‘Scrubs’ Revival Loses A Showrunner Just Weeks Into Production

The last remaining showrunner on the Scrubs revival series is about to find out if she really can do this all on her own.

Nearly 16 years ago, the original decision-makers of Scrubs ruined one of the rare sitcom finales that didn’t suck by signing on for a completely unnecessary ninth season. After John “J.D.” Dorian’s character arc came to a graceful and touching close with the final episode of Season Eight, fittingly titled “My Finale,” Scrubs returned for its lowest-rated season ever, self-consciously titled Scrubs: Med School. The show’s still-passionate fanbase generally considers the tacked-on and apparently-not-final season of Scrubs to be a soulless cash-grab dwarfed only by the money-grubbing of the American healthcare system. 

Now, Scrubs is set to return with an in-the-works revival series on ABC featuring returning cast members Zach Braff, Donald Faison, Sarah Chalke, Judy Reyes and John C. McGinley. However, this week, the series suffered a set-back when co-showrunner Tim Hobert left Scrubs just weeks into production.

If history is any teacher, then we can expect for Hobert to come back in a year as if nothing happened.

Hobert, who worked as an executive producer and consulting producer during the original run of Scrubs, will still receive executive producer credits on the first few episodes of the revival, and he co-wrote the season premiere with the show’s remaining showrunner, fellow Scrubs OG Aseem Batra. Batra previously worked as an executive story editor, co-producer and occasional actor under Scrubs creator and original showrunner Bill Lawrence, who remains an executive producer on the revival.

According to Deadline, who first reported on Hobert’s exit, the co-showrunner stepped down “due to creative differences.” So far, the series has been secretive about what, exactly, fans can expect from the revival, with the logline vaguely explaining, “JD (Braff) & Turk (Faison) scrub in together for the first time in a long time — medicine has changed, interns have changed, but their bromance has stood the test of time. Characters new and old navigate the waters of Sacred Heart with laughter, heart and some surprises along the way.”

For his part, Lawrence has been banging the drum on a Scrubs revival for years leading up to the ABC series order, emphasizing that the original cast and crew remain close more than a decade after the show’s second finale. Lawrence once warned that he would have to make a Scrubs movie “the first time that six months go by that we don’t hang out,” though a full season is even better for getting the gang back together.

Now, however, the tight-knit Scrubs family is losing a key member, which is causing concern for a Scrubs fandom that hasn’t felt great about the state of the franchise since “My Finale.” Still, there’s no reason yet to lose faith in the remaining showrunner Batra — it takes hard work and dedication to go from Fun-Sized Intern to Fun-Sized Boss.