Scrubs (TV series)

Scrubs
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Genre	Sitcom Comedy drama Medical drama
Created by	Bill Lawrence
Starring	Zach Braff Sarah Chalke Donald Faison Neil Flynn Ken Jenkins John C. McGinley Judy Reyes Eliza Coupe Kerry Bishé Michael Mosley Dave Franco
Narrated by	Zach Braff Kerry Bishé (season 9)
Theme music composer	Chad Fischer Chris Link Tim Bright
Opening theme	"Superman" by Lazlo Bane (seasons 1–8) "Superman" by WAZ (season 9)
Composer(s)	Jan Stevens
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	9
No. of episodes	182 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Bill Lawrence Neil Goldman Garrett Donovan Tim Hobert Tad Quill Bill Callahan Zach Braff Josh Bycel Jonathan Groff
Camera setup	Single-camera
Running time	20–23 minutes
Production company(s)	Doozer Productions ABC Studios
Release
Original network	NBC
Original release	October 2, 2001 (2001-10-02) – May 8, 2008 (2008-05-08)
Chronology
Related shows	Scrubs: Interns
External links
[{{#property:P856}} Website]

Scrubs (stylized as [scrubs]) is an American medical sitcom created by Bill Lawrence that aired from October 2, 2001, to March 17, 2010, on NBC and later ABC. The series follows the lives of employees at the fictional Sacred Heart Hospital, which is a teaching hospital. The title is a play on surgical scrubs and a term for a low-ranking person because at the beginning of the series, most of the main characters are medical interns.

The series was noted for its fast-paced slapstick and surreal vignettes presented mostly as the daydreams of the central character, John "J.D." Dorian, played by Zach Braff. The main cast for all but its last season consisted of Braff, Sarah Chalke, Donald Faison, Neil Flynn, Ken Jenkins, John C. McGinley, and Judy Reyes. The series featured multiple guest appearances by film actors, such as Brendan Fraser, Heather Graham, Michael J. Fox and Colin Farrell.

Although season eight's "My Finale" was conceived and filmed as a series finale, the show was eventually revived for a ninth season subtitled Med School, with the setting moved to a medical school and new cast members introduced. Of the original cast only Braff, Faison, and McGinley remained regular cast members, while others (except Reyes) made guest appearances; Kerry Bishé, Eliza Coupe, Dave Franco, and Michael Mosley became series regulars, with Bishé becoming the show's new narrator.

Scrubs, produced by ABC Studios (formerly Touchstone Television), premiered on October 2, 2001, on NBC. The series received a Peabody Award in 2006. During the seventh season, NBC announced that it would not renew the show; ABC announced it had picked up the eighth season of the series, intended to be the final season, which began airing on January 6, 2009. A ninth season, subtitled Med School, premiered on December 1, 2009, and on May 14, 2010, ABC officially canceled the series.

Overview

Scrubs focuses on the unique point of view of its main character and narrator, Dr. John Michael "J.D." Dorian (Zach Braff) for the first eight seasons, with season nine being narrated by the new main character Lucy Bennett (Kerry Bishé). Most episodes feature multiple story lines thematically linked by voice-overs done by Braff, as well as the comical daydreams of J.D. According to Bill Lawrence, "What we decided was, rather than have it be a monotone narration, if it's going to be Zach's voice, we're going to do everything through J.D.'s eyes. It opened up a visual medium that those of us as comedy writers were not used to." Actors were given the chance to improvise their lines on set with encouragement by series creator Bill Lawrence, with Neil Flynn and Zach Braff being the main improvisors.

Almost every episode title for the first eight seasons begins with the word "My". Bill Lawrence says this is because each episode is Dr. John Dorian writing in his diary (revealed in the commentary on the DVD of the first-season episode "My Hero"). A few episodes are told from another character's perspective and have episode titles such as "His Story" or "Her Story". Apart from a brief period of narration from J.D. at the beginning and the end, these episodes primarily contain internal narration from other characters besides J.D. The transfer of the narration duties usually occurs at a moment of physical contact between two characters. Starting with season nine, the episode titles start with "Our..." as the focus has shifted from the perspective of J.D. to a new group of medical students. The webisodes that accompanied season eight, Scrubs: Interns, also were named "Our...".

Cast and characters

Main article: List of Scrubs characters

File:Scrubs-Cast-Scrubs-DVD.jpg

Scrubs' original cast, seasons 1–8 (left to right): John C. McGinley, Neil Flynn, Sarah Chalke, Zach Braff, Donald Faison, Ken Jenkins, and Judy Reyes.

For the first eight seasons, the series featured seven main cast members, with numerous other characters recurring throughout the course of the series. Starting with the ninth season, many of the original cast left as regular characters, while four new additions were made to the main cast.

• Zach Braff portrays John Michael "J.D." Dorian, the show's protagonist and narrator. J.D. is a young physician, who begins the series as an intern. His voice-over to the series comes from his internal thoughts and often features surreal fantasies. J.D. describes himself as a "sensi", short for "sensitive guy", enjoying acoustic alternative music and being a lover of hugs. Over the course of the series, J.D. rises through the ranks of the hospital before leaving Sacred Heart to become the Residency Director at St. Vincent Hospital, before briefly returning to become a teacher at Winston University. J.D. has a son with ex-girlfriend Kim Briggs and a child with wife Elliot Reid.
• Sarah Chalke portrays Elliot Reid (seasons 1–8, recurring season 9), another intern and later private-practice physician. Her relationship with J.D. becomes romantic on several occasions throughout the series, resulting in them eventually marrying and having a child together. As the series progresses, despite an initial dislike of each other, she becomes friends with Carla. Elliot is driven by a neurotic desire to prove her worth to her family (in which all of the males are doctors), her peers, and herself. She is described as extremely book-smart and equally attractive, while her social abilities are somewhat lacking. Her social skills develop throughout the seasons.
• Donald Faison portrays Christopher Turk, J.D.'s best friend and surgeon, who rises from intern to chief of surgery as the series progresses. Turk and J.D. were roommates when they attended the College of William and Mary, as well as in medical school, and the two have an extremely close relationship. Turk is highly driven and competitive while always remaining loyal. During the course of the series, Turk forms a relationship with Carla; they start dating early in the series, then get married, and eventually start a family together, having two children. In season nine, he is a teacher at Winston University while continuing his duties as chief of surgery.
• Neil Flynn portrays the "Janitor" (recurring season 1, main cast seasons 2–8, guest star season 9), the hospital's custodian. An incident in the pilot episode establishes an antagonistic relationship between J.D. and him, which persists throughout the series. This tends to take the form of the Janitor pulling abusive pranks on J.D., although he has shown, several times throughout the series, that he has a good side. The Janitor's real name is not mentioned until the season eight finale when he reveals to J.D. that he is called "Glenn Matthews". Shortly after this revelation, he is addressed as and answers to "Tommy" by another member of the hospital staff, bringing his previously stated name into question. However, it was later confirmed in a Facebook video by creator Bill Lawrence that the former is indeed his true name.
• Ken Jenkins portrays Bob Kelso (seasons 1–8, recurring season 9), Sacred Heart's chief of medicine for the first seven seasons, after which he retires; in season nine, he becomes a teacher at Winston University. While chief of medicine, Kelso is seen to be selfish, intimidating, and mean-spirited, driven primarily by the hospital's bottom line rather than the well-being of patients. It is occasionally suggested that he has a softer side, and that his meanness is a means of coping with the years of hard decisions. After his retirement in season seven, his relationship with staff at the hospital improves, becoming a regular at the hospital's coffee shop where he is entitled to "free muffins for life". He is married with a son and regularly comments on the poor state of his marriage and the activities of his homosexual son. In season nine, after the death of his wife, Kelso becomes a teacher at Winston University along with J.D., Cox, and Turk.
• John C. McGinley portrays Perry Cox, an attending physician who becomes the chief of medicine at Sacred Heart in season eight. J.D. considers Cox his mentor, despite the fact that Cox routinely criticizes him, patronizes him, and calls him female names. Cox frequently suggests that this cruel treatment is intended as conditioning for the rigors of hospital life. On rare occasions, he expresses grudging admiration and even pride at J.D.'s accomplishments. Dr. Cox is dedicated to the welfare of his patients and frequently expresses concern for them, leading to frequent arguments with Bob Kelso. In season nine, he is seen working as a professor at Winston University while continuing his duties as chief of medicine.
• Judy Reyes portrays Carla Espinosa (seasons 1–8), the hospital's head nurse. Carla is opinionated, stubborn, and domineering, but continually caring, acting as a mother figure to interns, supporting them and sticking up for them when they make mistakes. During the course of the series, Turk forms a relationship with Carla; they start dating in the first episode of the series, then get married, and eventually start a family together. She is very close to J.D., affectionately calling him "Bambi", and despite initially disliking each other, also becomes close friends with Elliot.
• Eliza Coupe portrays Denise "Jo" Mahoney (recurring season 8, regular season 9), an intern at Sacred Heart Hospital in season eight. She is outspoken and brutally honest, and struggles with patient-doctor communications because of this. In season nine, she is a resident at the new Sacred Heart Hospital, as well as a student adviser and teacher's assistant at Winston University. She is romantically involved with medical student Drew Suffin.
• Kerry Bishé portrays Lucy Bennett (season 9), a medical student at Winston University. She is the protagonist of season nine, initially sharing the narrating duties of the show with J.D. before taking over completely. She, like J.D., also has surreal fantasies. She loves horses and is romantically involved with a fellow student, Cole Aaronson.
• Michael Mosley portrays Drew Suffin (season 9), a medical student at Winston University. Though few details are ever given, Drew's dark past is often alluded to, including a previous burn-out at medical school. He is in a relationship with Denise Mahoney.
• Dave Franco portrays Cole Aaronson (season 9), an arrogant medical student at Winston University whose family donated a large amount of money to get the new Sacred Heart Hospital built and as such, believes that he is untouchable. After being diagnosed with skin cancer and subsequently going into remission after successful surgery, Cole rethinks his life and decides to specialize in surgery. He is in a relationship with Lucy Bennett.

Episodes

Main article: List of Scrubs episodes

Scrubs is an American medical comedy-drama television series created by Bill Lawrence, which premiered on October 2, 2001 on NBC. NBC had originally announced that Scrubs would end after its seventh season, containing a reduced 18 episodes. However, the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike ended up cutting the show's episodes down to 11, and Scrubs ended its run on NBC with a total of 150 episodes.

The cast returned to film an additional 18 episodes, which were aired as Season 8 by ABC, with much of the story coming to a close, and definitive though somewhat flexible endings for the characters. The one-hour season finale, "My Finale", which was originally planned to also be the series finale, ranked third in the ratings and was watched by 5.1 million viewers, 2.1 adults 18-49 rating. The episode garnered mostly positive response from the viewers as well as critics.

With speculation mounting over a possible ninth season that would focus on new characters and perhaps a new setting, ABC announced on May 15, 2009 that it renewed Scrubs for a ninth season called Scrubs: Med School. The season premiered on December 1, 2009. Donald Faison and John C. McGinley are the only original cast members returning as regular characters, while Zach Braff appeared in six episodes. Sarah Chalke, Neil Flynn and Ken Jenkins returned as guest stars, while Judy Reyes did not appear at all.

In addition to the regular episodes, a special called "My Charlie Brown Christmas" was created by Daniel Russ and Ryan Levin for the Scrubs 2003 Christmas party, which is a re-cut and re-dub of A Charlie Brown Christmas, starring the cast of Scrubs.

As a general rule, all series episode titles begin with the word "My", unless the bulk of the episode is narrated by someone other than J.D., in which case they are named "His Story", "Her Story", or "Their Story", with Roman numerals denoting subsequent episodes by the same name. During Season 9, episode titles started with the word "Our" instead of "My".

A total of 182 episodes of Scrubs were broadcast over nine seasons. All nine seasons are available on DVD in Regions 1, 2 and 4.

Series overview

Season		Episodes	Originally aired		Nielsen ratings
			First aired	Last aired	Average viewers (millions)	Rank	Network
	1	24	October 2, 2001 (2001-10-02)	May 21, 2002 (2002-05-21)	11.2	40	NBC
	2	22	September 26, 2002 (2002-09-26)	April 17, 2003 (2003-04-17)	15.9	15
	3	22	October 2, 2003 (2003-10-02)	May 4, 2004 (2004-05-04)	10.4	43
	4	25	August 31, 2004 (2004-08-31)	May 10, 2005 (2005-05-10)	6.9	88
	5	24	January 3, 2006 (2006-01-03)	May 16, 2006 (2006-05-16)	6.4	98
	6	22	November 30, 2006 (2006-11-30)	May 17, 2007 (2007-05-17)	6.4	87
	7	11	October 25, 2007 (2007-10-25)	May 8, 2008 (2008-05-08)	6.4	115
	8	19	January 6, 2009 (2009-01-06)	May 6, 2009 (2009-05-06)	5.6	123	ABC
	9	13	December 1, 2009 (2009-12-01)	March 17, 2010 (2010-03-17)	3.8	116

Episodes

Season 1 (2001–02)

Main article: Scrubs (season 1)

The first season follows J.D. (Zach Braff) and his best friend Turk (Donald Faison) in their first year out of medical school as interns at Sacred Heart Hospital. J.D. quickly meets his reluctant mentor, Dr. Perry Cox (John C. McGinley); a young woman (and fellow intern) named Elliot (Sarah Chalke), on whom he has a crush; the hospital's janitor (Neil Flynn), who goes out of his way to make J.D.'s life miserable; the Chief of Medicine, Dr. Bob Kelso (Ken Jenkins), who is more concerned about the budget than the patients; and Carla Espinosa (Judy Reyes), the head nurse and Turk's new girlfriend, who puts Turk through the trials and tribulations of being in a serious relationship. The characters face romances and relationship issues, family obligations, overwhelming paperwork, and a tremendous number of patients. The first season also introduces recurring supporting characters such as "The Todd" (Robert Maschio), a boorishly lascivious surgeon; Ted (Sam Lloyd), the hospital's hapless, nervous lawyer; Laverne (Aloma Wright), fellow nurse and mentor to Carla; Jordan Sullivan (Christa Miller), Dr. Cox's caustic administrator ex-wife, and Doug Murphy (Johnny Kastl), a nervous young doctor who often accidentally kills patients.

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Production code
1	1	"My First Day"	Adam Bernstein	Bill Lawrence	October 2, 2001 (2001-10-02)	535G
In the series opener, all the major characters are introduced as J.D., Turk and Elliot start life at Sacred Heart Hospital.
2	2	"My Mentor"	Adam Bernstein	Bill Lawrence	October 4, 2001 (2001-10-04)	S101
J.D. tries to get to know Dr. Cox, but is rebuffed. Turk actively pursues Carla and succeeds through candor where swagger and machismo have failed. Elliot gets on Carla's wrong side. J.D. tries to convince his patient (John Ducey) to quit smoking.
3	3	"My Best Friend's Mistake"	Adam Bernstein	Eric Weinberg	October 9, 2001 (2001-10-09)	S102
Elliot takes issue with the terms of endearment Dr. Kelso uses for her, but naïvely follows Dr. Cox's advice and confronts Kelso about it. J.D. misses Turk's company because they are both too busy to hang out, and he worries that a patient's post-op reaction is Turk's fault. Elliot and J.D. are getting close, but an interrupted kiss might make the difference between being friends and something more.
4	4	"My Old Lady"	Marc Buckland	Matt Tarses	October 16, 2001 (2001-10-16)	S103
The three interns have to face death for the first time: J.D.'s patient is a headstrong but kindly old woman, Turk's is a young man who just needs some company, and Elliot's is a Hispanic woman who does not speak any English. The episode's writer, Matt Tarses, won the 2002 Humanitas Prize in the 30 Minute Category for this episode.
5	5	"My Two Dads"	Craig Zisk	Neil Goldman & Garrett Donovan	October 23, 2001 (2001-10-23)	S104
J.D. has to decide between Dr. Cox or Dr. Kelso as a mentor. The decision isn't made any easier when all three, along with Dr. Kelso's lapdog Dr. Steadman, play a game of golf together. Elliot believes her breasts to have healing powers. In order to make up to Carla, Turk gives her a pen that, unbeknownst to him, was previously removed from a patient's rectum. Dr. Cox's actions to help an uninsured patient earn him a suspension. Louie Anderson has a cameo appearance.
6	6	"My Bad"	Marc Buckland	Gabrielle Allan	October 30, 2001 (2001-10-30)	S105
Dr. Cox's suspension puts his future at the hospital in doubt. Elliot discovers her patient, Dr. Greenberg, is a psychiatrist, and begins to act like his patient. J.D. has a beautiful but self-absorbed board member as a patient, and he winds up having sex with her after standing up to her. Unfortunately, he finds out that she is Dr. Cox's ex-wife, Jordan (Christa Miller, in her first appearance in the series). J.D. tries to convince Jordan to help Dr. Cox. Jimmie Walker has a cameo appearance.
7	7	"My Super Ego"	Peter Lauer	Mike Schwartz	November 6, 2001 (2001-11-06)	S106
J.D. relishes being the best intern, but then has to face competition from fellow intern Nick Murdoch (Sean Hayes). Turk confronts his fear of making a mistake in surgery after thinking he has accidentally nicked a patient's colon. Features Cody Estes in his first of six appearances as Young/Child J.D., ending with "My Boss's Free Haircut".
8	8	"My Fifteen Minutes"	Lawrence Trilling	Eric Weinberg	November 15, 2001 (2001-11-15)	S108
J.D. and Turk save the life of a TV cameraman, which makes them celebrities. Dr. Kelso decides to take advantage of this by using Turk in advertisements for the hospital aimed at the African-American community, with slogans such as "Our MD's have Mad Skills" and "Time to Get an EKG, G". Cox is supposed to write J.D.'s intern evaluation but tells J.D. to do it himself. When J.D. refuses, Dr. Cox reveals that he wanted J.D. to do it so that he could discover his own shortcomings and judge himself.
9	9	"My Day Off"	Elodie Keene	Janae Bakken	November 20, 2001 (2001-11-20)	S107
J.D. develops appendicitis and sees the hospital from the patients' point of view. Elliot and Turk are his medical and surgical interns respectively.
10	10	"My Nickname"	Matthew Diamond	Bill Lawrence	November 27, 2001 (2001-11-27)	S110
J.D. and Carla's relationship changes when he starts to have more medical knowledge than she has, and takes offense at her nickname for him ("Bambi"). Elliot treats Jill (Nicole Sullivan), a patient who's just as nervous and neurotic as she is. The Janitor comes up with a new nickname for J.D.
11	11	"My Own Personal Jesus"	Jeff Melman	Debra Fordham	December 11, 2001 (2001-12-11)	S109
Turk loses his faith in a just God after spending a night on call on Christmas Eve, but regains it after finding the missing pregnant girl Elliot has been searching for. Dr. Cox assigns J.D. to videotape the childbirth of one of Dr. Cox's friends.
12	12	"My Blind Date"	Marc Buckland	Mark Stegemann	January 8, 2002 (2002-01-08)	S112
J.D. must look after a social worker, Alex Hanson (Elizabeth Bogush), who slipped in the hospital and winds up stuck in an MRI machine. They flirt, but J.D. is reluctant to ask her out without knowing what she looks like. Elliot tries to gain Dr. Cox's favor the way J.D. has. Turk is angry at Carla and she can't figure out why. Dr. Cox is trying for a zero-deaths 'perfect game' on his 24 hour ICU shift. Jimmie Walker has a cameo appearance.
13	13	"My Balancing Act"	Michael Spiller	Neil Goldman & Garrett Donovan	January 15, 2002 (2002-01-15)	S113
J.D.'s relationship with Alex is jeopardized by the amount of time he spends at the hospital. Turk and Carla experience bedroom-related problems. Carrot Top has a cameo appearance.
14	14	"My Drug Buddy"	Michael Spiller	Matt Tarses	January 22, 2002 (2002-01-22)	S111
When drugs go missing, Elliot suspects a patient who is a former drug addict, but Alex defends him. Elliot tells J.D. that she thinks Alex will hurt him and J.D. accuses her of being jealous. Alex ends up being the one who took the drugs. She and J.D. part on uncertain terms, and J.D. tries to confront Elliot about her accusation of the patient. They end up in bed. Carla gets a ride from Dr. Kelso. Dr. Cox realizes he has feelings for Carla.
15	15	"My Bed Banter & Beyond"†	Lawrence Trilling	Gabrielle Allan	February 5, 2002 (2002-02-05)	S115
The episode switches between Elliot and J.D. spending a sex-filled day in bed and the ensuing weeks, where their new relationship breaks down. The hospital staff reveals their feelings to a psychologist.
16	16	"My Heavy Meddle"	Will Mackenzie	Mike Schwartz	February 26, 2002 (2002-02-26)	S116
J.D. and Elliot are not talking to each other after breaking up but with Turk's help they resolve some of their issues and get back to better terms. Dr. Cox goes on a destructive rampage and Carla enlists Ted's help on fulfilling a coma patient's wishes. The death of someone close to J.D. prompts even more personal distress amidst the bad break-up with Elliot, and he attempts to play the death off as though it hasn't hurt him.
17	17	"My Student"	Matthew Diamond	Story by: Mark Stegemann Teleplay by: Janae Bakken & Debra Fordham	March 5, 2002 (2002-03-05)	S114
The interns receive their first medical students. J.D.'s is very much like he was at the beginning, Elliot's is a jerk but the son of the CEO of the corporation that owns the hospital, and Turk's is a smart, confident woman (Kelli Williams) to whom Dr. Cox is attracted.
18	18	"My Tuscaloosa Heart"	Lawrence Trilling	Story by: Janae Bakken Teleplay by: Debra Fordham & Mark Stegemann	March 12, 2002 (2002-03-12)	S117
J.D. feels guilty when a rude patient, whom he ignored, dies. Carla assures him that it was the terminal cancer, but J.D. is unable to sleep. Dr. Cox is unable to decide between the three women he likes. Elliot and Turk discover a possible new side to Dr. Kelso. The episode title is taken from the song "My Tuscaloosa Heart" performed by Ken Jenkins (Dr. Kelso), which features in the episode.
19	19	"My Old Man"	Adam Bernstein	Matt Tarses	April 9, 2002 (2002-04-09)	S120
The interns' parents come to visit. Carla deals with the fact that she is just like Turk's mother. Elliot questions why she became a doctor. The episode guest stars R. Lee Ermey as the Janitor's father, Lane Davies and Markie Post as Elliot's parents, Hattie Winston as Turk's mother and John Ritter as J.D.'s father, Sam Dorian.
20	20	"My Way or the Highway"	Adam Bernstein	Eric Weinberg	April 16, 2002 (2002-04-16)	S118
Due to Turk's competitiveness, Turk convinces J.D.'s patient to decide upon surgery instead of medicine, which angers J.D. Elliot falls for a patient, Sean (Scott Foley). Dr. Kelso fires two nurses and after Dr. Cox confronts him, he fires "Coffee Nurse".
21	21	"My Sacrificial Clam"	Marc Buckland	Story by: Debra Fordham Teleplay by: Janae Bakken & Mark Stegemann	April 30, 2002 (2002-04-30)	S119
J.D. is struck by a needle full of blood contaminated with Hepatitis B. Cleared from infection, he becomes scared of getting sick. Elliot chooses the hospital over her new boyfriend Sean. St. Elsewhere cast members William Daniels, Eric Laneuville, Stephen Furst, and Ed Begley, Jr. guest star.
22	22	"My Occurrence" (Part 1)	Lawrence Trilling	Bill Lawrence	May 7, 2002 (2002-05-07)	S122
Jordan's brother and Dr. Cox's best friend Ben (Brendan Fraser) comes into the hospital after piercing his hand with a nail-gun; however Dr. Cox and J.D. later become worried when his hand won't stop bleeding, with J.D. going into denial about the results of Ben's tests. A series of paperwork bungles nearly has Turk operate on the wrong patient, and has Elliot incorrectly informs Jill (Nicole Sullivan) that she's pregnant.
23	23	"My Hero" (Part 2)	Michael Spiller	Neil Goldman & Garrett Donovan	May 14, 2002 (2002-05-14)	S123
Ben begins treatment for leukemia, but Dr. Cox has a hard time being supportive because he cares about Ben too much. Turk's ego takes a hit from the attending surgeon Dr. Wen, and Carla and Elliot scorch Dr. Kelso in a personal review. J.D. is very spooked to discover that the janitor knows far too much about him. The episode guest stars Lela Lee as Bonnie.
24	24	"My Last Day"	Michael Spiller	Gabrielle Allan & Mike Schwartz	May 21, 2002 (2002-05-21)	S121
The interns realize they have become jaded after working at the hospital for a year, and they decide to treat a patient aggressively. After Dr. Cox chides Jordan for her predictability, she reveals all the main characters' secrets to each other.

Season 2 (2002–03)

Main article: Scrubs (season 2)

The second season focuses on Dr. John Dorian's second year practicing medicine at Sacred Heart, where he is now a resident. In the season opener, everyone is still in shock from the secrets Jordan just revealed ("My Last Day"). As the season develops, J.D.'s older brother Dan (Tom Cavanagh) comes to visit, money issues affect J.D., Elliot, and Turk, Turk proposes to Carla, and Elliot finds a new boyfriend, a nurse named Paul Flowers (Rick Schroder). Dr. Cox resumes a sexual relationship with his ex-wife Jordan, with quite unexpected results.

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Production code
25	1	"My Overkill"	Adam Bernstein	Bill Lawrence	September 26, 2002 (2002-09-26)	201
After Jordan revealed that she slept with J.D., he expects the worst from Dr. Cox. Elliot, embarrassed by Jordan's revelation about her lingering feelings for J.D., is avoiding J.D. at all costs. Carla is angry with Turk for not telling her that Dr. Cox was in love with her, and Dr. Cox is annoyed at Dr. Kelso for being played for a non-existent promotion and at J.D. for sleeping with Jordan. NBC did not approve of the musical sequence featuring Colin Hay on screen performing an acoustic version of "Overkill"; such a scene had never been done by a sitcom. The episode's title is derived from the featured song. A longer design for the opening credits was introduced with this episode, with Neil Flynn (the "Janitor") listed as a regular cast member.
26	2	"My Nightingale"	Craig Zisk	Eric Weinberg	October 3, 2002 (2002-10-03)	203
The residents spend a night on-call with no attending physicians available and deal with the responsibility of running the hospital on their own and having to make a tough decision about a patient. Meanwhile, Cox struggles with his feelings for Jordan.
27	3	"My Case Study"	Michael Spiller	Gabrielle Allan	October 10, 2002 (2002-10-10)	205
Dr. Kelso starts an impromptu competition with the residents, offering an all-expenses-paid medical conference outing in Reno if they can bring him the most interesting case study. J.D. wants to compete, but fears he will fall out of favor with Dr. Cox if he does. The entire hospital takes advantage of Dr. Kelso's annual good mood the day after he renews "marital activities" with his wife Enid. Elliot worries that she isn't getting along well with Carla. The opening credits permanently (except episode 7) reverted to the shorter design used in season 1.
28	4	"My Big Mouth"	Paul Quinn	Mark Stegemann	October 17, 2002 (2002-10-17)	206
J.D. and Carla's relationship deteriorates when J.D. accidentally reveals some of Carla's secrets. The surgical residents compete for a trip to Mexico with Dr. Kelso. Elliot worries that she isn't presenting a competent image to Dr. Cox and takes on some harrowing cases to improve it.
29	5	"My New Coat"	Marc Buckland	Matt Tarses	October 24, 2002 (2002-10-24)	202
J.D. gets an ego boost by wearing a white doctor's coat, but also has to accept the increased responsibilities that come with it. Elliot's reputation suffers when she has a one-night stand with another Sacred Heart doctor.
30	6	"My Big Brother"	Michael Spiller	Tim Hobert	October 31, 2002 (2002-10-31)	204
J.D.'s older brother Dan (Tom Cavanagh) drops by for a visit, but J.D. can't hide how ashamed he is of his brother's life. Turk learns a lesson when he makes a bet with Dr. Cox on whether a patient lives or dies. Meanwhile, Sacred Heart staff is in costume for Halloween, and one person in particular is wreaking havoc in a gorilla suit, much to Dr. Kelso's disgust.
31	7	"My First Step"	Lawrence Trilling	Mike Schwartz	November 7, 2002 (2002-11-07)	207
Julie Keaton (Heather Locklear), the attractive pharmaceutical representative on whom everyone has a secret crush, arrives at Sacred Heart, and tensions between her and Dr. Cox run high. J.D. and Elliot bicker over which one is the better doctor. Carla considers the drawbacks of being "just a nurse".
32	8	"My Fruit Cups"	Ken Whittingham	Janae Bakken	November 14, 2002 (2002-11-14)	208
Dr. Cox and Julie (Heather Locklear) hook up, but Cox's new happiness is complicated when a pregnant Jordan arrives. J.D. and Turk suffer from a poor financial situation, and continue to steal food and toilet paper from the hospital. Elliot's father cuts her off after she refuses to become an OBGYN as he wishes.
33	9	"My Lucky Day"	Lawrence Trilling	Debra Fordham	December 5, 2002 (2002-12-05)	209
Elliot is forced to move out and also has to deal with a malpractice suit. J.D. shows up Dr. Cox and an unofficial competition begins between them. The episode guest stars Alan Ruck as Mr. Bragin, and features cameo appearances by David Copperfield and John Ritter.
34	10	"My Monster"	Gail Mancuso	Angela Nissel	December 12, 2002 (2002-12-12)	210
Problems develop in the relationships of Turk and Carla and of Dr. Cox and Jordan. J.D. considers exactly how much the hospital consumes their lives; the stress and general gross experiences he deals with everyday are stealing his "mojo" just as he starts dating Lisa the Gift Shop Girl (Sarah Lancaster). Having lost the apartment her father paid for, Elliot is forced to live in the back of a moving truck as she has no time to find another place.
35	11	"My Sex Buddy"	Will Mackenzie	Neil Goldman & Garrett Donovan	January 2, 2003 (2003-01-02)	212
Not wanting to repeat their last disastrous relationship, J.D. and Elliot agree to remain "sex buddies," but J.D. isn't satisfied with this arrangement. Turk tries to help out Elliot with her workload, but his efforts backfire. Carla learns a lesson about why hospitals can't always give definite answers.
36	12	"My New Old Friend"	Chris Koch	Gabrielle Allan	January 9, 2003 (2003-01-09)	211
J.D.'s feelings for Elliot continue to grow even after they break off casual sex; he tries seeing Lisa (Sarah Lancaster) again. Dr. Cox and Carla misdiagnose a hypochondriac (Richard Kind) patient after not taking his claims seriously. Dr. Kelso teaches Turk a lesson about the small lies their patients tell them.
37	13	"My Philosophy"	Chris Koch	Story by: Bill Lawrence Teleplay by: Matt Tarses & Tim Hobert	January 16, 2003 (2003-01-16)	213
Elliot demands single-sex locker rooms from Dr. Kelso, who is considering ways he might acquire a bigger office. Turk pops the question to Carla, but not in the way he'd originally planned. A favorite patient of J.D. is back in the hospital for her heart condition.
38	14	"My Brother, My Keeper"	Michael Spiller	Eric Weinberg	January 23, 2003 (2003-01-23)	214
Turk's brother Kevin (D.L. Hughley) comes to visit with important news; Turk's feelings of inadequacy and debt to his brother surface. Dr. Townshend (Dick Van Dyke), an elderly doctor liked by everyone, runs into trouble with his best friend Dr. Kelso when J.D. screws up an out-dated procedure under his supervision.
39	15	"His Story"†	Ken Whittingham	Bonnie Schneider & Hadley Davis	January 30, 2003 (2003-01-30)	215
This episode is narrated from Dr. Cox's, rather than J.D.'s, viewpoint. Dr. Cox discusses the hospital and Jordan in his sessions with his psychiatrist, Dr. Gross (Eric Bogosian). Elliot is thrilled to meet Paul Flowers (Rick Schroder), an attractive and charming doctor—until she learns he's actually a nurse. Carla finally says yes to Turk's proposal.
40	16	"My Karma"	Marc Buckland	Janae Bakken & Debra Fordham	February 20, 2003 (2003-02-20)	216
J.D. and Turk attempt to cover up the fact they were hitting golf balls off the roof and may have caused the accident that landed their patient in the hospital, but the Janitor knows. Jordan finally gives birth, and reveals to J.D. who the father of her baby is, and asks him to keep her secret.
41	17	"My Own Private Practice Guy"	Marc Buckland	Angela Nissel & Mark Stegemann	March 13, 2003 (2003-03-13)	218
J.D. comes to admire his patient's private practice doctor, Dr. Peter Fisher (Jay Mohr), but is shocked to find out Peter was actually the reason Jordan and Dr. Cox divorced. The Janitor starts flirting with Elliot, and Carla begins to worry about her appearance. Features a cameo appearance by Jay Leno.
42	18	"My T.C.W."	Adam Bernstein	Bill Lawrence	March 20, 2003 (2003-03-20)	217
Dr. Cox switches from female to dog names for J.D. after an interesting bestiality rumor about J.D. makes the rounds. Dr. Cox competes with baby Jack for Jordan's attention; relationship troubles crop up for Elliot and Paul and for Turk and Carla. When J.D. accepts a date from Jamie Moyer (Amy Smart), the very attractive wife of a comatose patient, his friends give him flak for it, causing him to tell them all a few home truths. Meanwhile, J.D. is criticized by the Chinese community of Sacred Heart after he accidentally says the word "chink". The title is an abbreviation for "Tasty Coma Wife," the moniker J.D. and Turk give to Jamie.
43	19	"My Kingdom"	Michael Spiller	April Pesa	March 27, 2003 (2003-03-27)	219
When J.D. does a temporary surgery elective, his friendship with Turk suffers as he tries to win popularity. The Janitor gets a new power saw. Dr. Cox plays a prank on Dr. Kelso while he's away, and it gets a little out of hand. Elliot's slip of the tongue drastically changes her relationship with Paul.
44	20	"My Interpretation"	Will Mackenzie	Story by: Mike Schwartz Teleplay by: Neil Goldman & Garrett Donovan	April 3, 2003 (2003-04-03)	220
J.D. attends the funeral of Jamie's (Amy Smart) husband, with predictable results. Turk has a sex dream about Elliot and is bewildered and embarrassed by it. Dr. Cox experiences still more mixed feelings about raising a child he still believes is not his.
45	21	"My Drama Queen"	Michael Spiller	Will Berson	April 10, 2003 (2003-04-10)	221
J.D.'s relationship with Jamie (Amy Smart) takes a few interesting twists; Elliot correctly identifies her as a drama queen. Carla's mother dies. Dr. Cox is stuck with Ted in teaching a sensitivity seminar after Dr. Kelso witnesses Dr. Cox being particularly vicious towards a patient.
46	22	"My Dream Job"	Bill Lawrence	Tim Hobert & Matt Tarses	April 17, 2003 (2003-04-17)	222
The end of the second year has the residents finding their jobs too monotonous; luckily, Spence (Ryan Reynolds), an old college buddy of J.D. and Turk's, visits and lightens things up, perhaps a little too much. Dr. Cox learns the truth about baby Jack and confides in J.D. he doesn't think he'd make a good father. J.D. encourages Cox to imagine being a father, and as Dr. Kelso further attempts to break Elliot's spirit, Dr. Cox steps in.

Season 3 (2003–04)

Main article: Scrubs (season 3)

It is J.D., Elliot, and Turk's third year at Sacred Heart and second year as residents. As the season opens, Elliot decides to change her image, with some help from the Janitor. J.D.'s undeniable crush on Elliot emerges again, but J.D. instead begins a relationship with Jordan's sister Danni (Tara Reid), who is also dealing with feelings for her ex. Turk and Carla are engaged and planning their wedding. Turk, along with the Todd and the other surgical residents, deal with the new attending surgeon, Dr. Grace Miller (Bellamy Young), who dislikes Turk and considers him sexist. Dr. Cox and Jordan are doing well with their relationship and their son Jack, although Dr. Cox develops a schoolboy crush on Dr. Miller. He also struggles with the death of his best friend. Elliot gets into a serious relationship with Sean Kelly (Scott Foley) and tries to work out their long-distance relationship while he is in New Zealand for six months.

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Production code
47	1	"My Own American Girl"	Bill Lawrence	Bill Lawrence	October 2, 2003 (2003-10-02)	301
J.D., Turk, and Carla work together to diagnose one of J.D.'s patients. Elliot, frustrated that everyone walks all over her and desperately needing to change her bad-luck streak, acts on some advice from the Janitor and gets a make-over.
48	2	"My Journey"	Michael Spiller	Tim Hobert	October 9, 2003 (2003-10-09)	302
Turk and Carla set the date for their wedding. J.D. is worried about losing his close friendship with Turk and asks him out on a "man date." Elliot gets back together with her ex-boyfriend Sean, but the relationship has a rocky start. Carla obsesses over whose urine is in an unmarked container left at the nurses' station.
49	3	"My White Whale"	Michael Spiller	Eric Weinberg	October 23, 2003 (2003-10-23)	304
Jordan and Dr. Cox worry about Jack's slight cough and try to get him seen by the hospital's own pediatrician, Dr. Dave Norris (Christopher Meloni), who is as obnoxious as Dr. Cox. The residents get their own interns and the inevitable problems that come with them: Turk is too heavy-handed, J.D. fails to assert his authority, and Elliot continues to deal with her own insecurities. J.D. reluctantly accepts help from Sean.
50	4	"My Lucky Night"†	John Inwood	Neil Goldman & Garrett Donovan	October 30, 2003 (2003-10-30)	305
J.D. distracts the Janitor and Troy the Cafeteria Guy with a riddle. Dr. Cox and Dr. Jeffrey Steadman (Matt Winston) compete for the residency director position. Carla gets to work with Turk when she covers for one of the surgical nurses; Turk is annoyed at first but then appreciative when Dr. Wen (Charles Chun) says it was as though he had a lucky charm in the room with him. Sean and Elliot's relationship hits rocky ground; J.D. seizes the opportunity to admit his hidden feelings for her.
51	5	"My Brother, Where Art Thou?"	Marc Buckland	Mike Schwartz	November 6, 2003 (2003-11-06)	306
J.D's brother Dan (Tom Cavanagh) visits again and blames Dr. Cox for making J.D. cynical. After warning hospital staff against taking other jobs, Dr. Kelso catches Elliot and Carla moonlighting at an animal hospital.
52	6	"My Advice to You"	Gail Mancuso	Debra Fordham	November 13, 2003 (2003-11-13)	307
Carla's brother Marco (Freddy Rodriguez) visits and does his best to aggravate Turk. Dr. Cox and Dr. Kelso differ in their opinions over patient care, and Dr. Cox is surprised to find that J.D. is taking Dr. Kelso's advice. J.D. is interested in Danni (Tara Reid), a girl who seems sweet, if a little wacky (she has an active inner monologue and speaks random thoughts aloud). But his delight is squashed when he discovers she's Jordan's sister.
53	7	"My Fifteen Seconds"	Ken Whittingham	Mark Stegemann	November 20, 2003 (2003-11-20)	308
J.D. and Danni hook up, prompting Dr. Cox to reveal to Danni that J.D. slept with Jordan. Meanwhile, Dr. Cox and J.D. deal with an extremely annoying patient, Jill Tracy (Nicole Sullivan), and almost miss something extremely important because they spend so little time with their patients (an average of 15 seconds, according to J.D.). Dr. Kelso goes temporarily deaf after using cheap stethoscopes, and Carla's medical advice to Elliot provokes tension between them. Features a cameo appearance by Erik Estrada.
54	8	"My Friend the Doctor"	Ken Whittingham	Gabrielle Allan	December 4, 2003 (2003-12-04)	309
When Dr. Cox hurts his back showing off in front of Turk, he begins to realize he's not as young as he used to be. J.D. isn't impressed with the false personalities the Janitor uses on the rest of the staff, until he recognizes him playing a transit policeman in The Fugitive (in which Neil Flynn did appear) and concludes that the Janitor is an actor.
55	9	"My Dirty Secret"	Chris Koch	Matt Tarses	December 11, 2003 (2003-12-11)	303
After accidentally giving a patient an orgasm during a pelvic examination, Elliot admits she has a problem with the clinical terms for genitalia. Carla attempts to help Elliot get over her fear of "dirty words," but realizes she may be too assertive for her own good. Dr. Cox is moved by the relationship between a prostate cancer patient, Mr. Randolph (Barry Bostwick), and his wife. J.D gives advice to Dr. Cox about his relationship with Jordan and his son, and when it doesn't pan out, is subject to Dr. Cox's revenge.
56	10	"My Rule of Thumb"	Craig Zisk	Janae Bakken	January 22, 2004 (2004-01-22)	310
Elliot and Carla get arrested looking for a gigolo for a terminally ill patient who wants to lose her virginity before she dies. Danni is uncomfortable after walking in on Jordan and Dr. Cox having sex, and asks J.D. if she could stay at his place. J.D. starts having second thoughts almost immediately after initially agreeing. Dr. Cox and Turk clash over a friend of Dr. Cox's who needs a liver transplant.
57	11	"My Clean Break"	Chris Koch	Angela Nissel	February 3, 2004 (2004-02-03)	311
Nervous about Danni's plans to move in with him, J.D. decides he needs to break up with her—only he's never actually dumped anyone before. The Janitor starts flirting with Elliot again. Dr. Cox realizes that he is no longer frightening to his residents, and therefore may have lost control over them.
58	12	"My Catalyst"†	Michael Spiller	Bill Lawrence	February 10, 2004 (2004-02-10)	316
Dr. Kevin Casey (Michael J. Fox), a skilled surgeon who has a long history with Dr. Cox and who suffers from crippling Obsessive–compulsive disorder, imparts wisdom to everyone at Sacred Heart. Meanwhile, Ted once again contemplates suicide.
59	13	"My Porcelain God"†	Adam Bernstein	Tim Hobert & Eric Weinberg	February 17, 2004 (2004-02-17)	317
Dr. Casey (Michael J. Fox) and J.D discover the toilet the Janitor installed on the roof, which earns the name "epiphany toilet" after every Sacred Heart staff member finds a solution to a problem or a revelation after using it. Dr. Kelso closes down an entire wing of the hospital to save money; Dr. Cox and Carla fight back by using his own office as a patient room. Turk asks J.D. to be his best man, but J.D. is hurt to discover that he wasn't Turk's first choice. Noticing how helpful Dr. Casey has been to her fellow staff, Elliot seeks advice from him on intubation after she botches the procedure.
60	14	"My Screw Up"	Chris Koch	Neil Goldman & Garrett Donovan	February 24, 2004 (2004-02-24)	315
Jordan's siblings, Danni and Ben (Brendan Fraser) visit to celebrate Jack's first birthday. Carla tells Turk she will only take his last name if he has his mole removed. Dr. Cox is dismayed to learn that Ben has not been to a doctor for followup since his remission. J.D. is swamped and worried about patient Mr. Taylor, who has an irregular heartbeat. When J.D.'s patient goes into cardiac arrest and dies, Dr. Cox angrily blames him and excuses him from his duties. This episode received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series.
61	15	"My Tormented Mentor"	Craig Zisk	Gabrielle Allan	March 2, 2004 (2004-03-02)	314
Dr. Cox is struggling to recover from Ben's death, and refuses J.D.'s efforts to comfort him; meanwhile, Jordan's self-absorbed friends, Maddie (Embeth Davidtz) and Allison (Julie Warner) are staying with Jordan to comfort her. Carla scolds the Todd, Dr. Kelso and Dr. Cox about sexual harassment, and the new female attending surgeon, Dr. Grace Miller (Bellamy Young), brings up the issue of sexism in the surgical wing.
62	16	"My Butterfly"	Henry Chan	Justin Spitzer	March 16, 2004 (2004-03-16)	312
This episode explores a number of interrelated events, which illustrate the relationships among the Sacred Heart staff. The title comes from a single butterfly interacting with numerous objects and people, in a reference to the philosophical concept of the butterfly effect.
63	17	"My Moment of Un-Truth"	Gail Mancuso	Rich Eustis	March 30, 2004 (2004-03-30)	313
Carla has dinner with a former crush and asks J.D. not to tell Turk. Elliot deals with a patient, Mr. Thompson (Alexander Chaplin), who's adamant about not taking drugs; to her surprise, Dr. Cox insists he is a drug addict who will eventually weasel drugs out of her. The Janitor attempts to trick J.D. and Turk into believing he has a twin brother.
64	18	"His Story II"	Jason Ensler	Mark Stegemann	April 6, 2004 (2004-04-06)	318
This episode is narrated from Turk's, rather than J.D.'s, viewpoint. Turk delays mailing out the wedding invitations, as it is the point of no return for getting married. During surgery, Turk makes a mistake that causes irreparable nerve damage to a young concert pianist, to whom he can't admit his mistake. J.D. covers Elliot's stint as a hospital clown; the Janitor becomes his sidekick. Elliot realizes just how good a friend J.D. has been to her, and sleeps with him just before Sean comes back into town.
65	19	"My Choosiest Choice of All"	Adam Bernstein	Mike Schwartz	April 20, 2004 (2004-04-20)	319
In an attempt to make Elliot jealous and angry, J.D. gets back together with Danni, who is a different person now that she's done being who she thought J.D. wanted her to be. Dr. Cox realizes he has a crush on Dr. Miller, and Jordan picks up on it immediately. Turk and Carla encourage the Janitor to accept his promotion to security guard, but he finds he dislikes having to play by Dr. Kelso's rules. After Sean confronts J.D. and asks him if anything happened between him and Elliot, J.D. must choose to either tell him the truth, or keep it a secret.
66	20	"My Fault"	Richard Alexander Wells	Debra Fordham	April 22, 2004 (2004-04-22)	320
J.D. and Danni break up, as neither one really cared about the other; Sean and Elliot plan to move in together. Carla is anxious about the last-minute details for her wedding, now just a few weeks away. Dr. Cox bets Dr. Kelso that no healthy patients will sign up for the full-body CAT scans, not expecting Mr. Corman the hypochondriac (Richard Kind) to return. J.D. finally admits his feelings to Elliot, causing her to break up with Sean, only to realize his feelings were based on his coveting what he did not have.
67	21	"My Self-Examination"	Randall Winston	Janae Bakken	April 27, 2004 (2004-04-27)	321
Marco arrives for the wedding rehearsal and offers Turk advice in writing his own wedding vows, as Carla wanted. After asking Danni and her new partner for advice, J.D. resigns himself to a relationship with Elliot, even if he doesn't love her. Jordan insists that she and Dr. Cox stop fighting; frustrated and needing to fight with someone, he antagonizes the Janitor, much to his detriment. At the rehearsal, moved by Turk's improvised vows, J.D. finally admits to Elliot he doesn't love her. Features a cameo appearance by Larry Thomas (the Soup Nazi from Seinfeld).
68	22	"My Best Friend's Wedding"	Bill Lawrence	Tim Hobert & Eric Weinberg	May 4, 2004 (2004-05-04)	322
On the day of Turk and Carla's wedding, Turk is delayed in surgery; he is so late for the wedding that the ceremony is canceled, but the reception is held regardless. Danni gets drunk and wreaks havoc. Guilty for having broken Elliot's heart, J.D. finds Sean and tries to convince him to take Elliot back, but to no avail. Before leaving for their honeymoon, Turk and Carla return to the hospital to check on a patient, who happens to be a priest, and ask him to marry them. Features a cameo appearance by George Takei.

Season 4 (2004–05)

Main article: Scrubs (season 4)

As the season opens, Turk arrives from his honeymoon with Carla but they soon have issues when Carla tries to change many things about her new husband. Their marriage and Turk's friendship with J.D. are also endangered when J.D. and Carla share a drunken kiss. Dr. Cox and Jordan learn that their divorce was not final, but this seemingly good news causes friction. Elliot is still angry with J.D. for breaking her heart, and the situation becomes more uncomfortable still when she dates J.D.'s brother. J.D. has a new love interest of his own when a new and very attractive psychiatrist, Dr. Molly Clock (Heather Graham), arrives at Sacred Heart. Molly also serves as Elliot's mentor during her time at the hospital.

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Production code
69	1	"My Old Friend's New Friend"†	Bill Lawrence	Eric Weinberg	August 31, 2004 (2004-08-31)	401
Turk and Carla start to have issues when Carla tries to change everything about her new husband. Molly Clock (Heather Graham), the hospital's new psychiatrist, becomes friends with Elliot because she believes Turk, J.D. and Carla are shutting her out. Also, when Turk and J.D.'s car blows up, Carla lets him pick out the new ride only to find that instead of a car, he buys three scooters for them, further proving Carla's point that she needs to always be in control. The episode guest stars the Sugarhill Gang.
70	2	"My Office"	Gail Mancuso	Matt Tarses	September 7, 2004 (2004-09-07)	402
J.D. and Elliot are both named the hospital's new chief residents by Dr. Cox, however, due to their recent relationship problems, they find it hard to work together. Meanwhile, Dr. Cox and Turk have great difficulty in the removal of a light bulb from a patient's posterior, although some assistance from the Janitor helps.
71	3	"My New Game"	Ken Whittingham	Gabrielle Allan	September 14, 2004 (2004-09-14)	403
J.D. is annoyed at the janitor for spreading the word that he is the "Co-chief" Resident and Elliot the Chief Resident. Dr. Cox and Jordan have relationship problems when they find out that their divorce was not final, which, while seeming like good news at first, quickly begins to cause friction between them. The other annoying woman in Dr. Cox's life, Dr. Molly Clock, faces off with him over a plastic surgery patient who is upset that she is actually better looking since her reconstructive surgery. J.D. thinks up a new game - "Gravelling" other people by placing stones in their shoes.
72	4	"My First Kill"	Ken Whittingham	Tad Quill	September 21, 2004 (2004-09-21)	404
When J.D. asks Dr. Cox to give the residents a pep talk, Dr. Cox takes things a little too far by telling them that inevitably, they will eventually kill a patient or two, which causes J.D. to wonder whether he has ever specifically let someone die through his own incompetence and comes to the conclusion that he hasn't yet, though Dr. Cox is of the impression that it will happen eventually. Elsewhere, Elliot fights for an ex-drug addict patient to receive a heart valve, and becomes frustrated when Molly goes against her professionally about it. Carla decides to clean Rowdy, and loses him. This leads her to replace the stuffed dog with a replica named Steven, who is 2 inches shorter. J.D. has a dream sequence with patients who died in the first 3 seasons, including: Mrs. Tanner (Kathryn Joosten), Aaron Simon (Jack Shearer), Elaine (Jill Tracy) and Mr. Bursky (Ted Rogers). Cary Brothers plays a karaoke singer, though he is truly singing his song "Blue Eyes" from the soundtrack for Zach Braff's film Garden State.
73	5	"Her Story"	John Inwood	Angela Nissel	September 28, 2004 (2004-09-28)	405
Told from the perspective of Elliot: she starts to doubt Molly being the perfect mentor when she finds out her boyfriend is a convicted felon. Nevertheless, Dr. Cox helps her decide that personal lives should be kept separate from professional lives. Also Turk is constantly waking up Carla when he goes to bed; and J.D. has concerns that Dr. Cox may have ruined his credibility with the new residents.
74	6	"My Cake"	Henry Chan	Neil Goldman & Garrett Donovan	October 12, 2004 (2004-10-12)	406
J.D.'s brother Dan (Tom Cavanagh) comes to visit with news their father has died. Dr. Cox has difficulty helping J.D. get out of his depression. Meanwhile, Turk has symptoms of diabetes but in his stubbornness refuses to admit it or visit a doctor as Carla wishes. Molly must employ some advanced psychology to force him to face the issue. J.D.'s and Dan's father, Sam Dorian, was played by John Ritter in the episode "My Old Man". The episode was dedicated to the memory of John Ritter, who died on September 11, 2003 from an aortic dissection.
75	7	"My Common Enemy"	Joanna Kerns	Bill Callahan	October 19, 2004 (2004-10-19)	407
J.D. is forced to deal with the romance between Elliot and his brother Dan, who is still staying with them after the death of their father. Elsewhere, Dr. Cox and Dr. Kelso get fed-up with Molly's perception that everyone is good at heart and seek to prove her wrong.
76	8	"My Last Chance"	Zach Braff	Mike Schwartz	October 26, 2004 (2004-10-26)	408
Molly and J.D. are on the brink of sleeping together, but must first get the permission of Elliot, who can't help but play games with J.D. Meanwhile Dr. Cox has to fulfill community service hours by working in an ambulance with Denise Lemmon (Molly Shannon), a very annoying paramedic.
77	9	"My Malpractice Decision" (Part 1)	Gail Mancuso	Janae Bakken	November 9, 2004 (2004-11-09)	409
J.D. and Dr. Cox must deal with cunning malpractice attorney Neena Broderick (Julianna Margulies) as she attends to her father. Turk tries to avoid the hypochondriac Harvey Corman (Richard Kind) while Elliot steers her underachieving colleague Doug on a new career path.
78	10	"My Female Trouble" (Part 2)	Chris Koch	Debra Fordham	November 16, 2004 (2004-11-16)	410
J.D. has a difficult time ending his impromptu relationship with Neena as she now represents Mr. Corman - who has decided to sue Turk, over allegations that the surgery Turk performed on him ruined his tennis serve - and asks Jordan for help. Elliot pretends to be a male doctor to avoid issues with a sexist patient who happens to be one of the hospital's board members.
79	11	"My Unicorn"	Matthew Perry	Gabrielle Allan & Tad Quill	November 23, 2004 (2004-11-23)	411
J.D. befriends the son of a noted singer who is unwilling to donate a kidney to his ailing father. Carla and Jordan, despite the warnings of Turk, teach Elliot to use her sexuality to her advantage, which causes catastrophe. The episode guest stars John Bennett Perry as Gregory Marks, Matthew Perry as Murray Marks and Masi Oka as Franklyn.
80	12	"My Best Moment"	Chris Koch	Angela Nissel	December 7, 2004 (2004-12-07)	412
When J.D. has to address a group of pre-med students about what it is like to be a doctor, he strays off the beaten path and chooses to discuss his best moments as a doctor instead. When he challenges the rest of the staff to do so, they all reminisce about their fondest memories in the medical field. Meanwhile, Elliot is forced to face her fear of children when she is left in charge of a ten-year-old boy, whose father is being treated in the I.C.U. Elsewhere, Dr. Kelso gets a dose of Christmas spirit and stuns the staff with his change of heart.
81	13	"My Ocardial Infarction"	Ken Whittingham	Mark Stegemann	January 18, 2005 (2005-01-18)	413
When Elliot begins to emerge as the better doctor, J.D. is left struggling to catch up. Turk tries to make money from his diabetes until he discovers he must amputate a patient's foot due to diabetes and begins to take it more seriously. Elsewhere, the Janitor feels rejected by his secret crush Elliot when she runs off quickly from their "coffee date." Assuming his nice dress attire scared her off, he makes up a story that he was dressed to impress for his a Capella band practice which leads to Elliot requesting an impromptu performance.
82	14	"My Lucky Charm"	Chris Koch	Mike Schwartz	January 25, 2005 (2005-01-25)	415
A man involved in a bar fight teaches Turk and J.D. about living life to the fullest. Elliot and Carla find their friendship beginning to break down when they can't stick to their social plans. Also, Dr. Cox gets a vasectomy behind Jordan's back. The episode guest stars Colin Farrell as Billy Callahan.
83	15	"My Hypocritical Oath"	Craig Zisk	Tim Hobert	February 1, 2005 (2005-02-01)	414
J.D. becomes attracted to a bartender named Kylie (Chrystee Pharris), then finds out her new boyfriend has an STD. However, he can't tell her because of patient/doctor confidentiality. Meanwhile, Dr. Cox anxiously awaits the Lakers/Heat game but must tape it to watch after his shift. His patience is tested when the Janitor threatens to reveal the final score.
84	16	"My Quarantine"	Michael Spiller	Tad Quill	February 8, 2005 (2005-02-08)	416
During a date with Kylie, J.D. has to go to the hospital, and while there he casually remarks that a patient's symptoms resemble SARS, which means that the entire ICU staff—including Jordan's sister Danni on a surprise visit—is trapped in quarantine for the night. J.D. pays a homeless guy to fake a heart-attack so he can look more heroic in front of Kylie. The episode guest stars Tara Reid as Danni.
85	17	"My Life in Four Cameras"	Adam Bernstein	Debra Fordham	February 15, 2005 (2005-02-15)	417
When Dr. Cox fumes at Dr. Kelso for firing another staff member due to budget cuts, Dr. Kelso challenges him to balance the budget without firing anyone. Meanwhile, a sitcom writer is admitted, and J.D. starts to fantasize about what it would be like if the hospital were a sitcom, complete with a live audience. Also, Turk and Carla have difficulty trying to keep the romance in their relationship going. The episode guest stars Clay Aiken.
86	18	"My Roommates"	Craig Zisk	Tim Hobert	February 22, 2005 (2005-02-22)	418
J.D. is having some trouble with Kylie. Turk and Carla ask J.D. to move out to give them space. However, his absence causes them to realize they're having problems with their relationship. Meanwhile, Dr. Cox believes his friend's child has autism. The episode guest stars Michael Boatman and features a cameo by Ed McMahon.
87	19	"My Best Laid Plans"	Zach Braff	Bill Callahan	March 1, 2005 (2005-03-01)	419
Molly returns to Sacred Heart, and J.D. blows off his girlfriend Kylie to go out with her. Carla tries not to make "mountains out of molehills" when she realizes Turk is still in contact with an ex-girlfriend. The Janitor bets Dr. Cox that he can get a date with Elliot, the wager being his van against Dr. Cox's Porsche.
88	20	"My Boss's Free Haircut"	John Inwood	Mark Stegemann	March 29, 2005 (2005-03-29)	420
When Carla and Turk are experiencing marital difficulties, J.D. and Elliot do their part to try and cheer them up. Meanwhile, Dr. Cox challenges Dr. Kelso to lead by example and take on a few patients of his own after Kelso criticizes his bedside manner—but he isn't aware that the Doctor-Patient relationship has changed. Features Cody Estes in his sixth and final appearance as Young/Child J.D., dating back to "My Super Ego."
89	21	"My Lips Are Sealed"	John Michel	Janae Bakken	April 5, 2005 (2005-04-05)	421
J.D. and Carla get drunk while J.D. is trying to reconcile her and Turk and they accidentally kiss, and both agree to keep the incident secret from Turk. At the hospital, Elliot and Dr. Kelso struggle to maintain their professionalism when faced with a young patient who is suffering from complications after experimenting with erectile dysfunction pills. Meanwhile, Dr. Cox tries to find the balance between being an over-protective father while still trying to be the cool dad after his son falls off the jungle gym.
90	22	"My Big Move"	Victor Nelli, Jr.	Bonnie Sikowitz	April 12, 2005 (2005-04-12)	422
Turk learns about the kiss between J.D. and Carla, and not knowing whom to blame gives them both the silent treatment until he knows who initiated it. Dr. Cox needs Elliot's help in reaching out to a teenage epileptic patient. Jordan gets Botox and renders her face temporarily frozen, which causes a problem when it threatens to keep her from attending Dr. Cox's teaching award acceptance. The Janitor gets unexpected reactions from his new uniform.
91	23	"My Faith in Humanity"	Ken Whittingham	David Louis Feinberg	April 19, 2005 (2005-04-19)	423
J.D. is forced to confront human nature when a dying woman is brought to the hospital by her neighbor, Jake (Josh Randall). Jake helps the patient realize it is time to die. Unfortunately, her brother decides to sue him for this. Elliot goes to Dr. Cox and Carla for romantic advice regarding Jake. Turk is having difficulty in couple's therapy. The episode guest stars Ellen Albertini Dow as Betty.
92	24	"My Drive-By"	Will Mackenzie	Angela Nissel	April 26, 2005 (2005-04-26)	424
When Turk saves a man's life at the local taco stand, he tries to keep his ego in check as Dr. Cox takes all of the credit. To avoid ruining her new relationship with Jake, Elliot enlists J.D.'s help to prevent her dates from becoming too intimate. Meanwhile, Dr. Kelso terrorizes the hospital from the seat of his new motorized wheelchair until Janitor takes matters into his own hands.
93	25	"My Changing Ways"	Victor Nelli, Jr.	Bill Lawrence	May 10, 2005 (2005-05-10)	425
J.D. prepares to start living life on his own, and strains his friendship with Turk. Elliot makes an effort to pursue a new career opportunity at another hospital in town, and this upsets Carla who thought Elliot was staying, despite the close proximity of the new job. Dr. Cox tries to prevent Jordan from accepting a job at the hospital.

Season 5 (2006)

Main article: Scrubs (season 5)

Season 5 begins with J.D. living in a hotel. He has become an attending now on the same level as Dr. Cox. In the season premire, Elliot has taken a new fellowship in another hospital, only to be fired in the next episode. Elliot then returns to Sacred Heart and becomes an attending. Turk and Carla are trying to have a baby, despite Turk still having doubts. Finally, some new interns have arrived to Sacred Heart, chief among them being Keith Dudemeister. Season 5 also focuses on the relationship between J.D. and Dr. Cox, who now find themselves equals.

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Production code
94	1	"My Intern's Eyes"	Bill Lawrence	Bill Lawrence	January 3, 2006 (2006-01-03)	501
Now an attending physician, J.D. has to deal with his own interns as Dr. Cox tests whether he's still willing to bend the rules despite more responsibility. Turk hesitates at the thought of Carla getting pregnant. Meanwhile, Elliot starts her fellowship at County Hospital and tries not to appear foolish.
95	2	"My Rite of Passage"	Bill Lawrence	Janae Bakken	January 3, 2006 (2006-01-03)	502
Despite trying to do the opposite, J.D. finds himself treating his interns poorly after discovering they laugh at his jokes out of fear. The hospital staff attempt to avoid Jordan to drive her away, and Elliot's fellowship abruptly ends. The episode guest stars Alexander Chaplin as Sam Thompson.
96	3	"My Day at the Races"	Michael Spiller	Eric Weinberg	January 10, 2006 (2006-01-10)	503
Trying to complete a list of goals before his 30th birthday, J.D. signs up for a triathlon. Meanwhile, Turk takes on a patient who wishes to be hypnotized instead of put under anesthesia during surgery, and Elliot finds she and Jake (Josh Randall) know little about each other. J.D. and Elliot move in together.
97	4	"My Jiggly Ball"	Rick Blue	Tim Hobert	January 10, 2006 (2006-01-10)	504
J.D. struggles to find something positive to talk about when assigned to introduce Dr. Kelso at an awards dinner, especially after Kelso chooses a wealthier patient for a drug trial after promising the opportunity to another. Carla and Turk attempt to help Elliot, stuck working in a free clinic, get her job at Sacred Heart back. Everyone except for J.D. seems to know of a game called "Jiggly Ball".
98	5	"My New God"	Victor Nelli, Jr.	Aseem Batra	January 17, 2006 (2006-01-17)	506
Dr. Cox's born-again Christian sister, Paige Cox (Cheryl Hines), visits the hospital and wants him to participate in his son's baptism: Dr. Cox wants nothing to do with it, and her for that matter. Elliot tries to convince Turk why Carla finds babymaking to be romantic. The Janitor and J.D. begin a friendship, which is sabotaged by one of Janitor's more elaborate pranks. The song playing during the Janitor's 'Evil Stare' is "Koyaanisqatsi" by Philip Glass.
99	6	"My Missed Perception"	Bill Lawrence	Kevin Biegel	January 17, 2006 (2006-01-17)	507
J.D. has to deal with the consequences when he mistakes a patient's reaction to her approaching death as a wish to end treatment. Carla desperately tries to gather the hospital staff for a group photo, while Turk and Elliot try to discover the cause of a patient's mysterious and unexplainable pain. The episode features a cameo appearance by Gary Busey.
100	7	"My Way Home"	Zach Braff	Neil Goldman & Garrett Donovan	January 24, 2006 (2006-01-24)	505
J.D. gets called in to work on his day off, but the only thing he wants to do is get home. Meanwhile Elliot tries to convince everyone she is an expert on endocrinology following her brief fellowship, Carla has doubts over being a parent, and Turk has to wrestle over an issue that will either help his career or break his conscience.
101	8	"My Big Bird"	Rob Greenberg	Debra Fordham	January 24, 2006 (2006-01-24)	508
J.D., Elliot, Turk and Carla are all formally interrogated following the death of a patient, where it is learned that J.D. and Turk were unnecessarily visiting a patient's home, Carla was gathering the staff to purchase lottery tickets in a group effort, and Elliot was dealing with the wife of a married man she kissed. The episode guest stars Jason Bateman as Mr. Sutton and Peter Jacobson as Mr. Foster.
102	9	"My Half-Acre"	Linda Mendoza	Bill Callahan	February 7, 2006 (2006-02-07)	509
J.D. is set up on a blind date with a patient's niece and tries to take Elliot's advice to avoid scaring her off. Meanwhile, Turk joins the hospital air-band, but when he steps on Dr. Kelso's toes he has to learn to swallow his pride. Dr. Cox worries about being an unsatisfactory father. The episode guest stars Mandy Moore as Julie Quinn.
103	10	"Her Story II"	Chris Koch	Mike Schwartz	February 7, 2006 (2006-02-07)	510
Narrated from Carla's viewpoint: J.D. lets the little things bother him with Julie, but just as he gets over them, the big things make themselves plain. Meanwhile, Carla gets a fertility test when a new nurse makes her feel even older. The episode features a cameo appearance by Billy Dee Williams.
104	11	"My Buddy's Booty"	Randall Winston	Mark Stegemann	February 28, 2006 (2006-02-28)	511
J.D. and Elliot, worried about their favorite patient Mrs. Wilk undergoing a risky procedure—and J.D. still having trouble getting over Julie—both agree to find a booty call, but his suggestion backfires when Elliot chooses J.D.'s nemesis/intern, Keith. Carla encourages Turk to fight for a female-friendly hospital gym, and Dr. Cox and the Janitor strike a lop-sided friendship over drinks.
105	12	"My Cabbage" (Part 1)	John Inwood	Ryan A. Levin	February 28, 2006 (2006-02-28)	512
J.D. tries relentlessly to get rid of Keith while sticking up for his favorite intern "Cabbage", while the staff says goodbye to Mrs. Wilk. The Janitor keeps a magpie in the hospital which proves very adept at stealing things, much to Dr. Kelso's displeasure. The episode features a cameo appearance by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
106	13	"My Five Stages" (Part 2)	Jay Alaimo	Tad Quill	March 7, 2006 (2006-03-07)	513
When the hospital's favorite patient Mrs. Wilk is told she will die after getting an infection, Dr. Cox and J.D. seem to go through the five stages of grief as well. Meanwhile, Elliot realizes that her booty call Keith has become more than a booty call, and the Janitor and Ted team up to give Dr. Kelso a taste of his own medicine. The episode guest stars Dave Foley as Dr. Hedrick.
107	14	"My Own Personal Hell"	Adam Bernstein	Eren Celeboglu	March 14, 2006 (2006-03-14)	514
Dr. Cox is named the best doctor in the area in a leading publication. Dr. Cox struggles to treat an unnervingly rude and haughty patient who is a friend of Dr. Kelso's. After struggling to conceive, Carla, who has already taken a fertility test, questions Turk's fertility. Elliot finds out J.D. doesn't like Keith.
108	15	"My Extra Mile"	Ken Whittingham	Mark Stegemann	March 21, 2006 (2006-03-21)	515
J.D. encourages his colleagues to go the extra mile with their patients. This causes a dilemma as J.D. is torn between sticking to his principles and losing a very attractive girlfriend who is only interested in him because of his hair. Turk and Carla are having trouble making a baby, and a doctor attributes it to the stress they are under. Turk is worried about getting a permanent position when he finds out he is the fourth most skilled surgeon.
109	16	"My Bright Idea"	Michael Spiller	Janae Bakken	March 28, 2006 (2006-03-28)	517
J.D. and Turk find out that Carla is pregnant before she does and J.D. convinces Turk to tell the entire hospital staff in order to surprise Carla. Carla, however, reveals that upon hearing the news of pregnancy, her biggest joy will be to tell her friends one by one. J.D. gets the Janitor to swallow a GPS tracker.
110	17	"My Chopped Liver"	Will Mackenzie	Debra Fordham	April 4, 2006 (2006-04-04)	516
Carla is forced to do Kelso's job, saying "no" to people's requests. J.D.'s patient who needs a liver transplant recovers but his brother who donated gets worse. Dr. Cox is forced to attend a couples' dinner with Elliot and Keith, with the result that the other interns try to befriend him as well (much to J.D.'s dismay). J.D. himself gets in the way of "Turk Time", causing resentment from his best friend. The episode's storyline regarding a liver transplant led to a nomination at The Sentinel for Health Awards in 2006 in the primetime comedy section.
111	18	"My New Suit"	Victor Nelli, Jr.	Tim Hobert	April 11, 2006 (2006-04-11)	518
J.D. finds himself constantly lying in order not to hurt the feelings of his visiting brother Dan (Tom Cavanagh). Carla and Turk can't decide on baby names. Dr. Cox is forced to work with Ted after a conversation with Kelso goes wrong.
112	19	"His Story III"	John Inwood	Angela Nissel	April 18, 2006 (2006-04-18)	519
Narrated by The Janitor: J.D. begins a video postcard for his mother, but gets locked in a water tower for the day by the Janitor. Finding himself with free time, the Janitor bonds with a severely quadriplegic patient who can't communicate. Elliot and Carla argue over an intern's mistake. Turk is embarrassed by his impending fatherhood when Dr. Cox accuses him of having a stereotypically white personality.
113	20	"My Lunch"	John Michel	Tad Quill	April 25, 2006 (2006-04-25)	520
After repeatedly running into annoying recurring patient Jill Tracy (Nicole Sullivan), J.D. feels guilty when she dies of an apparent drug overdose and he didn't act on warning signs. Carla and Elliot convince Todd to admit to being gay, but contrary to what they had hoped, this does not change his personality for the better. Dr. Cox consoles J.D. by telling him he shouldn't take patients' deaths personally. After three patients, one of whom is a friend of Dr. Cox, receive transplant organs from Jill Tracy, which turn out to be infected by rabies, causing all three patients to die. This causes Dr. Cox to break down, failing to follow his own advice. The plot is based on the May and June 2004 deaths of four Texas patients who received donor organs from a patient whose cause of death was originally determined to be a cocaine overdose, but later turned out to be rabies.
114	21	"My Fallen Idol"	Joanna Kerns	Bill Callahan	May 2, 2006 (2006-05-02)	521
Feeling guilty over the deaths of three patients, Dr. Cox comes to work drunk and is forced to take a leave of absence. The staff organize shifts to visit Cox at home and console him in the hope of his return, but initially, J.D. refuses to take part. Meanwhile, Turk begins a new orthopedic rotation, but struggles to connect with his new, overly-sensitive attending. The episode guest stars Paul Adelstein as Dr. Stone.
115	22	"My Déjà Vu, My Déjà Vu"	Linda Mendoza	Mike Schwartz	May 9, 2006 (2006-05-09)	522
After five years working at Sacred Heart, J.D. gets the impression that the same events keep unfolding at Sacred Heart. Dr Cox, returning to work, seems to have lost his self-confidence and Elliot takes it upon herself to help him regain it. Turk annoys Carla by doing the things she cannot while pregnant.
116	23	"My Urologist"	Richard Alexander Wells	Neil Goldman & Garrett Donovan	May 16, 2006 (2006-05-16)	523
J.D. begins to fall for Dr. Kim Briggs (Elizabeth Banks), a urologist who has supposedly always been present, but was invisible to J.D. because she wore a wedding ring. She shares a patient with J.D., but when Dr. Cox reveals that she's refusing to do a risky surgery to keep her statistics up, he begins to have mixed feelings. Elliot considers breaking up with Keith after he refuses to stand up for himself, but Carla, amid her pregnancy hormones, tries to save the relationship. Meanwhile, Dr. Kelso decides to trust the Janitor to fetch cash from a deposit at home, which he regrets. During the opening title sequence Dr. Kim Briggs steps into the credits and switches the X-ray around, saying, "That's backwards, it's been bugging me for years."
117	24	"My Transition" (Part 1)	Bill Lawrence	Aseem Batra & Kevin Biegel	May 16, 2006 (2006-05-16)	524
J.D. and Kim's romance escalates when they go on their first date, but Elliot won't give them much time alone, as she is becoming good friends with Kim too. Dr. Cox and Jordan celebrate as Jack moves out of diapers by giving his baby things away at Carla's baby shower, but learn that Jordan's pregnant again. Later when J.D. goes to talk to Kim, she reveals that she is pregnant.

Season 6 (2006–07)

Main article: Scrubs (season 6)

Over the course of the season, J.D. and the other characters must mature to fill the different roles required of them. J.D., for instance, is cast in the role of expecting father since his girlfriend, Dr. Kim Briggs (Elizabeth Banks), is pregnant with his child. Turk and Carla become parents when Carla gives birth to their daughter, Isabella Turk. Elliot plans her wedding to Keith, although she and J.D. still harbor feelings for each other. Dr. Cox, as father of two children with Jordan, struggles to prevent his foul disposition from affecting his parenting. Important issues are touched upon, such as the importance of leadership, whether everything happens for a reason, and even death.

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Production code	U.S viewers (million)
118	1	"My Mirror Image" (Part 2)	John Inwood	Tim Hobert	November 30, 2006 (2006-11-30)	601	8.45
J.D. attempts to avoid confronting Kim (Elizabeth Banks) about her pregnancy. Dr. Cox attempts to deal with his anger issues, both at home and at work. Elliot is having trouble being the only one in the group with no child on the way. The Janitor questions the purpose of his life.
119	2	"My Best Friend's Baby's Baby and My Baby's Baby"	Gail Mancuso	Neil Goldman & Garrett Donovan	December 7, 2006 (2006-12-07)	603	8.43
Carla goes into labour, but Turk is overshadowed by Elliot in his attempts to support Carla. J.D. and Kim discuss their options for their baby, whether or not they should seek an abortion. Jordan gets angry at Dr. Cox for treating their son Jack like his "drinking buddy".
120	3	"My Coffee"	Rick Blue	Tad Quill	December 14, 2006 (2006-12-14)	602	7.78
J.D. tries to find out how compatible he and Kim are. Turk gives medical advice for fees so that Carla can stay on maternity leave and Elliot is tortured by Dr. Cox as she considers going into private practice. When Dr. Kelso allows a "Coffee Bucks" franchise to be built onto the hospital, Janitor leads a strike of the Sacred Heart supporting staff, demanding the same dental insurance that the coffee workers are receiving.
121	4	"My House"	John Putch	Bill Callahan	January 4, 2007 (2007-01-04)	604	7.33
Dr. Cox feels like the TV character House when he has to solve several mysteries. One of them is that Elliot is angry at Dr. Kelso, but is taking her anger out on Turk for some reason. Carla is showing early signs of postpartum depression, while J.D. tries to be a better boyfriend for Kim and at the same time has to solve the problem of a heart-failure-patient who is apparently healthy, and Turk and Dr. Cox find another mystery when a patient's husband is "as orange as an NBA gameball". The episode guest stars Dave Foley as Dr. Hedrick.
122	5	"My Friend with Money"	John Michel	Gabrielle Allan	January 11, 2007 (2007-01-11)	605	7.33
Elliot is enjoying private practice a little too much, causing J.D. and Dr. Cox to show a little jealousy. Carla's post-partum depression symptoms worsen. Dr. Cox and Janitor try to co-exist in the hospital's new luxury suite.
123	6	"My Musical"	Will Mackenzie	Debra Fordham	January 18, 2007 (2007-01-18)	607	6.57
The arrival of a patient (Stephanie D'Abruzzo) who hears music all the time results in Sacred Heart turning into a full scale Broadway musical. Elliot tries to tell J.D. that she doesn't want to be roommates with him any more, while Carla attempts to decide whether she should return to work or not.
124	7	"His Story IV"	Linda Mendoza	Mike Schwartz	February 1, 2007 (2007-02-01)	606	6.88
Narrated from Dr. Kelso's viewpoint. Dr. Kelso befriends a soldier, Private Brian Dancer (Michael Weston) being treated at Sacred Heart, the war stories he brings back from Iraq remind Kelso what it means to be a good leader. Meanwhile, the soldier's presence in the hospital causes a heated political debate, dividing the staffers, and while everyone is fighting the patient's well-being is being neglected. Elsewhere, J.D. is in search of a new apartment and feels out of the loop when politics become the topic of the day at Sacred Heart.
125	8	"My Road to Nowhere"	Mark Stegemann	Mark Stegemann	February 8, 2007 (2007-02-08)	608	6.22
Turk convinces J.D. that he needs to go to Tacoma for Kim's first ultra sound—which results in an impromptu road trip for the Sacred Heart crew. After commandeering Dr. Kelso's new RV, Rowdy, Elliot, Carla, Keith, Ted and the Janitor join the father to be on his journey. Meanwhile, Dr. Cox and Jordan face some concern when her ultrasound reveals that their unborn child will need to have surgery.
126	9	"My Perspective"	John Putch	Angela Nissel	February 15, 2007 (2007-02-15)	609	6.26
When J.D. develops vasovagal syncope, a condition which results in fainting or blackouts, he finds himself not only having to deal with losing his girlfriend and his apartment, but also his consciousness. Elliot and Turk debate over whose turn it is to take care of the always luckless attending, while Carla tries out her new excuse: "I have a baby." Elsewhere, the Janitor embarks on a cruise vacation. Also, Miloš, an established surgeon in his war-torn home country, comes to Sacred Heart and angers Turk by showing greater surgical experience than him.
127	10	"My Therapeutic Month"	Ken Whittingham	Aseem Batra	February 22, 2007 (2007-02-22)	610	5.69
J.D. likes a sexy new physical therapist but because of his unfortunate circumstances, he finds it difficult to ask her out. Meanwhile, Turk breaks his arm and Dr. Kelso sends him back to residency where, with the help of Dr. Cox, he realizes that he knows less about actual medicine than he thought he did. Elsewhere, Elliot invites Keith to move in with her, but isn't quite ready to compromise her house rules. All the while Carla provides each of the doctors with guidance while they get over their fear, ignorance and stubbornness.
128	11	"My Night to Remember"	Richard Davis	Debra Fordham	March 1, 2007 (2007-03-01)	614	6.80
While helping a patient regain his memory, the staff at Sacred Heart stir up some memories of their own. J.D., Elliot, Turk, Carla, Dr. Cox, Dr. Kelso and Janitor take a trip down memory lane in this clipshow of six years of Scrubs.
129	12	"My Fishbowl"	Chris Koch	Kevin Biegel	March 8, 2007 (2007-03-08)	611	5.89
The day has come for Private Brian Dancer to be released from Sacred Heart, but when the military informs him that his injuries are too severe to return to service he spirals into a state of depression. Elliot, J.D. and Turk rally around him to boost his spirit. Meanwhile, Dr. Cox informs Carla that her jokes are just not funny.
130	13	"My Scrubs"	John Putch	Clarence Livingston	March 15, 2007 (2007-03-15)	612	6.37
Unbeknownst to Dr. Kelso, J.D. and Turk try to beat the system to treat the Chief's uninsured friend. Elsewhere, the Janitor blackmails Carla with a case of mistaken dog identity. Meanwhile, Dr. Cox tries to convince Elliot that a reformed drug addict isn't quite clean. All the while the entire staff is condemned to wearing dirt brown scrubs when Kelso suspects a clothing thief in their midst. The episode guest stars Alexander Chaplin as Sam Thompson and Victoria Tennant as Maggie Kent.
131	14	"My No Good Reason" (Part 1)	Zach Braff	Janae Bakken	March 22, 2007 (2007-03-22)	613	6.48
J.D. and Turk try to forget that the Turks' new nanny is smoking hot, but when the pair holds a public screening of the footage from the nanny cam Carla soon catches on. Elsewhere, Elliot and the Janitor team up to cheer up a dying patient, but their actions cause Dr. Kelso to feel undermined. Meanwhile, Nurse Laverne Roberts and Dr. Cox debate whether or not "everything happens for a reason", but when a tragedy falls upon one of the Sacred Heart staff it is hard to continue the argument.
132	15	"My Long Goodbye" (Part 2)†	Victor Nelli, Jr.	Dave Tennant	April 5, 2007 (2007-04-05)	615	4.89
Nurse Laverne Roberts is in a coma, and nobody knows when she will wake up. Elliot comes to visit and remembers the times when she was down and Nurse Roberts cheered her up. Carla comes in and tells Elliot not to say goodbye because people have come back from worse. Jordan is giving birth and only gives Dr. Cox two hours' notice; he immediately starts freaking out. Carla won't accept that Nurse Laverne Roberts is going to die. A ghost of Nurse Roberts follows Carla around until Carla finally says goodbye to her.
133	16	"My Words of Wisdom"	Victor Nelli, Jr.	Eric Weinberg	April 12, 2007 (2007-04-12)	616	5.02
J.D. treats a deaf patient and learns that the Janitor knows sign language. They are shocked when the father, also deaf, refuses a surgical implant that would allow his son to hear. After saying goodbye to Nurse Roberts, the Sacred Heart staff institutes some of her lessons into their lives. Though Carla thinks they've all forgotten, Dr. Cox takes time to reflect on his purpose, Elliot opens her heart to Keith, and J.D. and Turk learn compassion.
134	17	"Their Story"	Richard Alexander Wells	Andy Schwartz	April 19, 2007 (2007-04-19)	617	5.56
In a unique twist, J.D. turns his narrating duties over to Ted, the Todd and Jordan—as this episode focuses on the lives of the supporting players at Sacred Heart Hospital. Ted juggles fantasies in which he has a full head of hair and a reality where he is helping the nursing staff fight for a raise; Todd meets his future son and helps Turk preserve his reputation and Jordan puts aside her knack for causing misery to help Elliot and Keith's relationship.
135	18	"My Turf War"	Bill Lawrence	Sean Russell	April 26, 2007 (2007-04-26)	618	4.65
Elliot's wild sorority sister, Melody (Keri Russell) comes to town. Not able to deal with being the fifth wheel, J.D. turns the girls against each other in the hopes that he will once again be Elliot's priority friend and he might get to "mack" it with Melody. Meanwhile, Turk and Dr. Cox go head to head when they disagree over whether or not a patient requested surgery is necessary. Elsewhere, Carla discovers an unlikely ghost haunting pediatrics in an attempt to keep it clean.
136	19	"My Cold Shower"	John Inwood	Janae Bakken	May 3, 2007 (2007-05-03)	619	4.95
When Elliot's engagement ring doesn't fit, Keith agrees to a "redo" in which Elliot plans her own engagement. Carla, Jordan and Elliot's sorority sister Melody gather to help plan the "surprise." Meanwhile, the men of Sacred Heart are suffering from too much talk and not enough action: J.D. keeps trying to take it past "macking" with Melody, but she keeps shooting him down, Turk and Carla have not been intimate since their baby was born, and Dr. Kelso's internet is down—resulting in a lot of cold showers. With Elliot's engagement, her colleagues all fantasize about being married to her, each with their own personal twist.
137	20	"My Conventional Wisdom"†	Michael McDonald	Bill Callahan	May 10, 2007 (2007-05-10)	620	5.31
As Elliot begins to plan her wedding with Keith, J.D. continues to question his true feelings for her. In an attempt to ease his best friend's mind Turk takes him to a surgeon's convention in Phoenix, but the plan backfires when J.D. runs into his ex-girlfriend Kim and discovers that she had lied to him and is, in fact, still pregnant with their child. Meanwhile, Kelso and his cronies party it up at the convention while unknown to him, the Janitor takes on the role of chief of medicine back at Sacred Heart.
138	21	"My Rabbit" (Part 1)	John Putch	Kevin Biegel & Aseem Batra	May 17, 2007 (2007-05-17)	621	5.21
J.D. learns that Kim's baby is a boy, but is unsure of whether he could ever trust her enough to be with her. But then Turk and Cox teach J.D. a lesson about fatherhood. Meanwhile, Carla is supposed to plan Elliot's bachelorette party, but Elliot keeps taking over.
139	22	"My Point of No Return" (Part 2)	Linda Mendoza	Neil Goldman & Garrett Donovan	May 17, 2007 (2007-05-17)	622	5.21
J.D. and Kim move in together as Elliot and Keith continue to plan their wedding, but as they each take big steps in their lives, J.D. and Elliot begin to panic and wonder if they really belong with their respective partners. Janitor and his new brain trust try to make Keith a better husband. Meanwhile, Dr. Cox continues to be angry that J.D. is his daughter's godfather.

Season 7 (2007–08)

Main article: Scrubs (season 7)

Season 7 continues to focus on the fact that J.D. has to grow up. It's mentioned in several episodes throughout the season. He also has to deal with his newborn son, Sam. Both Elliot and J.D. deal with the fact that they may be with the wrong person (Keith and Kim). Turk tries to grow closer with Carla. Dr. Cox gets a temporary promotion. Dr. Kelso has to deal with the fact that the hospital has a mandatory retirement policy. Plus, the Janitor starts dating Lady, who works at the hospital.

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Production code	U.S. viewers (millions)
140	1	"My Own Worst Enemy"	Bill Lawrence	Neil Goldman & Garrett Donovan	October 25, 2007 (2007-10-25)	701	7.03
After the events in the On-Call room, J.D. and Elliot continue to question their respective commitments to Kim and Keith. Carla tells Turk that due to his diabetes, he can only have one candy bar every six months. Dr. Cox struggles to diagnose a patient. Meanwhile, Janitor may have a new girlfriend.
141	2	"My Hard Labor"	Adam Bernstein	Bill Callahan	November 1, 2007 (2007-11-01)	702	6.68
J.D.'s pregnant girlfriend, Kim (Elizabeth Banks), goes into labour as they begin to question their strength as a couple and as potential parents. Meanwhile, the rest of Sacred Heart team also seem to be having parenting issues, with Cox wondering whether to give his daughter an injection, Turk and Carla attempting to complete a video game so that they can focus on Izzy, and Kelso helping his son Harrison through a breakup. Dr. Cox works with a new group of interns. Features cameo appearance by Colin Hay.
142	3	"My Inconvenient Truth"	Bill Lawrence	Debra Fordham	November 8, 2007 (2007-11-08)	703	6.36
When the Janitor watches An Inconvenient Truth, he decides to become an Environmental Officer at Sacred Heart (with peculiar motivational methods). J.D. must deal with an inconvenient truth of his own when Dan returns to town and tells him he has to grow up.
143	4	"My Identity Crisis"	Gail Mancuso	Dave Tennant	November 15, 2007 (2007-11-15)	704	6.04
The Janitor learns that J.D. uses nicknames for people in the hospital whose names he doesn't know, and challenges him to learn the real names of everyone in the hospital, or take over as the Janitor for a day. Also, Dr. Cox's family is away, and he realizes that he is lonely without them. Carla fears that she is losing her Latina heritage.
144	5	"My Growing Pains"	Zach Braff	Mike Schwartz	November 29, 2007 (2007-11-29)	705	5.91
J.D. tries to stop acting like a child while Turk tries to bring him back. Dr. Cox has an 11-year-old patient, Josh, with leukemia, and has to deal with the child's parents who want to keep the condition a secret from Josh. On Dr. Kelso's birthday, Elliot throws him a party, and finds out that Dr. Kelso is 65 years old. The hospital's board members find out about it and force him to retire. He asks for it to be kept a secret until they find a replacement.
145	6	"My Number One Doctor"	Will Mackenzie	Janae Bakken	December 6, 2007 (2007-12-06)	706	4.86
Dr. Kelso signs the hospital up to RateYourDoc.org, a website where patients can evaluate their doctor's level of care online. Turk and Dr. Cox go to great lengths to get J.D. out of the number one spot on the website. Elliot must make a decision when she learns that one of her patients has intentionally overdosed on medication. Meanwhile, Carla can't figure out what the Janitor's new girlfriend sees in him.
146	7	"My Bad Too"	Linda Mendoza	Clarence Livingston	April 10, 2008 (2008-04-10)	707	6.58
It is the anniversary for Carla and Turk's first date and both work on getting each other the perfect gift. While Turk is excited as his gift is having learned Spanish, he soon realizes that being bilingual can only work to his advantage and is unsure whether to reveal the truth. Meanwhile, J.D. is torn about whether he should allow one of his patients, a burn victim, to attend his graduation and turns to Elliot for advice. Elsewhere, Dr. Cox decides to steal all of Dr. Kelso's food.
147	8	"My Manhood"	Michael McDonald	Angela Nissel	April 17, 2008 (2008-04-17)	708	7.31
J.D. and Turk try to prove their masculinity. Janitor starts a hospital newspaper titled "The Janitorial" that irks Dr. Cox and Turk's embarrassing secret is revealed.
148	9	"My Dumb Luck"	Rick Blue	Aseem Batra	April 24, 2008 (2008-04-24)	710	5.30
Dr. Cox faces a problem diagnosing a patient. Elliot and Carla try to convince the hospital board against forcing Dr. Kelso to retire. They succeed, but Kelso chooses to leave on his own.
149	10	"My Waste of Time"	Chris Koch	Andy Schwartz	May 1, 2008 (2008-05-01)	711	5.91
Elliot and J.D. seek out a former patient, and Dr. Cox is loving his new title. Meanwhile, the Janitor encourages Ted to be more assertive, but soon finds his own authority being challenged. Carla also approaches Turk about the idea of another baby.
150	11	"My Princess"	Zach Braff	Mark Stegemann	May 8, 2008 (2008-05-08)	709	5.37
Dr. Cox narrates a day's work at the hospital to his son as a medieval fairy tale. J.D. takes the role of the village idiot, Elliot is a princess, Turk and Carla are a two-headed witch, and Dr. Kelso (still head of the hospital as the episode was supposed to be broadcast before "My Dumb Luck") as a demon.

Season 8 (2009)

Main article: Scrubs (season 8)

The eighth season of the American comedy television series Scrubs premiered on ABC on January 6, 2009 and concluded on May 6, 2009 and consists of 19 episodes. The eighth season was the first to be shown on ABC after NBC dropped the series, ending its seven-year run on the network. ABC's pick-up of the show was followed by it commissioning nineteen episodes, which included an hour-long finale. For all of the season's run, it was expected that the eighth season would be the last, especially after the show's creator Bill Lawrence announced it. After rumors surfaced of a ninth season, it was understood that the eighth would be the last to star Zach Braff and much of the main cast. However, the show was later re-commissioned for another season, in which Braff and other cast members appeared for multiple episodes. The eighth season was the first to air in high definition.

Needing to cut costs for the eighth season, Bill Lawrence stated that he divided the writing staff up into two groups, half for the first seven episodes and half for the second eleven episodes. Additionally, each main cast member was absent for three episodes during the season (except Zach Braff and Sarah Chalke who are absent for two). An accompanying web series that aired on ABC's website called Scrubs: Interns was also created to coincide with the season, starring the new interns with guest appearances by the main cast.

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Production code	U.S. viewers (millions)
151	1	"My Jerks"	Michael Spiller	Angela Nissel	January 6, 2009 (2009-01-06)	801	6.76
Dr. Taylor Maddox (Courteney Cox) joins Sacred Heart as new chief of medicine and Dr. Cox tries to avoid her. J.D. struggles to manage new interns. Carla helps Elliot put her ego in check and Elliot apologizes to Keith for their break-up. The Janitor is caught tormenting J.D. by Maddox and is fired.
152	2	"My Last Words"	Bill Lawrence	Aseem Batra	January 6, 2009 (2009-01-06)	802	6.64
J.D. and Turk set aside their personal plans to comfort a dying patient.
153	3	"My Saving Grace"	Michael Spiller	Janae Bakken	January 13, 2009 (2009-01-13)	803	4.48
Dr. Cox requests Dr. Kelso's help to oust Dr. Maddox from Sacred Heart. Carla decides to take self-centered, incompetent intern Katie (Betsy Beutler) down a notch by teaching her a lesson.
154	4	"My Happy Place"	Ken Whittingham	Taii K. Austin	January 13, 2009 (2009-01-13)	804	4.48
J.D. and Elliot reflect on their past break-ups when they try to encourage Dr. Kelso to branch out beyond the coffee shop and decide to give their relationship another try. Dr. Cox, Todd and Turk work together to help two kidney transplant patients. The Janitor is re-hired.
155	5	"My ABC's"	Bill Lawrence	Bill Lawrence	January 27, 2009 (2009-01-27)	713	5.12
J.D., Elliot and Dr. Cox each choose an intern to work with. J.D. picks Denise (Eliza Coupe) who lacks compassion towards patients. Elliot's intern, Katie, tries to use her to land a case study with Turk who picks Ed over Katie due to his multi-colored pen. Dr. Cox chooses Ed (Aziz Ansari) who is lazy and overconfident. Sesame Street Cameos.
156	6	"My Cookie Pants"	Gail Mancuso	Clarence Livingston	January 27, 2009 (2009-01-27)	805	5.05
Elliot seeks Turk's advice on reigniting romance with J.D., who in turn tries to teach Denise to use compassion while dealing with patients. Dr. Kelso recommends Dr. Cox for the job chief of medicine, who is conflicted over taking the role.
157	7	"My New Role"	Will Mackenzie	Dave Tennant	February 3, 2009 (2009-02-03)	806	4.90
Dr. Cox is overcome by his new role as Chief of Medicine and approaches Dr. Kelso for help.
158	8	"My Lawyer's in Love"	Mark Stegemann	Debra Fordham	February 3, 2009 (2009-02-03)	811	4.70
Ted finds it hard to take an initiative when he falls in love at first sight. Meanwhile, Dr. Cox finds it difficult to handle multiple situations.
159	9	"My Absence"	John Putch	Debra Fordham & Andy Schwartz	February 10, 2009 (2009-02-10)	812	4.60
Elliot is faced with J.D.'s absence at the hospital. Meanwhile, Carla tells Turk that she is pregnant again. Turk takes this seriously as the whole hospital doesn't really care due to this not being their first-born child. This is the first episode in the entire series in which J.D. does not appear.
160	10	"My Comedy Show"	Ted Wass	Devin O. Mahoney & C. Rego Marquiis	February 10, 2009 (2009-02-10)	807	4.23
All of the new Interns get assigned to do a role of each doctor by Turk and J.D, The sketch show ends with a sketch of Turk and J.D portrayed as a couple in love, indicating that the whole hospital thinks of them that way. Both Turk and J.D. begin to think they should stop their behaviour in the hospital but both find it too hard to resist. Meanwhile Elliot tries to get Denise to get out of the hospital to have fun with the other interns. Meanwhile Carla makes the Janitor believe that he is losing his mind.
161	11	"My Nah Nah Nah"	John Putch	Kevin Biegel	March 18, 2009 (2009-03-18)	712	5.80
Turk gets an idea about a risky procedure from watching "SportsCenter" that may restore a paralyzed teenager's ability to walk. Jordan gets mad at Dr. Cox when he wears their wedding ring. Lady refuses to hold Janitor's hand, which upsets and confuses him.
162	12	"Their Story II"	Michael McDonald	Andy Schwartz	March 25, 2009 (2009-03-25)	808	5.33
Narrated from the perspective of hospital's new interns. J.D. assumes the role arguing with Dr. Cox over hospital's various needs. However, his successes do not go over well with Turk.
163	13	"My Full Moon"	John Michel	Kevin Biegel	April 1, 2009 (2009-04-01)	813	5.04
A full moon and some bad luck bring Sacred Heart's new interns their roughest cases yet. Meanwhile Elliot ponders her future as a doctor after she finds out the source of a patient's mysterious illness, and then has to tell that patient.
164	14	"My Soul on Fire: Part 1"	Bill Lawrence	Bill Callahan	April 8, 2009 (2009-04-08)	809	4.66
The Janitor and Lady send out invitations to their fake wedding in the Bahamas in order to score some free gifts, but the joke's on them when J.D. convinces everyone from the hospital to go.
165	15	"My Soul on Fire: Part 2"	Bill Lawrence	Bill Callahan	April 15, 2009 (2009-04-15)	810	5.30
Janitor and Lady's quirky, tropical, seaside wedding ceremony affirms the romance for the oddest of the hospital's couples. Meanwhile, there's trouble in paradise for the other couples. The episode features a cameo appearance from Scrubs' creator Bill Lawrence as Van, Justice of the Peace.
166	16	"My Cuz"	Linda Mendoza	Kevin Biegel	April 22, 2009 (2009-04-22)	814	4.66
As J.D. plans to move closer to Sam, he reaches out to make peace with Kim (Elizabeth Banks) and finds that she has a new man in her life, Elliot's ex-boyfriend Sean (Scott Foley). Meanwhile, Turk rallies the troops at Sacred Heart to help him campaign for a promotion to chief of surgery.
167	17	"My Chief Concern"	Zach Braff	Neil Goldman & Garrett Donovan	May 5, 2009 (2009-05-05)	815	3.83
Change begets change when J.D. considers taking a new job so he can live closer to his son and Kim, Turk begins his new role as chief of surgery, and Ted and Gooch take their relationship to the next level.
168/169	18/19	"My Finale"	Bill Lawrence	Bill Lawrence	May 6, 2009 (2009-05-06)	816/817	5.07
J.D. intends to leave Sacred Heart to move closer to his son, while he and Elliot plan to take their relationship to the next level. He then goes around saying his farewells to everyone and gets upset when Dr. Cox won't say goodbye to him.

Season 9 (2009–10)

Main article: Scrubs (season 9)

Season 9 focuses on the unique point of view of Lucy Bennett (Kerry Bishé), an impressionable med student, sharing narration duties with (for the first five episodes) Dr. John "J.D." Dorian (Zach Braff). After leaving for a job at another hospital, J.D. returns to Sacred Heart to teach at its medical school alongside Christopher Turk (Donald Faison), Perry Cox (John C. McGinley), Denise Mahoney (Eliza Coupe) and Bob Kelso (Ken Jenkins). Together they serve as professors (and inspiration) to a brand new class of med students, including Lucy, former med school drop out Drew (Michael Mosley), and cocky, entitled Cole (Dave Franco). J.D. is now married to Dr. Elliot Reid (Sarah Chalke), and the happy couple are expecting their first child.

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Production code	U.S. viewers (millions)
170	1	"Our First Day of School"	Michael Spiller	Bill Lawrence	December 1, 2009 (2009-12-01)	901	4.63
Set one year after the finale of Season 8; J.D., Turk, Cox, Kelso and resident Denise return to Sacred Heart to teach med school while new med students Lucy, Drew and Cole are put through the wringer on their first day of school. Final Scrubs appearance of: Neil Flynn as The Janitor
171	2	"Our Drunk Friend"	Michael McDonald	Josh Bycel & Jonathan Groff	December 1, 2009 (2009-12-01)	902	4.43
Lucy learns a hard lesson about what it takes to be a doctor. Meanwhile J.D. and Turk spot a potential love connection between Denise and the new med student Drew, as they play matchmakers with a little bit of help from Dr. Kelso.
172	3	"Our Role Models"	Gail Mancuso	Steven Cragg & Brian Bradley	December 8, 2009 (2009-12-08)	903	5.44
J.D. and Drew learn a tough lesson in mentoring when Dr. Cox and Lucy show them that sometimes the student is the teacher. Meanwhile, Lucy decides to shadow Denise.
173	4	"Our Histories"	Ken Whittingham	Corey Nickerson	December 15, 2009 (2009-12-15)	904	4.22
J.D. and Turk show up in costume at a med student's party. Meanwhile, Kelso bids a fond farewell to Ted and Gooch. Also, if Cole, Lucy, and Drew and the gang want to go to the med student party, they have to perform a 'final interview' on a dying soldier before that. Final Scrubs appearance of: Sam Lloyd as Ted
174	5	"Our Mysteries"	Michael Spiller	Steven Cragg & Brian Bradley	December 22, 2009 (2009-12-22)	909	3.55
J.D. still clamors for Dr. Cox's approval as he approaches his final day of teaching at Sacred Heart, Lucy searches within herself for the courage to perform a basic medical procedure on a real human, and Denise and Drew make things official.
175	6	"Our New Girl-Bro"	Michael McDonald	Kevin Etten	January 1, 2010 (2010-01-01)	906	3.53
While Turk struggles to find a replacement best friend, Elliot offers some sound advice and guidance to an over-worked and exhausted Lucy. Also, Cole finds out he could fail med school.
176	7	"Our White Coats"	John Putch	Andy Schwartz	January 5, 2010 (2010-01-05)	907	3.86
Before receiving their white coats, the med students of Winston University must figure out why they want to be doctors, and Denise gets a little relationship help from Elliot. Also, Cole reveals a secret Drew has been hiding.
177	8	"Our Couples"	Chris Koch	Prentice Penny	January 5, 2010 (2010-01-05)	908	3.05
Lucy finds couplings, dysfunctional or not, throughout the hospital. Meanwhile, Turk is angered after Perry makes him operate on an old friend.
178	9	"Our Stuff Gets Real"	John Putch	Leila Strachan	January 12, 2010 (2010-01-12)	905	2.72
The reality of having a baby begins to settle in for both J.D. and Elliot while Lucy struggles with the reality of operating on people. Also, Perry doesn't know if he's ready to sign a will. Final Scrubs appearance of: Zach Braff as J.D., Sarah Chalke as Elliot, Christa Miller as Jordan
179	10	"Our True Lies"	Michael Spiller	Lon Zimmet & Dan Rubin	January 19, 2010 (2010-01-19)	910	3.34
A case of guilty conscience plagues the med school when a student cheats on an exam and Dr. Cox takes it out on the entire class. Meanwhile, Drew reveals he was married and Denise makes a startling admission of her own.
180	11	"Our Dear Leaders"	Peter Lauer	Corey Nickerson & Kevin Etten	January 26, 2010 (2010-01-26)	911	3.30
Lucy takes her new assignment as hell week "team leader" a bit too seriously. Perry challenges Drew to stay away from his friends, and Dr. Turk feels threatened when an internationally renowned surgeon pays a visit.
181	12	"Our Driving Issues"	Eren Celeboglu	Alessia Costantini & Prentice Penny	March 10, 2010 (2010-03-10)	912	4.31
When Cole and Kelso both get negative results back after a few routine tests, they learn the hard way to put their egos in check in order to rein in the support of their so-called friends. Meanwhile, Denise and Perry put Drew in the middle of their fight. Final Scrubs appearance of: Ken Jenkins as Kelso
182	13	"Our Thanks"	Rick Blue	Sean Russell	March 17, 2010 (2010-03-17)	913	3.45
In the series finale, the med students of Winston University finally find something to be thankful for when Cole identifies his true calling in surgery, but he annoys Turk by shadowing him. Meanwhile, Drew realizes who the love of his life is after Denise decides to move in. Lucy finds the inspiration to become a doctor, after a former patient's son comes to say his final words to his deceased father.

Notes

• ^† denotes a "supersized" episode, running an extended length of 25–28 minutes.

References

General references

External links

• Scrubs at IMDb
• List of Scrubs episodes at TV.com

The first season introduces John Michael "J.D." Dorian and his best friend Christopher Turk in their first year out of medical school as interns at Sacred Heart Hospital. J.D. meets his reluctant mentor Perry Cox; an attractive female intern named Elliot, on whom he develops a crush; the hospital's janitor, who goes out of his way to make J.D.'s life difficult; Chief of Medicine Dr. Bob Kelso, who is more concerned about the budget than the patients; and Carla Espinosa, the head nurse who eventually becomes Turk's girlfriend. The characters face romance and relationship issues, family obligations, overwhelming paperwork, long shifts, dealing with death of patients, and conflicting pressures from senior doctors.

The second season follows J.D.'s second year practicing medicine at Sacred Heart where Elliot, Turk, and he are now residents. As the season develops, money issues affect the three of them, especially Elliot, whose dad cut her off. J.D.'s older brother Dan (Tom Cavanagh) comes to visit, as does Turk's brother Kevin (D.L. Hughley). Season two focuses on the romantic relationships of the main characters: Turk proposes to an indecisive Carla, who has doubts about if Turk is mature enough; Elliot dates nurse Paul Flowers (Rick Schroder); and Dr. Cox dates pharmaceutical rep Julie (Heather Locklear) before reigniting a relationship with his pregnant ex-wife Jordan (Christa Miller). J.D., meanwhile, attempts a relationship with Elliot, and later falls for Jamie (Amy Smart), the wife of one of his coma patients.

As the third season opens, Elliot decides to change her image with some help from the Janitor. J.D.'s undeniable crush on Elliot emerges again, but J.D. instead begins a relationship with Jordan's sister Danni (Tara Reid), who is also dealing with feelings for her ex. Turk and Carla are engaged and planning their wedding. Turk, along with Todd and the other surgical residents, deal with new attending surgeon Grace Miller (Bellamy Young), who dislikes Turk and considers him sexist. Cox and Jordan are doing well with their relationship and their son Jack, although Cox develops a schoolboy crush on Dr. Miller. He also struggles with the death of his best friend, Jordan's brother. Elliot gets into a serious relationship with Sean Kelly (Scott Foley) and tries to maintain a long-distance relationship while he is in New Zealand for six months. J.D. eventually convinces Elliot to break up with Sean to date him, only to realize, once he has her, that he does not actually love her. Their relationship lasts three days. The season ends with Turk and Carla's wedding, which Turk misses due to surgery and a church mix-up.

In season four, J.D. finishes his residency and becomes a full-blown colleague of Cox, although their dynamic does not change much. As the season opens, Turk arrives from his honeymoon with Carla, but they soon start having issues when Carla tries to change many things about her new husband. Their marriage and Turk's friendship with J.D. experience friction when J.D. and Carla share a drunken kiss. Dr. Cox and Jordan learn that their divorce was not final, but this is not necessarily all good news. Elliot is still angry with J.D. for breaking her heart, and the situation becomes more uncomfortable still when she dates J.D.'s brother. J.D. has a new love interest of his own when a new and very attractive psychiatrist, Dr. Molly Clock (Heather Graham), arrives at Sacred Heart. Molly also serves as Elliot's mentor during her time at the hospital.

Season five starts with J.D. living in a hotel, sorting out apartment issues. Elliot is dating Jake who builds her confidence up so she applies for, and gets, a new fellowship in another hospital. Turk and Carla are trying to have a baby, despite Turk's still having doubts. Finally, new interns have arrived to Sacred Heart, chief among them being Keith Dudemeister (Travis Schuldt), who soon becomes Elliot's new boyfriend, much to J.D.'s dissatisfaction. J.D. is cast in the role of expecting father, discovering at the very end of the season that his girlfriend, Dr. Kim Briggs (Elizabeth Banks), is pregnant with his child.

The sixth season has J.D. and the other characters mature to fill the different roles required of them. Turk and Carla become parents when Carla gives birth to their daughter Isabella. Elliot plans her wedding to Keith, although J.D. and she still harbor feelings for each other. Dr. Cox, as father of two children with Jordan, struggles to prevent his foul disposition from affecting his parenting.

In season seven, J.D. and Elliot struggle once again to deny their feelings for each other, despite Elliot soon to be marrying Keith and J.D. to have his first son with Kim, while the Janitor may have a new girlfriend. Bob Kelso's job is put on the line as he turns 65 years old. J.D.'s brother Dan also returns to town.

The eighth season has Kelso's replacement, Taylor Maddox (Courteney Cox), arrive; she quickly makes a lot of changes, affecting the way doctors treat patients. Elliot and J.D. finally discuss their true feelings for each other and again become a couple. Janitor and Lady (Kit Pongetti) marry, while Cox is promoted to chief of medicine to replace the dismissed Dr. Maddox, with some encouragement from Kelso. Kelso and Dr. Cox become friends, and J.D. prepares to leave Sacred Heart to move closer to his son, with Elliot. Turk is promoted to chief of surgery at Sacred Heart.

Coinciding with season eight, the webisode series Scrubs: Interns was launched, focusing around the eighth season's medical interns, Sonja "Sunny" Dey (Sonal Shah), Denise (Eliza Coupe), Katie (Betsy Beutler), and Howie (Todd Bosley). The interns learn from various characters of the show about life in the hospital.

The ninth season takes place over a year after season eight's finale. The old Sacred Heart hospital has been torn down and rebuilt. Cox, Dorian, and Turk are now Winston University medical school professors whose students occasionally rotate through the new Sacred Heart. Between the end of season eight and the beginning of season nine, the Janitor has left the hospital after being told that J.D. was not returning, and Elliot and J.D. have married and are expecting their first child. J.D.'s stay at the university is short, and he leaves the series after six episodes, reappearing in episode 9, "Our Stuff Gets Real", as a secondary character. Kelso's wife passes away, and Ted quits Sacred Heart to travel around the U.S. with his girlfriend.

Production

The origin for the show is loosely based on Dr. Jonathan Doris' experiences as a resident in internal medicine at Brown Medical School, which served as inspiration for college friend and show creator Bill Lawrence.

Scrubs was produced by ABC, through its production division, though it was aired by rival broadcaster NBC. According to show runner Lawrence, the arrangement was unusual, at least for 2007: "The show is a dinosaur, on one network and completely owned by another" and, since it is now in syndication, making a "ton of money for Touchstone." Lawrence confirmed ABC would have broadcast the seventh season had NBC refused to do so.

Main crew

The show's creator, Bill Lawrence, was also an executive producer and the showrunner. He wrote 14 episodes and directed 17. Neil Goldman and Garrett Donovan co-wrote 13 episodes during their eight-year run on the show, starting as co-producers on the show and ending as executive producers; they left the show after the eighth season. Mike Schwartz, who also played Lloyd the Delivery Guy, wrote 13 episodes during the first eight seasons; he started out as a story editor and became co-executive producer in season six. Janae Bakken and Debra Fordham were writers and producers during the first eight seasons, each writing 16 episodes. Other notable writers who started in the first season include Mark Stegemann, who wrote 14 episodes and directed two episodes during the first eight seasons; Gabrielle Allan, who wrote 11 episodes during the first four seasons and was co-executive producer; Eric Weinberg, who wrote 11 episodes during the first six seasons and was co-executive producer; Matt Tarses, who wrote eight episodes during the first four seasons and was co-executive producer. Notable writers who joined in the second season include Tim Hobert, who wrote 11 episodes from seasons two to six, and became executive producer in season five. Angela Nissel wrote 10 episodes from seasons two to eight, starting out as a staff writer and became supervising producer in season seven. Bill Callahan joined the show in season four, writing eight episodes from seasons four to eight; he became executive producer in season six.

Adam Bernstein, who directed the pilot episode, "My First Day", also directed 11 episodes up until season seven. Michael Spiller directed the most episodes, 20 during the entire series run. Ken Whittingham and Chris Koch both directed 12 episodes from seasons two to nine. Comedian Michael McDonald, who also appeared on the show, directed five episodes. Show star Zach Braff directed seven episodes of the show, including the landmark 100th episode "My Way Home", which won a Peabody Award in April 2007. In 2009, Josh Bycel, a writer and supervising producer for the animated comedy American Dad!, joined the crew as a new executive producer for the ninth season.

Medical advisors

Scrubs writers worked with several medical advisors, including doctors Jonathan Doris, Jon Turk, and Dolly Klock. Their names serve as the basis for the names of characters John Dorian, Chris Turk, and Molly Clock (played by Braff, Faison, and Heather Graham, respectively). In the season eight finale "My Finale", the "real J.D.", Jonathan Doris, made a cameo appearance as the doctor who said "adios" to J.D. In addition, the show creator said that every single medical story on the show was handed to them by real physicians, whose names would then be written into the show. The show never used real patients' names, but Lawrence and his writers would make sure the doctors' names were written into the episodes.

Filming location and Sacred Heart Hospital

Scrubs' filming location, the North Hollywood Medical Center, being torn down after the series finished production

In the show, Sacred Heart is an inner-city teaching hospital located in Greater Sacramento, California. The first eight seasons of Scrubs were filmed on location at the North Hollywood Medical Center, a decommissioned hospital located at 12629 Riverside Drive in North Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles. The site is on the south bank of the concrete channel of the Los Angeles River, visible in some scenes on the series.

The production of Scrubs took complete control of the hospital, with the existing hospital rooms reworked to be more production-friendly. This involved knocking down various walls to create larger, more open spaces such as the main ward and the communal areas like admissions, which did not originally exist. Production designer Cabot McMullen also introduced more glass walls and windows around the hospital sets, as well as putting in nurses stations, which could be easily moved to allow different camera movements. While much of the building was renovated, the team were very keen to preserve the state of disrepair which the hospital was in, to give the show a more gritty, dank aesthetic.

Other recurring locations were also built into the building, including J.D. and Turk's apartment, a bar which they frequent and Dr. Cox's apartment–which was built in an old operating room. As well as these permanent locations, the production team would also often construct temporary sets as required, also within the hospital. Almost all of the team responsible for the show were housed within the hospital; this included all of the writers, production and casting team. Post-production was also handled in the building, with an editing suite and a sound-studio for ADR.

Instead of the more traditional artist trailers for the cast to retreat to during breaks, they were instead all given old hospital rooms as well as a small allowance to decorate them. In some instances when either filming went on late, or the cast and crew went out after work, some, such as John C. McGinley would go and sleep in their dressing room at the hospital instead of going home. Cast and crew on the show refer to the location as "San DiFrangeles"—a portmanteau of San Diego, San Francisco, and Los Angeles that is meant to encompass a large part of California. In season four's episode nine, "My Malpractice Decision", Turk's new phone number has the Sacramento area code 916. For the ninth season, the show moved to Culver Studios, with exteriors shot on lawns and outside the historical office bungalows of the studio complex. The building used for the exteriors of the new Sacred Heart Hospital is located at the intersection of Ince Boulevard and Lindblade Street in Culver City, California ().

WGA strike and network change

On November 5, 2007, the Writers Guild of America went on strike, which put the production of the show's seventh season on hold. When the strike started, only 11 of Scrubs' 18 planned seventh-season episodes had been finished. Lawrence refused to cross any WGA picket lines to serve any of his duties for the show, so ABC Studios had non-WGA members finish episode 12, which the studio had unsuccessfully pressured Lawrence to rewrite as a series finale prior to the strike.

During the strike, NBC announced that The Office and Scrubs would be replaced by Celebrity Apprentice. NBC later announced that they would leave Scrubs on hiatus for the time being and fill the 8–9 pm timeslot with various specials and repeats.

Episode 11, "My Princess", was eventually filmed, although Lawrence was absent. Filming of episode 11 was disrupted by picketers. It was believed that Lawrence had tipped the picketers off about the filming schedule, although these beliefs turned out to be false as Lawrence quickly drove to the set to "keep the peace". After the strike ended, Lawrence announced that the final episodes of Scrubs would be produced, although at the time, he was unsure where or how they would be distributed.

Switch to ABC

Amid strike-induced doubt involving the final episodes of Scrubs, on February 28, 2008, The Hollywood Reporter reported that ABC was in talks with corporate sibling ABC Studios with the aim of bringing Scrubs to ABC for an eighth season of 18 episodes, despite Lawrence and Braff's protests that the seventh season would definitely be the last. Just hours later, Variety reported that NBC was lashing out and threatening legal action against ABC Studios. McGinley confirmed that he had been told to report back to work on March 24, 2008, to begin production for another season. On March 12, 2008, McGinley was also quoted as saying that the show's long-rumored move from NBC to ABC was a done deal, and that Scrubs would air on ABC during the 2008–09 TV season as a midseason replacement.

On March 19, 2008, Michael Ausiello of TV Guide reported that although nothing was "official", the Scrubs cast was to report back to work the following Wednesday for work on a season "unofficial" as yet. Zach Braff posted in his blog on Myspace, on April 28, 2008, that an eighth season consisting of 18 episodes was under production, but that he could not say where it would be aired. He then stated, on May 7, 2008, that the May 8 episode would be the final NBC-aired episode of Scrubs, which was followed by a bulletin on his Myspace, on May 12, confirming that Scrubs's eighth season would be moving to ABC.

Season eight

Main article: Scrubs season 8

On May 13, 2008, ABC announced that Scrubs would be a midseason replacement, airing Tuesday nights at 9:00 pm EST. Steve McPherson, ABC's President of Entertainment, also stated that additional seasons of Scrubs beyond the eighth could be produced if it performs well. In late November, ABC announced Scrubs would resume with back-to-back episodes on January 6, 2009, at 9:00 pm EST.

Creator Bill Lawrence described season eight as more like the first few seasons in tone, with increased focus on more realistic storylines, accompanied by the introduction of new characters. Courteney Cox joined the cast as the new chief of medicine, Dr. Maddox, for a three-episode arc. The eighth season includes webisodes and is the first Scrubs season broadcast in high definition.

Sarah Chalke was hoping that J.D. and Elliot would end up back together, comparing them to Friends characters Ross and Rachel, which has been addressed a few times on the show. In the early episodes of the season, they did rekindle their relationship, and continued dating through the end of the season. Several actors who guest starred as patients at Sacred Heart during the course of Scrubs returned for the finale.

The double-length season eight finale, "My Finale", aired on May 6, 2009, and was expected to be the series finale, as well. However, it soon became clear that the show would return for a ninth season.

Season nine

Main article: Scrubs season 9

On April 16, 2009, Bill Lawrence wrote on the ABC.com message boards that a ninth season of Scrubs was still "50/50". On April 28, it was announced that ABC was in talks to renew Scrubs for another year.

Lawrence also stated that Scrubs as it was is over, for the show to move forward with a new cast in an ER type role on ABC, or take a new title completely. In response to criticisms that the change would tarnish Scrubs' legacy, Lawrence defended the decision, as it would allow the Scrubs crew to continue work through a recession: "'Legacy shmegacy.' I'm really proud of the show, I'll continue to be proud of the show, but I love all of those people..."

On June 19, 2009, it was announced that the ninth season of Scrubs would "shift from the hospital to the classroom and make med-school professors of John C. McGinley's Dr. Cox and Donald Faison's Turk." According to Lawrence, the ninth season would "be a lot like Paper Chase as a comedy," with Cox's and Turk's students occasionally rotating through the halls of Sacred Heart and encountering former series regulars. McGinley and Faison were joined by "a quartet of newbies (most of them playing students)" as full-time regulars, while one of the freshmen "will be fairly famous."

Of the seven actors who had appeared in the show since the pilot, only Faison and McGinley retained their roles as regulars. Zach Braff returned part-time and was absent for the majority of the season, while retaining lead billing for six episodes. Sarah Chalke returned for four episodes as a guest star; Ken Jenkins, credited as a guest star, appeared in nine of the 13 episodes; Neil Flynn appeared in the season premiere in a brief cameo; Judy Reyes was the only former star not to return to the show. In an interview on the YouTube series Made Man, John C. McGinley stated that the reason for some cast members not returning was that they demanded higher salaries. Although he did not confirm which cast members, he did specify that two of the original cast made demands; hence, they were not brought back.

The new main cast included Eliza Coupe returning to the recurring role of Denise "Jo" Mahoney from season eight, Dave Franco as Cole, a charming, confidently stupid, and incredibly entitled medical student whose family donated the money to build the school, Kerry Bishé as Lucy, who shared the starring role with Braff in the beginning of the season and eventually became the show's new narrator, and Michael Mosley as Drew, a 30-year-old med student on his last attempt at school.

Production for the final season took place at Culver Studios.

Cancellation

On May 14, 2010, it was officially announced that the show was canceled. The season nine finale, titled "Our Thanks", aired on March 17, 2010. Five days later, on March 22, 2010, Zach Braff announced, via the official Facebook page, that the ninth season of Scrubs would be the last, commenting that, "Many of you have asked, so here it is: it appears that 'New Scrubs', 'Scrubs 2.0', 'Scrubs with New Kids', 'Scrubbier', 'Scrubs without JD' is no more. It was worth a try, but alas... it didn't work."

Crossovers

Zach Braff, Sarah Chalke, Judy Reyes, John C. McGinley and Neil Flynn reprised their roles as J.D., Elliot Reid, Carla Espinosa, Perry Cox, and the Janitor to make a cameo appearance in the 2002 Muppets film It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie, trying to reanimate Miss Piggy. Eventually, Piggy and the Scrubs cast break the fourth wall, with the actors portraying themselves and Bill Lawrence appearing as himself/the director of the current episode.

Neil Flynn reprised his role as Janitor in the Clone High season 1 episode "Litter Kills: Litterally". In the episode, Janitor is revealed to work part-time at Clone High, where his adoptive son, a clone of Ponce De León, attends high school until he is killed, and Janitor is fired by Principal Scudworth. In a speech at The College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia on January 29, 2009, Bill Lawrence confirmed that the name Scudworth called Janitor in the episode, "Glenn", was in the fact the character's real name, with his full name confirmed as "Glenn Matthews" in the season 8 finale of Scrubs. In the season 2 finale of the 2023 revival of Clone High, Flynn reprised his role as Janitor for the first time since the Scrubs season 9 premiere "Our First Day of School"; revealed to have been since rehired in his old position as Janitor of Clone High, Janitor signs Joan of Arc's Clone High 2023 yearbook, telling her (and signing) that "You're a lone wolf, just like me! – Janitor", before howling and walking away.

Sam Lloyd reprised his role as Ted Buckland in the season two finale of the Lawrence series Cougar Town. In the episode, written and directed by Lawrence, Ted is in Hawaii and says his girlfriend, Stephanie Gooch, has run off with Dr. Hooch. Lloyd reprised his role again in the season three episode "A One Story Town" which also featured Ken Jenkins, Robert Maschio, Zach Braff, Christa Miller, Sarah Chalke, and the Worthless Peons in cameo appearances at the end of the episode, with a confused Ted saying "This is weird, man! Everyone here looks like someone from my old job.".

Cinematography and delivery format

The show is shot with a single instead of multiple-camera setup more typical for sitcoms. The season four episode "My Life in Four Cameras", has a brief multiple-camera style, since it includes J.D.'s fantasies of life being more like a traditional sitcom.

John Inwood, the cinematographer of the series, shot the series with his own Aaton XTR prod Super16 film camera. Despite the fact that some broadcasters, such as the BBC, consider Super 16 a "non-HD" format, John Inwood believed that footage from his camera was not only sufficient to air in high definition, but it also "looked terrific." The intro of the first season, which was broadcast in 4:3, has been reused in an HD version for season eight without any further change.

Except for the finale of season five, "My Transition", which was broadcast in high definition, the first seven seasons of the show have been broadcast in standard definition with a 4:3 aspect ratio. After the show was moved from NBC to ABC, the broadcast format for new episodes changed to high definition and widescreen. John Inwood opined that older episodes could be rereleased that way, as well. From the very beginning, he filmed the show with widescreen delivery in mind so the whole series could be aired in widescreen when the market evolved.

All nine seasons have been released on DVD in 4:3 format. However, the eighth season was also released on Blu-ray Disc in the original widescreen format.

Music

Music plays a large role in Scrubs. A wide variety of rock, pop, and indie artists are featured, and almost every episode ends with a musical montage summing up the themes and plot lines of the episode, and the music for these montages is often picked even before the episodes are completely written.

Members of the cast and crew were encouraged to contribute song suggestions, with many ideas coming from series creator Bill Lawrence, writer Neil Goldman, and actors Zach Braff (whose college friends Cary Brothers and Joshua Radin appear on the Scrubs soundtrack) and Christa Miller (who selected Colin Hay and Tammany Hall NYC). According to Lawrence, "Christa picks so much of the music for the show that a lot of the writers and actors don't even go to me anymore when they have a song. They hand it to her."

Featured songs present in the original broadcasts appear unaltered in the DVD release of the show. However, a handful of songs were replaced in the versions released to streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu due to licensing issues.

Scrubs featured a musical episode in the sixth season, "My Musical", guest-starring Tony-nominated Avenue Q actress Stephanie D'Abruzzo. The episode was nominated for five Emmy Awards, winning one.

Theme song

The theme song of the series, performed by Lazlo Bane, is titled "Superman", and can be found on the album All the Time in the World, as well as on the first Scrubs soundtrack. Lawrence credits Braff for finding and suggesting "Superman" as the theme song, with the specific lyric "I'm no Superman" serving as an allusion to the fallibility of the lead characters.

The Scrubs main title is performed at a faster tempo than the original recording of the song. The original, slower recording was used briefly at the beginning of season two, played during an extended version of the title sequence, as well as the opening for "My Urologist", and a special edit of the title sequence for resulting in roughly 1–2 seconds of music, followed by the line "I'm no Superman", accompanied by a quick flash of credits. The original introduction from season one was used through most of season three and then used for seasons four through eight. In the ninth and final season, a new version of "Superman" is used, performed by WAZ.

Soundtracks

Main article: List of Scrubs soundtracks

Three official soundtracks have been released. The first soundtrack, Music From Scrubs, was released on CD on September 24, 2002. The second soundtrack, Scrubs Original Soundtrack Vol. 2, was released exclusively on iTunes on May 9, 2006. The third soundtrack, "My Musical" Soundtrack, featured the music composed and performed in musical episode "My Musical"; it was released on Amazon.com and iTunes on August 7, 2007.

Featured musical contributors

Colin Hay, the former frontman of Men at Work, has had music featured in at least seven episodes, and has appeared in the episode "My Overkill", performing the song "Overkill" as a street musician, and in the episode "My Hard Labor" performing "Down Under". Hay also sings "Where Everybody Knows Your Name", the theme from Cheers, in the episode "My Life in Four Cameras" and the episode "My Philosophy" features Hay's song "Waiting For My Real Life To Begin", sung by several members of the cast. He also appeared in "My Finale".

The music of Joshua Radin, who is a friend of Scrubs star Zach Braff, appeared in six episodes.

Music by Keren DeBerg has featured in 15 episodes, and she appeared in "My Musical" as an extra in the song "All Right".

Clay Aiken appeared in the episode "My Life in Four Cameras" and performed the song "Isn't She Lovely?" by Stevie Wonder.

The Worthless Peons

Main article: The Blanks

The Worthless Peons (also known as Ted's Band, The Blanks, or in the "My Way Home" Director's Cut, as "Foghat") are an a cappella group made up of Sacred Heart hospital employees from different departments. They are a cover band, and often sing songs from a specific genre (for example, cartoon theme songs or commercial jingles).

The Worthless Peons are played by The Blanks, who are a real-life a cappella band made up of Sam Lloyd (who plays Ted), George Miserlis, Paul F. Perry, and Philip McNiven. The Blanks' album, Riding the Wave, features guest appearances from Lawrence and members of the Scrubs cast. This band was put on the show when Sam Lloyd brought his a cappella band to the Scrubs cast Christmas party. Lloyd told Lawrence about his band, and Lawrence got the idea of putting them in the show.

The Worthless Peons also sing the theme song to the web series Scrubs: Interns, which features the new interns from season eight learning about the hospital in the same way that J.D. did in season one. Interns is aired on the ABC website.

Title sequence

The chest X-ray featured at the end of the title sequence was hung backwards for most of the first five seasons. Lawrence has stated that having the X-ray backwards was intentional as it signified that the new interns were inexperienced. During Zach Braff's audio commentary on "My Last Chance", he states that the error was actually unintentional. The error became somewhat infamous and was even parodied in "My Cabbage".

An attempt was made to fix the error in the extended title sequence used at the beginning of season two that included Neil Flynn, but the extended sequence (including corrected X-ray) was soon scrapped due to fan and network request. Finally, in "My Urologist", Dr. Kim Briggs steps into the credits and switches the X-ray around, saying, "That's backwards; it's been bugging me for years". At the beginning of season eight, when the series switched to ABC, the chest X-ray was once again backwards.

The ninth season features a new title sequence with a new version of the theme song "Superman" performed by WAZ. The new title sequences features the four new characters–Denise, Lucy, Drew, and Cole, as well as Dr. Cox and Turk, while J.D. is seen at the end placing the chest X-ray. In all season nine episodes that do not feature J.D., he is absent from the title sequence and Lucy is the one placing the X-ray. The X-ray at the end of the sequence is also not backwards and the subtitle "Med School" appears at the end of the sequence.

Podcast

On March 31, 2020, Zach Braff and Donald Faison launched their Scrubs-themed podcast Fake Doctors, Real Friends in partnership with iHeartRadio in which Braff and Faison rewatch each episode and give behind-the-scenes details on the series.

Reception

Zach Braff's portrayal as J.D. received critical acclaim, earning him one Emmy and three Golden Globe nominations for his performance.

Critical reception

First eight seasons

Throughout its original run, Scrubs received critical acclaim, with many critics praising its cast, characters, and humor (especially J.D.'s fantasy sequences). In 2006, Entertainment Weekly's website EW.com gave the overall series (the review was made early after the fifth-season premiere) a grade of "A−", with the author saying "Scrubs is the trickiest comedy on TV [...] A likable, daffy, buoyant series that would be a big annoying mess if it weren't done just right, Scrubs is the very definition of nimble". IGN gave the first season a perfect score of 10. The seven following seasons were rated, respectively, 9, 9, 9, 8, 7.5, 8.3 and 7.5.

The Truth About Nursing, which checks the realism of the medical series, gave Scrubs a "Nursing rating" of 1.5 out of 4 stars, but an "Artistic rating" of 3 out of 4 stars, praising that "despite the nasty and surreal elements, its characters are not above learning or growing, as they try to cope with the very real stresses of life and death at the hospital". However, the reviewer stated, "The show's portrayal of nursing has been less impressive".

Review aggregate Metacritic only assigned an average score to the eighth and ninth seasons, with the eighth season scoring 79/100, based on four reviews only (all positives), indicating "Generally favorable reviews".

The ninth season's new characters were heavily criticized. However, the performances of original cast members (including Donald Faison, pictured) were praised.

Ninth season

The ninth and final season received mixed reviews, with many critics heavily criticizing the new cast; it received a score of 64/100 on Metacritic, indicating "Generally favorable reviews". An IGN editor gave it a positive score of 7 out of 10, stating "even though this was not the best season, I'll always have fond memories of the show".

USA Today reviewer Robert Bianco wrote a negative review, stating "The result is a deadly, deal-driven mistake that takes a network that has made great sitcom strides forward one unfortunate step back". He also noted that the presence of a few members of the original cast (Braff, Faison, and John C. McGinley) "only makes it harder for the new characters to take hold" (despite his additional criticism of Braff's performance). Blogcritics gave it a mixed review, criticizing the new cast, but praising the performances by the original cast members.

Awards and nominations

Further information: List of awards and nominations received by Scrubs

Judy Reyes was nominated for four ALMA Awards, winning two.

Scrubs received 17 Emmy nominations, in categories such as casting, cinematography, directing, editing, and writing, winning only two. Its fourth season earned the series its first nomination for Outstanding Comedy Series. Zach Braff was also nominated that year for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. The series was nominated again the following year for Outstanding Comedy Series, and won its first Emmy, for Outstanding Picture Editing for a Multi-Camera Comedy Series, for "My Life in Four Cameras" . At the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards, the episode "My Musical" was nominated for five awards in four categories: Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series (Will Mackenzie), Outstanding Music Direction (Jan Stevens) and Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics ("Everything Comes Down to Poo" and "Guy Love"); and won its second Emmy (co-winner with Entourage), for Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (Half-Hour) And Animation (Joe Foglia, Peter J. Nusbaum, and John W. Cook II).

Braff was nominated for the Golden Globe award for Best Actor in a Television Series, Comedy or Musical in 2005, 2006, and 2007.

The show won the 2002, 2008, and 2009 Humanitas Prize, an award created for rewarding human dignity, meaning, and freedom. It also won a Peabody Award.

External links

• Scrubs at IMDb