Created by Bill Lawrence – Starring Zach Braff, Donald Faison, Sarah Chalke, Judy Reyes, John C. McGinley, and Ken Jenkins
The doctors at Sacred Heart return as the next generation of interns begins finding its place alongside the familiar faces we’ve come to know.
I had a good time with the first season of the Scrubs revival, even though I thought it was trying to do a little too much with its new characters.
The second season feels like it has found a better balance.
It still feels like Scrubs. The comedy is there. The heartfelt moments are there. The characters still have that weird combination of ridiculousness and sincerity that made the original series work.
But it feels like they’ve cleaned up some of the things that didn’t work as well for me last season.
One of the biggest changes is the way the new characters are being used.
Last season sometimes felt like the show was trying to give everyone their own story at the same time. Four new doctors meant four new storylines, while JD, Elliot, Dr. Cox, Turk and everyone else also needed something to do.
This time, the new characters seem to be fitting more naturally into the stories of the established characters.
That doesn’t mean they don’t get their own storylines. They do. But instead of every new character needing a separate arc, their stories can revolve around the people we’ve already invested in.
I think that’s probably a better way to handle the revival.
The supporting cast also seems a little smaller this time around, which helps. There’s still plenty going on, but the show doesn’t feel quite as crowded.
And the original characters remain the reason I’m watching.
Everybody is good. The chemistry is still there. You can drop these characters into almost any situation and there’s a good chance you’ll get something funny out of it, followed by something unexpectedly heartfelt.
That’s what Scrubs has always been good at.
It can be completely ridiculous one minute and genuinely touching the next without either side feeling out of place.
The show also seems ready to lean into the fact that these characters are older now. There are storylines about aging, health and passing things along to the next generation, which gives the revival a natural reason to exist beyond simply bringing everyone back together.
It feels like the show has a better handle on how to bring these characters back without letting the new generation overwhelm them. If you liked the original series, then you’ll like the revival. That’s probably the most important thing I can say.
TV Verdict: All In