Both shows follow young characters who are strong, independent, and passionate about what they do, and they save lives and juggle their personal lives with their professional aspirations. These series are popular and each has many binge-worthy seasons, although Scrubs has nine to Grey's Anatomy's impressive 17. It's fun to compare the two TV shows and see how exactly they are alike.
Best Friends Who Get Competitive But Also Cheer Each Other On
Grey's Anatomy and Scrubs both tell friendship stories that prove that sometimes, it's hard to be super close to someone. Cristina and Meredith's tight friendship is beloved by fans and so is Turk and J.D.'s on Scrubs.
In both cases, these characters love and support one another, but they also deal with jealousy, competition, and conflict. They want to help each other out and have fun together, but they also want to excel in their careers, and tensions are often running high in the hospital.
An Epic Love Story That Spans Many Seasons
Grey's Anatomy fans have always shipped Meredith and Derek, and both Grey's and Scrubs have romantic relationships that take place across several seasons. These romances balance out the medical stories.
J.D. and Elliot's on-again, off-again relationship is a big part of Scrubs, but the epic love story is definitely the one between Turk and Carla. They meet at the hospital in season 1, commit to each other, and get married in season 3. It's sweet watching them start a family and cheer each other on through life.
Intimidating Doctors Who Become Mentors
Both Grey's Anatomy and Scrubs feature doctors who can be intimidating at first but are wonderful at their jobs and teach the younger characters so many important lessons. This includes Bailey, who makes the interns nervous at first but is actually a warm, funny, and incredible doctor who becomes like family to them.
Cox isn't a very nice person, but he does become a mentor to J.D., and while he seems to loathe him at first, he sometimes mentions that he can see some talent and skill in the young doctor.
A Tone That Is Both Light And Serious
There's something else that these two hospital shows have in common, and that's their tone. Scrubs is, of course, a sitcom, but there are many hilarious characters on Grey's.
Both shows have episodes that are light-hearted but also serious since the doctors are trying to help patients going through terrible times and health crises. But the characters also keep their sense of humor, which seems necessary in order to survive this type of career.
Young Doctors Trying Their Best And Dreaming Of Success
These two shows also feature young doctors who want nothing more than to succeed in a medical career.
They have many hopes and dreams, and in the first season of both shows, the interns experience some high and low points. Some days, it feels like their dreams are getting crushed and that there is no way to continue on this path, and other days, they're doing so well that they're on top of the world. Becoming a doctor and learning the ropes of the hospital is definitely an emotional experience.
Episodes With Dream Sequences
Some shows are known for having fantasy elements, like Ally McBeal and the dancing baby that she would often think about. Scrubs is a sitcom that does have this whimsical tone, and while Grey's is always more serious, it did delve into dream sequences in the latest season.
J.D. has many fantasies and daydreams on Scrubs, as his imagination sometimes gets the best of them, and in season 1 of Grey's Anatomy, Meredith is diagnosed with COVID-19 and begins to have daydreams where she's on a beach with people whom she has lost. It's very emotional watching her interact with Derek, Lexie, and George.
A Young Doctor Who Is Unfairly Judged
Both shows also feature a character whom others judge and gossip about, which is really unfair.
At the beginning of Grey's Anatomy, Izzie is slut-shamed for her modeling past, and on Scrubs, everyone is really mean to Elliot whenever she sleeps with someone. Izzie and Elliot don't deserve this treatment and in both cases, it seems to go on for way too long.
The Characters Have Family Drama
The characters on each of these popular shows also have some family drama, as relatives visit them at work or they have to deal with unwanted visitors.
In season 2 of Scrubs, Turk's brother comes to town, and this is tough for Turk, as he feels terrible about himself in comparison to his sibling. Carla and J.D. also have brothers who visit in different episodes, so this is common. Grey's Anatomy sees Meredith dealing with a lot of family trouble, from coming to terms with her mother's Alzheimer's and death to learning that she has half-sisters.
Sometimes The Doctors Are Admitted To The Hospital
On Grey's Anatomy, there are moments when the main characters are admitted as patients, including when Meredith has COVID-19 in the most recent season. This also happens on Scrubs in the season 1 episode "My Day Off" when JD has appendicitis. It does occur more often on Grey's as several characters get sick, and Meredith does have many illnesses and injuries, like when she is attacked in the season 12 episode "The Sound of Silence."
In both cases, this allows the characters to see the hospital from another point of view, and it also helps them develop a better bedside manner and patient/doctor communication.
The Protagonist Narrates Each Show
One big thing that Grey's Anatomy and Scrubs have in common is the fact that the protagonist narrates most episodes of each show.
Meredith's voiceovers open and close episodes, as she shares poetic ways of looking at life and what is going on at the hospital, and J.D. is also the narrator. This is a comforting part of each series, as fans know what to expect, and it's always fascinating to hear what these characters are thinking.