106 Fun Facts About Scrubs

In Scrubs, what is the full name behind the initials of narrator J.D.?

John Michael Dorian takes his name from Dr. Jonathan Doris, a college friend of the show's creator whose hospital residency inspired the series and who became its medical adviser.

What are the rarely used first and middle names of J.D.'s reluctant mentor, Dr. Cox?

Percival Ulysses Cox goes by Perry, and 'Ulysses' only slips out in season eight, when he makes a rare formal apology to Carla and she pounces on it.

J.D. and his best friend were undergraduate roommates at which Virginia school?

William & Mary is where the two met as roommates: the show's creator simply sent his characters to the Virginia college he had attended himself.

In Scrubs, what does the Janitor call the small group of hospital staff who advise him on his schemes?

The Brain Trust settles into a line-up of Ted, The Todd and Doug; when delivery man Lloyd is given a tryout in Doug's place, the Janitor soon fires him.

After losing far too many patients, Scrubs' nervous Dr. Doug Murphy finds his true calling in which part of the hospital?

The morgue fits Doug perfectly: having caused so many deaths himself, he can tell at a glance what killed almost anyone, and the hopeless intern becomes a gifted pathologist.

On which television network did 'Scrubs' originally premiere?

NBC aired Scrubs for seven seasons even though a rival company's studio made it; when NBC let the show go in 2008, ABC picked it up for the rest of the original run.

Where were the first eight seasons of Scrubs filmed?

North Hollywood Medical Center had closed as a hospital in 1998, so the show could take over the whole building, writers and editors included; it was demolished in 2011.

Which veteran comedy star guest-starred in Scrubs as Dr. Townshend, a much-loved doctor whose methods are out of date?

Dick Van Dyke played Dr. Townshend, adored by the whole hospital; after an outdated procedure goes wrong on his watch, his old friend Dr. Kelso reluctantly eases him into retirement.

Which broadcasting honour was awarded to Scrubs for 2006?

A Peabody Award went to Scrubs for 2006, with the judges praising it for 'fearlessly smashing traditional comic formulas' while respecting the life-and-death stakes of its hospital.

Which character took over as narrator in Scrubs' ninth season?

Lucy Bennett, a medical student played by Kerry Bishé, shares the voice-over with J.D. in the opening episodes, then narrates alone once he leaves the series.

In Scrubs' season eight finale, what name did the Janitor give J.D. before an orderly called him something else?

Glenn Matthews sounded like one more of the Janitor's lies once the orderly called him Tommy, but in 2011 the show's creator confirmed that, for once, he had told J.D. the truth.

In Scrubs, Dr. Cox most often needled J.D. by calling him what?

Girls' names, a new one almost every time, are part of Dr. Cox's tough-love teaching; he rarely uses J.D.'s real name, yet now and then he lets slip that he is proud of him.

In Scrubs, what was Carla Espinosa's job at Sacred Heart hospital?

Head Nurse Carla mothers each new class of interns, often hiding their mistakes from the attending doctors; she starts dating Turk in the show's second episode.

Which song is the opening theme of the TV series Scrubs?

'Superman' by Lazlo Bane first appeared on a film soundtrack in 2000, a year before the show began; Zach Braff later directed the song's music video on the Scrubs set.

Who played Dr. Bob Kelso, Scrubs' Chief of Medicine?

Ken Jenkins played Kelso as a budget-obsessed tyrant, though the show hints that his coldness is a way of coping with years of hard decisions as chief.

In the Scrubs episode 'My Finale', what does J.D. watch projected onto his goodbye banner as he leaves?

His future plays across Turk's farewell banner: a wedding to Elliot, a baby and holidays with their friends. Then he asks why, just this once, his fantasies shouldn't come true.

Scrubs' cast and crew call its unnamed city a blend of which three California cities?

San Diego, Los Angeles, and San Francisco blend into 'San DiFrangeles', the crew's joke name for a city the show never identifies, coined to take in most of California.

What do Turk and Carla name their first daughter, born early in season six of Scrubs?

Isabella, soon known as Izzy, arrives after her parents spend most of a season fearing they cannot conceive; J.D. is made her godfather.

Which Scrubs episode, the show's 100th, did Zach Braff direct as a Wizard of Oz homage?

'My Way Home' has J.D. trying to get home on his day off while Elliot doubts her brains, Carla her courage, and Turk chases a heart for his first transplant.

According to Bill Lawrence, why do almost all Scrubs titles begin with 'My...'?

Each one is J.D. writing in his diary, the creator explained on a DVD commentary, which is why episodes narrated by someone else carry titles such as 'His Story'.

Season nine of Scrubs moved the setting to which fictional medical school?

Winston University is the campus where season nine's new Sacred Heart stands; the old hospital is said to have been torn down, and J.D. comes back there to teach.

Which future film star played the arrogant, wealthy Cole Aaronson in the last season of Scrubs' original run?

Dave Franco played Cole Aaronson, a medical student who assumes he is untouchable because his family's donation paid for the new Sacred Heart hospital.

Which actress played Kim Briggs, the urologist who becomes pregnant with J.D.'s son Sam?

Elizabeth Banks played Kim Briggs, who takes a job in Tacoma and tells J.D. she has miscarried; he learns she lied when he finds her still pregnant at a medical convention.

What affectionate nickname does Carla use for J.D.?

Carla dubs J.D. 'Bambi' in the pilot, a nod to how wide-eyed and wobbly the new intern is, and keeps using it; 'Newbie' stays Dr. Cox's name for him.

Which real a cappella group plays Scrubs' Worthless Peons, or Ted's Band?

The Blanks sang at a cast Christmas party midway through season one, and the producers liked them so much that they wrote the group in as the hospital lawyer's band.

Which musician played the busker who follows J.D. around in 'My Overkill'?

Colin Hay, the Men at Work singer, trails J.D. through the season two premiere singing an acoustic 'Overkill'; the gag follows him into the hospital, where by the end Hay turns up as a corpse.

The sixth-season episode 'My Musical' guest-starred Stephanie D'Abruzzo, a Tony nominee for which show?

Avenue Q runs through the episode: its songwriters, Jeff Marx and Robert Lopez, helped write the songs, and D'Abruzzo, a 2004 Tony nominee for the show, plays the patient who hears everyone singing.

Which chronic condition is Turk diagnosed with in season four of Scrubs?

Diabetes, type 2: Turk recognises the symptoms in himself, then jokes his way through the diagnosis to hide how much it frightens him.

Zach Braff's 2004 debut as a film director, made for $2.5 million, was which film?

Garden State, which Braff also wrote, turned its small budget into a worldwide gross of more than $35 million, and the soundtrack he compiled for it won a Grammy.

Before Scrubs, Donald Faison had his breakout role as Murray in which 1995 film and its TV spin-off?

Clueless made Faison's name as Murray, and he was among the film's cast who kept their roles when it became a TV series, though its star Alicia Silverstone did not return.

Before Scrubs, Sarah Chalke took over the role of Becky from Lecy Goranson on which sitcom?

Roseanne recast Becky with Chalke in 1993 when Lecy Goranson left for college; Goranson later came back to the part, and Chalke joined the show's revival as a different character.

John C. McGinley (Dr. Cox) first found film success as Sergeant Red O'Neill in which war film?

Platoon sent its cast into the Philippine jungle for military training before filming, with little sleep and mock attacks at night, because director Oliver Stone wanted his actors truly exhausted on screen.

In season two, Dr. Cox dates a pharmaceutical rep named Julie, played by which Melrose Place star?

Heather Locklear played drug rep Julie Keaton in two season-two episodes; Dr. Cox is happy with her until his ex-wife turns up pregnant, and it is the ex-wife he chooses.

In season two, Elliot dates a male nurse named Paul Flowers, played by which former child star?

Rick Schroder played Paul Flowers, whom Elliot takes for a doctor; on learning he is a nurse she hides the romance, then decides she would rather be happy than keep up appearances.

The show's title, Scrubs, is a play on surgical scrubs and a slang term for what?

Besides the surgical clothing, a 'scrub' is slang for a low-ranking person or nobody, which fits a show whose leads begin as the hospital's lowest-ranking interns.

Which actor plays J.D.'s charming, underachieving older brother Dan Dorian?

Tom Cavanagh played Dan Dorian, a bartender still living in his mother's house; after J.D. tells him some hard truths, he gets a proper job and returns a success in real estate.

In season three, J.D. dates Jordan's sister Danni, played by which actress?

Tara Reid played Danni Sullivan, who narrates her life in her head just as J.D. does; when the two start dating, Dr. Cox makes sure she hears that J.D. once slept with her sister.

Elliot's intern boyfriend and later fiancé, played by Travis Schuldt, has what memorable surname?

Keith Dudemeister starts as Elliot's intern fling and ends up her fiancé, until she calls off the wedding in the season seven premiere.

What was the title of the webisode series that ran alongside Scrubs' eighth season?

Scrubs: Interns, a run of season-eight webisodes following the newest doctors at Sacred Heart, used 'Our...' titles, a convention the ninth season then adopted.

Which Scrubs surgeon, played by Bellamy Young, arrives in season three and considers Turk sexist?

Grace Miller takes offence when Turk tells The Todd to lay off her, scolding him for assuming that a female surgeon needs a man to defend her.

Which American Idol runner-up sang 'Isn't She Lovely' in the Scrubs episode 'My Life in Four Cameras'?

Clay Aiken plays Kenny, a cafeteria worker facing the sack; in J.D.'s sitcom fantasy his song wins a talent show and saves his job, but back in reality he is let go.

Lloyd, the delivery driver who keeps turning up in Scrubs, blasts which kind of music in his truck?

Speed metal is Lloyd's passion: when J.D. begs a lift, he is treated to the band DevilDriver at full blast. Lloyd is played by Mike Schwartz, one of the show's own writers.

In Scrubs, J.D. claims Turk owes which middle name to his father's love of doughnuts?

Duncan, as in Dunkin': J.D. loves telling people that Christopher Duncan Turk was named for his father's favourite doughnuts, a story Turk would rather he kept to himself.

In Scrubs, J.D. calls himself a 'sensi', which is short for what?

Sensitive guy is J.D.'s own definition: he spots a fellow 'sensi' in a surgeon Turk wants to impress, lists their shared love of acoustic music, and coaches Turk to cry in front of him.

Why does J.D. leave Sacred Heart at the end of Scrubs' eighth season?

To be closer to his son Sam, J.D. becomes Residency Director at St. Vincent, the hospital where the boy's mother works; season nine brings him back only briefly, to teach.

After retiring, Bob Kelso haunts the coffee shop because of what perk?

Free muffins for life keep the retired Kelso at the hospital coffee shop, where he mellows enough to coach his old adversary Dr. Cox through the chief's job.

In Scrubs, what is The Todd's signature move?

High five: The Todd names each one after whatever was just said and delivers it hard enough to hurt; he says he learned the move from a professor at his medical school in the Bahamas.

Which blunt, brutally honest Scrubs intern from season eight becomes a season-nine regular?

Denise Mahoney is so blunt with patients that J.D. takes her on as a protégée to teach her some empathy; a season later she is a resident advising the new students.

Which season-nine Scrubs med student is diagnosed with skin cancer and then chooses surgery?

Cole Aaronson hides his fear of the operation from everyone but Dr. Kelso; once the melanoma is gone, he sets his heart on becoming a surgeon.

Which comedian plays Turk's brother Kevin in season two of Scrubs?

D. L. Hughley plays Kevin, the big brother Turk has always felt indebted to and unable to match; he visits just as Turk is waiting for Carla's answer to his proposal.

Which actress plays Jamie, the coma patient's wife J.D. falls for in season two of Scrubs?

Amy Smart played Jamie Moyer, whom J.D. nicknames 'T.C.W.', for Tasty Coma Wife; the label gives the season two episode 'My T.C.W.' its title.

Which actor plays Sean Kelly, Elliot's SeaWorld-employed boyfriend in Scrubs?

Scott Foley played Sean Kelly, the SeaWorld animal trainer Elliot dates; a six-month job in New Zealand tests them, and she finally leaves him when her feelings for J.D. return.

Why does Turk miss his own wedding ceremony in the season three finale of Scrubs?

Surgery and a church mix-up cost Turk the ceremony, but the patient he stayed late to operate on turns out to be a priest, who marries the couple at his hospital bedside.

Which Scrubs psychiatrist, played by Heather Graham, arrives in season four?

Dr. Molly Clock, the upbeat psychiatrist Heather Graham played in season four, was named after Dolly Klock, one of the show's real medical advisers.

Which Friends star plays new chief of medicine Taylor Maddox in season eight of Scrubs?

Courteney Cox's three-episode arc ended with Dr. Cox, no relation, replacing her as chief of medicine.

In season eight of Scrubs, whom does the Janitor marry?

Lady marries the Janitor in the Bahamas; he invited the staff on short notice only to collect gifts, never expecting J.D. to talk everyone into flying out.

Which four newcomers star in Scrubs' season-eight webisodes?

Sunny, Denise, Katie and Howie star in the webisodes, which play as a video diary Sunny is shooting about their first year at the hospital.

In season nine of Scrubs, Dr. Cox singles out med student Drew by making him wear a sign saying what?

#1 goes on a sign and later a T-shirt that Dr. Cox makes Drew wear as his favourite student, a show of approval that leaves J.D. dismayed and jealous.

Which studio produced Scrubs, a tie that later let the show jump to a sister network?

Touchstone Television, Disney's studio, made Scrubs for a rival broadcaster, which is why the show could move to Disney-owned ABC when its first network dropped it in 2008.

Which song sends Turk into his signature dance?

'Poison' by Bell Biv DeVoe is the track Turk dances to when he auditions for the Janitor's air band; Fortnite later copied the routine as a dance emote without paying Donald Faison.

Instead of trailers, where did the Scrubs cast retreat between takes?

Old hospital rooms stood in for trailers: each actor got a small allowance to decorate one, and John C. McGinley sometimes slept in his after late shoots.

Scrubs' ninth season filmed on which studio lot, where Gone with the Wind was shot decades earlier?

Culver Studios replaced the real hospital building the show had used for eight seasons; the new hospital's exteriors were the lot's lawns and historic office bungalows.

What was wrong with the chest X-ray in the Scrubs title sequence for most of the first five seasons?

It was hung backwards for most of five seasons until Kim Briggs finally flips it in 'My Urologist', saying it had bugged her for years.

Which guest star played Dr. Kevin Casey, a gifted surgeon with severe OCD, in Scrubs' third season?

Michael J. Fox played Kevin Casey in two episodes: an old acquaintance of Dr. Cox who outshines the whole staff and hands out wisdom while fighting his own compulsions.

Which Hollywood labour dispute cut Scrubs' seventh season short in 2007?

A writers' strike halted production with 11 of 18 planned episodes finished, so the fairy-tale episode 'My Princess' was rearranged to serve as the season finale.

In 'My Lunch', three of Dr. Cox's transplant patients die because the donor had which undiagnosed disease?

Rabies went unnoticed because the donor seemed to have died of an overdose; all three patients die and Dr. Cox breaks down, blaming himself.

What does the Janitor accuse J.D. of sticking in a door in the Scrubs pilot?

A penny starts their feud, and the Janitor never lets it go: in the season-eight finale he turns up wearing the coin on a necklace, still demanding a confession.

What was the title of the final episode of Scrubs' ninth season?

'Our Thanks' aired on March 17, 2010; five days later Zach Braff told fans on Facebook that the retooled show, which he jokingly called 'Scrubbier', would not return.

Which Scrubs cast member picked so much of the music that writers bypassed Lawrence for her?

Christa Miller, who played Jordan, chose so many of the show's songs that Bill Lawrence, her husband, said writers and actors stopped bringing him music and handed it to her instead.

What is the name of Dr. Kelso's never-seen wife?

Enid is mocked by Kelso constantly yet never appears on screen; their son Harrison hit back by writing a scathing stage show about his father called 'Dr. Dad'.

For an episode staged like a studio sitcom, Scrubs won its first Emmy in which category?

Multi-camera picture editing was an odd prize for a single-camera show with no laugh track: the sitcom fantasy in 'My Life in Four Cameras' was shot multi-camera before a live audience.

Which two 'My Musical' songs earned Emmy nominations?

Everything Comes Down to Poo and Guy Love were both nominated for Original Music and Lyrics in 2007, but they lost to Saturday Night Live's 'Dick in a Box'.

Which 1993 film did Neil Flynn really appear in, as J.D. discovers about the Janitor?

The Fugitive features Neil Flynn as a transit cop; in 'My Friend the Doctor' J.D. spots the Janitor in the film and decides he is an actor, which the Janitor at first refuses to confirm.

In which 2002 film did the Scrubs cast cameo trying to reanimate Miss Piggy?

It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie puts Miss Piggy on the Scrubs set, where the scene breaks the fourth wall and the cast step out of character to play themselves.

Scrubs lawyer Ted Buckland turns up in Hawaii in which other Bill Lawrence show's second-season finale?

Cougar Town finds Ted in Hawaii at the end of its second season, nursing a broken heart because the Gooch has left him for Dr. Hooch.

What is the name of Zach Braff and Donald Faison's Scrubs rewatch podcast, launched in 2020?

Fake Doctors, Real Friends began on March 31, 2020; Braff and Faison rewatch one episode at a time and bring back castmates such as John C. McGinley to swap stories from the set.

In 'My Old Lady', which patient of J.D.'s chooses to die rather than start dialysis?

Mrs. Tanner, played by Kathryn Joosten, declines dialysis and dies in 'My Old Lady', the episode in which all three of J.D., Turk and Elliot's patients die at once.

J.D. grew up in Trotwood, a real suburb in which Midwestern state?

Ohio is where J.D. grew up, in the Dayton suburb of Trotwood; money was so tight that his father gave him a bicycle one part a year, starting with the bell.

Which late sitcom legend played J.D.'s father Sam?

John Ritter played Sam Dorian in the early seasons; after Ritter died suddenly in 2003, the writers had Sam die too and dedicated that season-four episode to the actor's memory.

Cox's habit of touching his nose is an homage to Robert Redford in which film?

Dr. Cox's nose touch is lifted from The Sting, where Redford and Newman's con men use the gesture as a signal; McGinley has said he borrowed it from the film.

In Scrubs, which Australian actor does Dr. Cox rant about hating throughout the series?

Hugh Jackman is Dr. Cox's favourite afterthought: in one rant he reels off everything that exists, 'in all discovered and undiscovered dimensions', then adds 'Oh! And Hugh Jackman'.

Which NHL team's jersey does Dr. Cox occasionally wear?

Dr. Cox's Detroit Red Wings jersey carries Chris Chelios's name; John C. McGinley is a close friend of the defenceman, who played for Detroit from 1999 to 2009.

What is Jack Cox's first full sentence?

'Daddy drinks a lot' is Jack's first full sentence, a dig at Perry's scotch habit; his little sister is later named Jennifer Dylan, which hands Cox a daughter called J.D.

In which city did Scrubs' Perry Cox grow up?

Pittsburgh is where Cox grew up with an abusive, alcoholic father who, he says, showed affection by deliberately missing when he threw bottles at his head.

Which fellowship does Elliot leave to take at the end of season four?

Endocrinology takes Elliot to another hospital, but the fellowship lasts only five days: her research partner cures the disease they were hired to study.

Elliot's parents sent her brother Barry away to what?

A hetero camp was the Reids' response to learning Barry is gay; like her other brothers, he is talked about but never appears on screen.

Robert Lopez, who co-wrote songs for 'My Musical', later won his first Oscar for which Disney film's song?

Frozen's 'Let It Go' won Robert Lopez his first Oscar in 2014, seven years after he co-wrote the Scrubs musical's ode to stool samples.

What causes Patti Miller to hear everyone singing in 'My Musical'?

A gigantic aneurysm in Patti Miller's temporal lobe makes her hear speech as song; the episode ends with the staff singing 'What's Going to Happen?' as she is taken to surgery.

Which season three episode marked Brendan Fraser's final appearance as Ben?

'My Screw Up' marks Brendan Fraser's last appearance as Ben Sullivan, Jordan's brother; Cox spends the episode talking to Ben before J.D.'s 'Where do you think we are?' reveals they are at Ben's funeral.

What did Bill Lawrence say he'd have made the Janitor if Scrubs ended after season one?

A figment of J.D.'s imagination was the fallback had the show been cancelled, Bill Lawrence has said, which is why the Janitor speaks almost only to J.D. in season one.

Ted Buckland took the bar exam in which state because it was easier?

Alaska is where Ted says he sat the bar exam, reckoning it was far easier to pass there; even so, the hospital's lawyer is said never to have won a case.

Nurse Laverne Roberts dies in season six after what?

Laverne dies after a car crash in season six; she is brought in comatose and the staff say goodbye in 'My Long Goodbye', with Aloma Wright later returning as look-alike nurse Shirley.

Jordan Sullivan first appears in which season one episode, as J.D.'s patient?

'My Bad', the sixth episode, brings in Jordan as a patient who seduces J.D.; only afterwards does he learn whose ex-wife she is.

Ben Sullivan, played by Brendan Fraser, learns he has which illness in Scrubs' first season?

Leukemia shows up in Ben's blood work after a wound to his hand won't stop bleeding; J.D. stalls on telling him, hoping the result is another of the day's hospital mix-ups.

Which Dorian family tradition accompanies bad news?

A double-layer fudge cake means trouble in the Dorian family, so when Dan arrives carrying one in 'My Cake', J.D. asks what happened and learns their father has died.

What does J.D. call his scooter?

Sasha is the blue scooter J.D. rides to work from season four, bought after the car he shares with Turk goes up in flames; the Janitor regularly rigs it for pranks.

Which 2009-2018 ABC sitcom starred Neil Flynn as Mike Heck?

The Middle cast Neil Flynn as Mike Heck from 2009 to 2018; the new job limited the Janitor to a single scene in the opening episode of Scrubs' ninth season.

What is the name of the stuffed dog J.D. and Turk keep in their apartment?

Rowdy, a stuffed Labrador, is treated by J.D. and Turk like a living pet; when Carla loses him, she swaps in a lookalike called Steven that is two inches shorter.

Bill Lawrence's company Doozer, named for the Van Duzer in his full name, later produced which 2020 Apple TV+ comedy?

Ted Lasso began as a character Jason Sudeikis played in 2013 promos for Premier League coverage, an American coach out of his depth at Tottenham; Doozer helped turn the ads into a series.

Which 2014 Zach Braff film was partly funded through Kickstarter?

Wish I Was Here drew over $3 million from fans on Kickstarter; Braff said he chose crowdfunding because he would not give away final cut on a small, personal film.

Judy Reyes followed Scrubs by playing Zoila Diaz on which Lifetime series?

Devious Maids was developed for ABC, which turned it down, and landed at Lifetime, where Judy Reyes played Zoila Diaz for all four seasons.

Christa Miller was already playing Kate O'Brien on which ABC sitcom when Scrubs began?

The Drew Carey Show had Christa Miller as Kate O'Brien from 1995 until 2002, when Kate was married off in a wedding that Drew tries everything to stop.

Scrubs' Eliza Coupe went on to play Jane Kerkovich-Williams on which ABC comedy?

Happy Endings cast Eliza Coupe as Jane Kerkovich-Williams, a competitive perfectionist who drops her dream of a perfect suburban life when her sister Alex calls off her wedding.

Season-nine narrator Kerry Bishé later played Donna Clark on which AMC period drama?

Halt and Catch Fire paired Kerry Bishé with Scoot McNairy as Donna and Gordon Clark, the second time he had played her husband after the Oscar-winning Argo.

The actor who played lawyer Ted Buckland was the nephew of which Back to the Future star?

Christopher Lloyd, Back to the Future's Doc Brown, was the uncle of Sam Lloyd, a right-hander who taught himself to play bass left-handed, as Paul McCartney does, for his Beatles tribute band.

Laverne actress Aloma Wright played Gretchen Bodinski on which USA Network legal drama?

Suits introduced Aloma Wright's Gretchen Bodinski in season five as Harvey's new secretary, hired to replace Donna after she left to work for Louis Litt.