Medical shows have been a staple of television for as long as the format has been popular, with shows like Scrubs being prime examples. However, as streaming took off and the genre became oversaturated, those shows lost their usual intense popularity. The tides changed last year when HBO Max's The Pitt premiered, an intense medical series with a 24-style hook that captivated millions of viewers worldwide. One year after that show's introduction and 16 years after its last new episode, Scrubs is bringing its original cast and a batch of newbies back to television with a revival.
Speaking in an interview with The Direct about the new Scrubs revival, actor Jacob Dudman, who plays a new medical intern named Asher, revealed that OG star Zach Braff gave him some interesting homework: watching HBO Max's The Pitt.
"[Zach Braff] gave [The Pitt] to me as his homework to watch," Dudman admitted, explaining how the original Scrubs star explained to him that those emotional moments in The Pitt are "as tough as some moments [they] might want to get to" with this Scrubs revival and served as explains of beats they want to deliver on.
Another newcomer to Scrubs, Amanda Morrow, also chimed in about the existence of both Scrubs and The Pitt in the same television space. Morrow noted that "both of those shows existing on our screens are incredibly important" and that she's "so glad that you get to see the hospital through a dramatic and comedic lens."
The Direct also spoke with Scrubs stars Ava Bunn (Serena), David Gridley (Blake), and Layla Mohammadi (Amara). More of their interviews can be read below. A new season of Scrubs debuts on Hulu on February 25.
The Pitt Became Homework for the New Scrubs Cast
"[Zach Braff] Gave It to Me As His Homework to Watch..."
- The Direct: "Early last year, a little show called The Pitt debuted and immediately blew up to be this worldwide phenomenon. I know Scrubs is a completely different vibe, but it's still a hospital show. I was curious for you guys, did the success of The Pitt add any additional pressure onto you as you came on to this project, or, you know, just to the project as a whole?
Jacob Dudman: I don't know about you guys, but [Zach Braff] gave it to me as his homework to watch, because he was like, 'This is pretty real, what's going on. And this is as tough as some moments we might want to get to. We want to deliver on these beats.' So, I think it informed maybe something, because it's, you know, the most successful recent medical show. But I think joining the cast of 'Scrubs' came with its own unique challenges specific to joining a legacy show with a cast that had known each other for 20 years.
For newcomer David Gridley, who plays the cocky medical intern Blake, he admitted that The Pitt's success didn't add any pressure for him. However, he was thankful not to have to deal with that level of medical jargon:
David Gridley: Not particularly for me, I just watched an episode of it, and I was like, I am so thankful that I don't have to say the amount of medical jargon they do just when I watch that show... From my perspective, now, I'm just like, that was a hard scene, like though those words you're saying that is tough. I'm just very grateful that we're a comedy, because even within you know 'Scrubs,' there is so much heart, and there are these heavy moments. It's like, 'The Pitt' is just boom, boom, boom... It's very, very realistic. And I think I would just get so queasy, but it's like, yeah, that was my perspective.
Ava Bunn, who plays medical intern Serena, pointed out how fun it is that she and her school friends now all portray doctors on television:
Ava Bunn: I have friends who work on 'The Pitt' and 'Saint Denis Medical,' and it just kind of, for me, it's more just fun. It's like, whoa. All my friends who went to acting and screenwriting school together. We all work in hospitals now, which is fun.
Amanda Morrow, the actress behind new surgical intern Dashana, explained how she "think[s] that both of those shows existing on our screens is incredibly important:"
Amanda Morrow: I think that both of those shows existing on our screens is incredibly important, because you're seeing 'The Pitt' and then you're seeing 'Scrubs,' both shows that are beloved by people. And I'm so glad that you get to see the hospital through a dramatic and comedic lens. And so you can see both shows and see the added value of having both of them. It's just, I love 'The Pitt' also... and I just think that there's so much to glean and so much to gain from both shows.
The Joy of Spontaneous Line Changes on Set
"Sometimes the Writers Would Come and Whisper a Different Way to Say a Line into Our Ear..."
- The Direct: "What was a surprise challenge that you guys faced at any point in the process that you didn't necessarily see coming, and you hadn't really faced before?
Layla Mohammadi: I think a surprise for me was how quickly things change. There were a lot of alt [lines] on set. Sometimes the writers would come and whisper a different way to say a line into our ear, and we wouldn't even, you know, the person we're acting opposite would have no idea. So you'd get a genuine reaction. And that kind of stuff was fun, especially if you were on the opposing end of it, and you were the one getting the new line and trying to stay in character and not break was always a lot of fun. But that definitely surprised me the most.
Amanda Morrow: I very much agree with that. The alts and knowing that things change. You know, when you're in a play, or you're in a film, you get the entire script, and then you get to work on it, whereas when you're in a TV show, specifically 'Scrubs,' the writers are always on it with their comedic timing [and] also always on it with those alts. And they will come up to you and be like, 'Okay, this is what you're gonna say. All right, are we ready? Cameras rolling, action!' And so you just get to play. And that first instinct is what comes out, and that's what keeps us on our toes, and that's something I did not expect.
How the Scrubs Revival Adapts to Gen Z & Modern Times
We Live in a Completely Different Time, So How Does Scrubs Handle That?
- The Direct: "The original show aired in a completely different time. Can you tease how this revival is going to incorporate today's sensibilities and generations, such as Gen Z, to remain relevant and relatable to today's audience?"
David Gridley: I think there are so many situations within the show that are so relatable to people of any age, but specifically in our season, you know, there are certain things within the workplace that have changed in the last 20 years. We have Vanessa bear, who is overseeing the wellness program, and she is making sure that Dr Cox is on his best behavior, for example.
Ava Bunn: Yeah, it was fun. I feel like everything you see in the way that our generation and the older generation interact is kind of how it was off-screen. I hate to admit this, but I say 'clock it' and 'slay' like all the time... By the end of [production], we had, like, Andy, who's working the cameras, [saying] 'clock it!'
Layla Mohammadi: I think we had such an amazing team of writers. We have a lot of the original writers from the original show and a new generation of writers on it as well. So I think they did such a good job at just bringing the show to this time, and they're just dealing with things that are happening. There's been a lot in the world and the medical field that's—we've had so many different things go on, from not being able to pay for your medicine and not being insured. And it touches on sensitive subjects, but through a comedic lens, which is, I think, why we all love the original show. And it very much so has the same heart and all the fun things that you love from the original. Just, in this new revival, you're watching it happen in modern times.
LATEST NEWS
