The new season of “Scrubs” is truly promising The comedy returns after more than fifteen years on Disney+

It is always difficult to give a judgment when you have only seen a few episodes of a series, especially when it comes to a title with such cultural weight. But after watching half of the nine episodes that make up the tenth season of Scrubs, we feel confident in saying that its return is more than successful, and we are genuinely happy to reach the end to see whether it also deserves top marks. It is surprising to say so. Everyone remembers the terrible débâcle that was the ninth season of the series, a desperate attempt between 2009 and 2010 to continue the legacy of a success that began in 2001 and lasted for about ten years.

A true revival

The impossibility of letting go of John Dorian and his friends and colleagues was understandable, but not even allowing a moment to breathe between the moving finale with The Book of Love by Peter Gabriel and immediately throwing both characters and viewers back into the corridors of the Sacred Heart, albeit reimagined, was a price the sitcom had to pay for a long time. Not to the point of damaging its legacy, but enough to provoke mockery of that final stretch, which in some way undermined the series’ true ending.

Perhaps because more than fifteen years have passed, perhaps because creator Bill Lawrence had time to pause and reflect—though not entirely, considering the incredible work done with Ted Lasso and Shrinking, while we will see what direction his new HBO Max project, Rooster, will take. This time, however, with the return of the comedy and the launch of the tenth season, it truly feels like coming home. Or rather, returning to our favorite hospital (if we even have one). This desire to start again erases the inglorious ninth season, which does not belong to the narrative continuity of the series, considered by its supporters as a spin-off that audiences can easily ignore.

For Scrubs, this is therefore a full-fledged revival, with the return of JD, played by Zach Braff, to his old workplace (albeit in a different role), mirroring that of the audience: initially hesitant, even worried, then completely engaged, happy to cross the threshold of Sacred Heart once again, albeit with some lingering concern about unexpected twists.

Yet from the very beginning, the chemistry between the characters and within the stories seems to have brought back to life a show that retains the energy of the past while striving to appear increasingly lively with each episode. The classic protagonists once again take up their roles, both professionally and emotionally, within the galaxy revolving around JD, accompanied by a group of new characters who do not make us miss those who have not returned from the past or who had to be written out for narrative reasons.

"Fake Doctors, Real Friends"

What stands out most about the tenth season of Scrubs is the clear confirmation that some people are simply meant to do one thing—in this case, to play certain roles. This is exactly what happens with the show’s cast, from Zach Braff to Donald Faison, from Sarah Chalke to Judy Reyes. Icons, just like their JD, Turk, and Elliot, roles that do not feel limiting to them—if anything, quite the opposite. They reclaim their space as they move once again through operating rooms and supply closets, never feeling forced or out of sync, but simply presenting the characters we knew, who, although grown, have remained the same.

The line between Braff and Faison and their characters, moreover, is thin. As if Lawrence’s creation has become an extension of their own personalities, with their friendship born within the series and then evolving into a real bond, marked by their enjoyment of revisiting Scrubs together, as they did in 2020 with their podcast Fake Doctors, Real Friends, and with Braff even chosen as the godfather of Faison’s children.

Scrubs is still relevant

And while they remain the same in a constantly evolving world, Scrubs 10 looks around and confronts its own legacy, aware that it cannot simply repeat itself after everything that has changed over the years, adapting instead to the new dynamics of a different society than the one it left behind.

Despite this need to recalibrate, the show fits sharply into modern times and its humor does not suffer. This makes the return to Sacred Heart enjoyable and entertaining, as we wait to see when a strong dose of emotion—always a defining trait of Scrubs amid laughter, diagnoses, and JD’s vivid imagination—will emerge beneath the surface.