Most Scrubs fans agree that the season 9 reboot of the best-loved hospital sitcom was a failure. The medical series, created by Bill Lawrence, aired from 2001 to 2010, on NBC and later ABC. While it was never at the top of every awards list, it developed into a cult favorite with fans around the globe. However, an attempt to revitalize the series after the original arc came to an end was an ignominious, and perhaps slightly surprising failure.
Beginning with the perfect comedy pilot "My First Day", the series begins following the lives of medical students John “JD” Dorian (Zach Braff), Christopher Turk (Donald Faison), and Elliot Reid (Sarah Chalke). The show sets itself apart from other comedy dramas—it is based in a (decommissioned) hospital rather than a studio and without a live audience. Despite a good run of eight seasons and a solid finale, Scrubs returned for a doomed ninth chapter.
The season starts on bad footing within minutes of the first episode when it is revealed that Sacred Heart Hospital is no more after being knocked down and rebuilt as a med school. Any fans tentatively tuning in to see what the surplus extra chapter has to offer were undoubtedly confused and disappointed by this decision, which is simply brushed off during JD's signature narration. Throw in the largely unlikeable new cast members attempting to mimic the old, and a lack of great guest stars, such as Michael J Fox, it simply feels disjointed and more in the territory of a spin-off series. Scrubs season 9, also known as Scrubs: Med School is essentially that—a spin-off series wrongly marketed as part of the original run. Even Lawrence said in an interview (via NJ.com), “It’s a new show.” Despite this, he was unable to convince ABC to change the title to Scrubs Med. Many fans unsurprisingly felt misled by this—Braff’s appearance on the main poster, when he barely scraped into half the season, felt underhanded and extremely misleading, explaining some of the negative reaction.
Perhaps the most obvious explanation for the season's failure is that many original cast members did not return for the 13-episode season—such as Carla (Judy Reyes). But the main issue here is that those who are present in the final outing—such as JD, Turk, and Dr. Cox (John C. McGinley)—are demoted to supporting roles. While this can be explained by several factors, such as its original stars carving out careers elsewhere, to the viewer it simply makes a mediocre and disappointing watch. But the answer to the season’s failure lies deeper than a cast change.
Ultimately, Scrubs season 9 – which takes place more than a year after season 8, episode 19, "My Finale" – has absolutely nothing to offer the original cast in terms of development. Season 9 essentially ruins JD’s perfect ending in the previous chapter, which wraps up the story for not just JD, but also the viewer. Season 8 features several satisfying moments, such as JD’s admittance to the janitor that he was responsible for THAT penny from the pilot episode, and Dr. Cox’s real opinion of JD (even though he was not around to hear it), and of course, the walk through the corridor scene, which is the emotional but fitting closure he deserved. JD is witnessed growing from boy to man throughout his time at Sacred Heart through his daydreaming, his constant need for reassurance from reluctant mentor Dr. Cox, his bromance with best mate Turk, and his on-off relationship with Elliot. It is perhaps no surprise Scrubs was canceled after season 9. The depth of his character's growth is plain to see, but this is tragically undone throughout a handful of 30-minute episodes where JD is surplus to requirements—echoing the way he felt on his first day.