To be a millennial is to watch the cultural staples of one’s youth curdle into cringe. “Harry Potter” is now politically fraught; the meme-literate language coined by the first generation of digital natives (“lulz,” “heckin’ doggo,” etc.) has turned unspeakably passé. The once-insurgent vanguards who cast their first votes for Barack Obama have relinquished their cool factor to Gen Z, who will one day undergo the same process themselves as time continues its relentless march forward.
“Scrubs,” the medical sitcom that aired on NBC from 2001 to 2008 and on ABC for a couple seasons ending in 2010, is about as millennial-coded as it gets. (With his 2004 feature “Garden State,” star Zach Braff, though himself a Gen Xer, even created a defining example of a millennial trope: the manic pixie dream girl.) Jovial, feel-good and formally interesting while stopping short of innovation, “Scrubs” was always more comfortably of its time than ahead of it. Carbon-dated to the point after single-camera comedies signified hipness — anticipating NBC successors like “The Office” and “30 Rock” — but before streaming swallowed up much of the genre, “Scrubs” feels firmly anchored to its original context. Perhaps that’s why the revival, airing on ABC, feels so off. In the warm glow of nostalgia, “Scrubs” is inoffensive. In the harsh light of the present, its age begins to show.
The revival is also not the first attempt to extend “Scrubs” past its natural lifespan. The second ABC season, subtitled “Med School,” introduced a mostly new cast (including Dave Franco and Kerry Bishé!) and even subbed out Braff’s J.D. as the narrator and point-of-view protagonist. But that soft relaunch fizzled out, and this one makes no such effort to evolve the concept. Instead, with a few half-hearted maneuvers that meet the bare minimum threshold for a hook, “Scrubs” installs J.D. — now working as a concierge doctor for the rich — right back where we’re used to seeing him: in the halls of California’s overburdened Sacred Heart Hospital, goofing around with his surgeon bestie Turk (Donald Faison) and daydreaming absurd scenarios. The only difference is that J.D. and Turk have advanced in their careers, and can no longer do their signature “Eagle!” bit on account of Turk’s sciatica. Also, the higher resolution makes the Sacred Heart sets, now transplanted to Vancouver, look especially flimsy.
Under showrunner Aseem Batra, an alumna of the original series, “Scrubs” does introduce some fresh faces to play the trainees to J.D. and Turk’s now-experienced leadership. (Creator Bill Lawrence, much in demand after the success of “Ted Lasso,” remains an executive producer while primarily focused on other projects.) But neither sweet Brit Asher (Jacob Dudman) nor handsome jerk Blake (David Gridley) nor digital native Sam (Ava Dunn) ever truly compete for the spotlight with J.D., Turk and their respective love interests, doctor Elliot (Sarah Chalke) and nurse Carla (Judy Reyes). Nor do they ever fill conspicuous absences like that of Neil Flynn’s nameless janitor, who gets an indirect shoutout, and John C. McGinley, whose credit as “special guest star” rather than a series regular forecasts the caustic Dr. Cox’s greatly diminished role here. Only a comedian as accomplished as “SNL” vet Vanessa Bayer proves able to infiltrate the inner circle as a simpering HR exec.
In the series’ 15-year absence, the medical show has progressed where “Scrubs” has not. Plot points like Sam’s popular social media account, which earns her the derisive nickname “Dr. Selfie,” echo those on reigning standard-bearer “The Pitt”; over on former “Scrubs” network NBC, “St. Denis Medical” adds social consciousness and a world-weary edge to the hospital sitcom. Against this dynamic backdrop, the revived “Scrubs” offers stasis: the same sentimentality, scored to the plaintive tones of Lazlo Bane’s “Superman”; the same adorkable platonic chemistry, like J.D. and Turk planning a poker night at J.D.’s “bro-jo.” That might be good enough for longtime fans, apart from the existence of an extensive back catalog just a few clicks away on Hulu. Why watch a season that tries to stick as closely to the original as possible, apart from the inescapable effects of time, when you can just watch the original itself?
The “Scrubs” revival will premiere on Feb. 25 at 8pm ET on ABC, with remaining episodes airing weekly on Wednesdays and streaming the next day on Hulu.
Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated the name of Ava Dunn’s character and the number of original series seasons that aired on ABC.
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From Variety US