New ‘Scrubs’ Revival Officially Breaks With Tradition in Early Preview [Exclusive]

Everyone knows that the beating heart of Scrubs has been the ever-enduring friendship between Zach Braff‘s day-dreaming doctor, J.D., and Donald Faison‘s competitive Chief of Surgery, Turk. From their college days as roommates to their rise to the top of the food chain at Sacred Heart, they’ve remained loyal to each other throughout the original nine-season run of the medical comedy and into its recent return. Naturally, one would think such good friends would welcome each other to barbecues and other social gatherings whenever they come up. However, that’s not the case in Episode 7 of ABC‘s revival series, as Collider can prove with an exclusive sneak peek showing J.D.’s stunned reaction to learning that Turk won’t invite him to their traditional cookout.

The footage opens with J.D. angrily walking through the halls of Sacred Heart with Turk trying to calm him down. For sixteen years, he’s been invited to his best friend’s barbecue and, despite what Turk might claim, it’s a tradition at this point. After all, they literally have an official song emphasizing that this is a “barbecue tradition!” Turk finally breaks down and reveals that the decision was Carla’s (Judy Reyes) and that she wanted to spend time with Elliot (Sarah Chalke) and her new boyfriend, Wes (Andy Ridings), this year. That, understandably, might be a bit awkward for both J.D. and Elliot, given the divorce, but he nonetheless begs Turk to fight for him to get into that barbecue. Unfortunately, his bestie is unwilling to face his wife right now, given that she’s experiencing “mood swings, night sweats, day sweats,” and “she’s always wearing sweats.” It’s gotten so bad that the second Carla enters the room, Turk has figured out how to practically dematerialize to avoid her.

That low-stakes, but still important, conflict for J.D. will be the catalyst for “My Best Friend’s Barbecue.” With no invitation coming, J.D. uses the opportunity to build his friendship with Carla at work. Since he first arrived at Sacred Heart, the doctor and nurse have been close, but now, he has a chance to really re-establish their bond following his official return as Chief of Medicine. In the meantime, Turk will be busy teaching the new interns how to deliver bad news to patients. Scrubs nabbed a lot of newcomers for the revival, including Vanessa Bayer, Joel Kim Booster, Ava Bunn, Jacob Dudman, David Gridley, Layla Mohammadi, Amanda Morrow, X Mayo, and Michael James Scott.

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The ‘Scrubs’ Revival Has Been Exactly What the Doctor Ordered

So far, ABC can call the return to Sacred Heart a rousing success 16 years after viewers said goodbye to the medical comedy. Scrubs debuted to 11.36 million viewers across ABC, Disney+, and Hulu, the network’s highest comedy ratings in over a year and the most-watched premiere since Tim Allen‘s Shifting Gears. Reviews have also been fantastic across the board, with a Certified Fresh 89% from critics, a 94% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, and an 8/10 review from Collider’s Greer Riddell, who said, “Bill Lawrence doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel with Season 10. Instead, he leans into what made Scrubs so enduring — the absurdity, heart, and friendships that keep it alive.”

The strong start immediately sparked discussions about a potential Season 2 for the revival. Though Lawrence has mostly left the series in the hands of showrunner Aseem Batra, he’s still involved as an executive producer, and he’s been vocal about his hopes for more Scrubs. If ABC orders another shift at Sacred Heart, he’s already confirmed that one missing original cast member, Ken Jenkins‘ Dr. Bob Kelso, will finally make his return. “It just didn’t work out this year, but it will next year,” the creator confirmed. Braff also revealed in a recent interview with TVLine that the end of the season will pave the way for Dr. Perry Cox (John C. McGinley) to become a greater presence going forward. “I can’t give away spoilers, but what we’re teeing up is a situation where, if we’re lucky enough to get a Season 2, he can be around a whole lot more.”

For now, Scrubs Episode 7 premieres tonight on ABC at 8 p.m. ET/PT. Check out our exclusive sneak peek in the player above.

Release Date

February 25, 2026

Cast

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  Donald Faison

  Christopher Turk

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