Cox reveals that he is not asking J.D. to come back as any regular doctor, but to take over as Sacred Heart’s Chief of Medicine, the role he currently holds.
“Perry, working alongside you will be one of the great honors of my life,” J.D. tells Dr. Cox, who simply responds, “I should have been clearer. You’re not going to be working with me, you’re going to be me… this particular world has passed me by. You’re the only one I trust to do better and try harder.”
It’s an emotional moment that may have caught some fans by surprise, but just feels right. Additionally, considering that McGinley joined the cast of the revival as a series guest star and not the series regular he was the first time around, it’s not entirely out of left field.
That said, we still are sad to see him go, even if it means paving the way for more hilarity to ensue as J.D. is now in charge of the place where he once was at the bottom of the totem pole. And hey, we know that Dr. Cox and Jordan — his wife, who is played by Lawrence’s real-life spouse, Christa Miller — are both set to return, so it’s not the last we’ve seen of him!
The first two episodes of Scrubs stream Thursday, February 26 on Hulu. New episodes air on ABC Wednesdays at 8 p.m. and stream the next day on Hulu.
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If you want to stream even more and save a few bucks a month while you’re at it, we recommend subscribing to one of the Disney+ Bundles, all of which include Hulu. These bundles start at $12.99/month for ad-supported Disney+ and Hulu and goes up to $32.99/month for Disney+, Hulu, and Max, all ad-free.
