We Just Got The Scrubs Revival... Is It Too Soon To Start Begging For Season 2?

If the return of Scrubs made you feel like you were suddenly back in your dorm room circa 2004… well, same. At a time when I can’t think of anything I could use more than a big ol’ dose of hopeful nostalgia, the long-awaited revival premiered this week on ABC, bringing back the lovable bunch of weirdos who roamed Sacred Heart Hospital nearly two decades ago. J.D., Turk, Elliot, Carla, Dr. Cox — the gang’s all here! And not to sound greedy, but we’re only a few episodes in and I already want more. How likely is another season of the reboot, though?

Judging by the early ratings, I’m not the only one (by far) who was very ready to reunite with these beloved characters. So, let’s talk about what that means… and what else we still have to look forward to in the first season of the Scrubs revival.

Has the Scrubs reboot been renewed for Season 2?

OK, so not yet. However, and this is important, things are looking extremely promising.

The premiere pulled in 11.36 million viewers across platforms within its first five days, including on ABC, Hulu, Hulu on Disney+, and other digital platforms. The debut marked the network’s biggest comedy episode and top streaming series debut in over a year.

On traditional TV alone, the Scrubs reboot drew 4.4 million viewers live and same-day, meaning the five-day total jumped 158% once streaming and delayed viewing were tallied.

So, while ABC hasn’t officially renewed the series yet, early ratings like these often greatly increase the likelihood of a network ordering another season. I mean, if people keep watching at this pace, why wouldn’t they renew it?!

Who could return for Season 2?

The biggest obstacle the reboot faces regarding returning cast members is the fact that several of them are simultaneously working on other productions. Now, it’s likely that fans would see many of the same faces return to Sacred Heart in a second season that we’re seeing this season — we just may not see them every episode.

So far, the series has brought back Zach Braff (J.D.), Donald Faison (Turk), Sarah Chalke (Elliot), Judy Reyes (Carla), and John C. McGinley (Dr. Cox).

However, Reyes will only appear in four episodes this season, and McGinley three, due to other commitments. She stars in the hit ABC series High Potenial, while he appears in Rooster, the new HBO Max comedy series starring Steve Carell. Still, both expressed enthusiasm about returning when their schedules allow if the show continues.

“F*ck yeah,” Reyes told Deadline of the idea, to which McGinley chimed in, “I echo that one — f*ck yeah.”

Also popping into the reboot this season will be OG Scrubs cast members Neil Flynn (Janitor) and Christa Miller (Jordan), who’ve both been busy on the excellent Apple TV series Shrinking.

Another exciting tidbit for longtime fans: Dr. Kelso could return in Season 2.

Although actor Ken Jenkins — who played the sharp-tongued, sexist former chief of medicine — is now in his mid-80s and retired from acting, series creator Bill Lawrence revealed to Deadline that he has plans for Dr. Kelso’s return.

“Dr. Kelso will be back next year,” Lawrence said. “It just didn’t work out this year, but it will next year.”

And, of course, there’s also a new generation of doctors in the reboot who would likely return for a second season… depending on how their first intern year goes! This includes Vanessa Bayer, David Gridley, Ava Bunn, Jacob Dudman, Amanda Morrow, and Layla Mohammadi.

What could Season 2 be about?

The revival jumps forward 16 years after the original series finale, ignoring the controversial 9th season and catching up with the characters long after the cameras stopped rolling.

We see J.D. return to Sacred Heart for what begins as a short visit before Dr. Cox passes him the proverbial torch. He rejoins Turk and Carla, who now have four daughters. We learn that J.D. and Elliot didn’t make it as a married couple, but they also have children together.

A second season, in true Scrubs fashion, would undoubtedly keep digging into these relationships. Are Elliot and J.D. done for good? Will J.D. being back help shake Turk out of his burnout? How will the new doctors fare?

The series will surely also continue to tackle changes in modern healthcare through a critical yet comedic lens.

When could Season 2 premiere?

Network TV tends to move quite a bit faster than straight-up streamers, so it’s not out of the question to think we could get a second season as early as late this year, depending on scheduling.

For now, we’ll just have to sit tight and see how the rest of Season 1 performs. But with strong early ratings and a wave of warm and fuzzy nostalgia driving viewers back to Sacred Heart, another season seems like a solid bet.

New episodes of Scrubs air Wednesdays at 8/7c on ABC.