Yep, Scrubs is back. But is nostalgia enough to keep this old favourite alive?

Scrubs ★★★

I’m not sure Scrubs was ever all that revolutionary – it fits in a long line of American workplace sitcoms that date back decades – but in its prime, it was at least fresh. Detailing life in a public hospital seen through the eyes (and voiceover narration) of intern John Dorian (Zach Braff), aka JD, it mixed wise cracks, bromance, fantasy sequences and occasional hard-edged storylines to great effect.

The show kicked off in 2001 and ran eight seasons with most of its original characters, plus one more season in which Braff was reduced to occasional guest appearances, as the producers and broadcaster ABC tried to refresh the format with a younger cast. It didn’t really work, and so in 2010 Scrubs was scrubbed from the line-up.

But now, 16 years on, the show is back for a belated 10th season, with most of the original cast returning.

You could perhaps chalk that up to the success of The Pitt, a show that has single-handedly breathed fresh life into the emergency room drama when it seemed almost DOA. You could – maybe – blame the endemic imagination deficit among TV commissioners. Or you could simply attribute it to the fact that in the crazy, frequently depressing times we find ourselves in, a little comforting nostalgia with an emphasis on people trying to do good by each other is sorely needed.

Either way, this reboot lands as soft, cosy and familiar. Is it the most exciting thing on TV at the moment? Hell no. Is it a perfectly fine way to squander half an hour, knowing you could safely sit three generations in front of the box with minimal risk of offence to anyone? Just about.

As season 10 opens, we find JD having swapped the chaos of the hospital for the comforts of a life as a GP, treating the minor ailments of the suburban well-to-do. It takes all of two minutes before he’s contrived a reason to revisit Sacred Heart, where his best buddy Turk (Donald Faison) is now head of surgery and long-time love interest Elliot (Sarah Chalke) still works.

By the 20-minute mark, Dr Cox (JD McGinley), JD’s former mentor (and frequent tormentor), has offered him a job.

And so, by the end of that first episode, JD has come full circle: from an intern starting out at Sacred Heart, he’s now back with the interns.

They’re a cast of types – the naive Brit, the alpha male hunk, the neuro-spicy home-schooled nerdy girl, the social media obsessive, determined to record and share her every moment. And on the basis of the first four episodes made available for review (of the nine episode series), they’re going to be playing collective second fiddle to the old guard.

That’s what we’re all here for, right?

Scrubs premieres on Disney+ on February 26, with first two episodes, then weekly on Thursdays.

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