Despite obstacles, a reboot of Scrubs appears to be officially underway, according to reports.
The hit US sitcom, which first premiered on ABC in 2001, is a sitcom about a group of interns and their journey to becoming doctors. Its nine-season run ended in 2010, leaving fans hopeful for a reboot.
Set in the fictional Sacred Heart Hospital, the show follows medical newbie JD (Zach Braff) as he navigates the ups and downs of modern healthcare while desperately trying to win the approval of his ruthless higher-up Dr Cox (John C McGinley).
While both cast and creators have expressed enthusiasm for a follow-up, creator Bill Lawrence’s contractual obligations have posed an obstacle. The Cougar Town creator is under an exclusive deal with Warner Bros TV while Scrubs is produced by Disney’s 20th Television.
In October, he provided an exciting update, hinting that the show was “really close to being figured out”.
New reports suggest that Lawrence is currently developing the show with ABC Studios, according to Variety. Although Lawrence remains under his deal with Warner Bros TV, the studio appears to be carving out room for him to work with his former Scrubs partners.
Lawrence is not expected to serve as a showrunner on the programme should it go to series, and no other deals or cast members are yet attached.
Weeks ago, he told Deadline, “Big chunks of the creative team behind the camera, and most of it from in front of the camera, are all super invested and excited, so very close.”
He said he imagines the new show as a combination of a revival, providing updates on original characters after nearly 15 years off screen, and a reboot in which new characters are introduced.
“We’ve been talking about a lot, and I think the only real reason to do it is a combo,” he continued.]“A: people wanting to see what the world of medicine was like for the people they love, which is part of any successful reboot.
“But B: I think that show always worked because you get to see young people dropped into the world of medicine, knowing young people that go there are super idealistic and are doing it because it’s a calling.
“There’s no cliché ‘rich doctors playing golf’ — that’s not what it is anymore. So I think that, no matter what it is, it would be a giant mistake not to do as a combo of those two things.”
The cast, who have previously expressed an interest in the reunion and remake, include Braff, who Lawrence has insisted will be in the new show.
