Scrubs creator shares exciting update on reboot

‘It’s getting really close to being figured out’ said Bill Lawrence

Scrubs creator Bill Lawrence has given an exciting update on the show’s reboot as he revealed it is finally “really close” to being made a reality.

The hit US sitcom, which first premiered on ABC in 2001, is a sitcom about a group of interns and their journey to becoming doctors. Its nine-season run ended in 2010, leaving fans hopeful for a reboot.

Set in the fictional Sacred Heart Hospital, the show followed medical newbie JD (Zach Braff) as he navigated the ups and downs of modern healthcare while desperately trying to win the approval of his ruthless higher-up Dr Cox (John C McGinley).

While both cast and creators have expressed enthusiasm for a follow-up, Lawrence’s contractual obligations have posed an obstacle. The Cougar Town creator is under an exclusive deal with Warner Bros TV while Scrubs is produced by Disney’s 20th Television.

“I think it’s getting really close to being figured out, and I think in a good way,” Lawrence said, providing an update, in a new interview with Deadline.

“Big chunks of the creative team behind the camera, and most of it from in front of the camera, are all super invested and excited, so very close.”

He said he imagines the new show as a combination of a revival, providing updates on original characters after nearly 15 years off screen, and a reboot in which new characters are introduced.“We’ve been talking about a lot, and I think the only real reason to do it is a combo,” he continued.

Show is set to be revived in the near future (ABC)

“A: people wanting to see what the world of medicine was like for the people they love, which is part of any successful reboot.

“But B: I think that show always worked because you get to see young people dropped into the world of medicine, knowing young people that go there are super idealistic and are doing it because it’s a calling.

“There’s no cliché ‘rich doctors playing golf’ — that’s not what it is anymore. So I think that, no matter what it is, it would be a giant mistake not to do as a combo of those two things.”

The cast, who have previously expressed an interest in the reunion and remake, include Braff, who Lawrence has insisted will be in the new show.

“I wanted Zach to be in this because he’s been directing mostly lately, and I think people forget he’s a really, really good actor.

“And for a while, it just tickled me for him to be playing a doctor again. I’m like, what is JD’s life — that’s straight from the book — what if JD’s life had taken a bad turn.”