'Scrubs' New Interns Bring Freshness & Unique Humor To The Anticipated Revival!

Scrubs premieres on ABC on February 25th!

Nerdigo had the pleasure of an exclusive 1:1—or (1:3 rather)—interview with the newest faces scrubbing into Sacred Heart Hospital. We screened the first couple of episodes of the highly anticipated Scrubs revival and can confirm that the same humor, quirkiness, and charm remain, just with a few new interns joining the fold.

After the success of the iHeart smash podcast Fake Doctors, Real Friends with Zach + Donald (shoutout to my friend Joelle, who produced this hilarious show), and with a loyal fan base built over nine seasons, now is the perfect time to bring back the beloved ABC comedy.

Created by Bill Lawrence (Shrinking), Scrubs dives right back into the lives of our favorite foursome: Dr. J.D. Dorian (Zach Braff, Garden State), Dr. Christopher Turk (Donald Faison, Emergence), Dr. Elliot Reid (Sarah Chalke, Firefly Lane), and Nurse Carla Espinosa (Judy Reyes, High Potential), with some surprising changes to their personal and professional lives.

It also introduces us to newbies Dr. Samantha Tosh (Ava Bunn, Worked to Death), Dr. Asher Green (Jacob Dudman, Fate: The Winx Saga), and Dr. Blake Lewis (David Gridley, All American), who are trying to figure out the type of doctors they want to be while learning the ropes at this teaching hospital.

Read our conversation with Bunn, Dudman, and Gridley on their character introductions, what they’re excited for fans to see, key advice from Zach Braff, and so much more.

On Dr. Samantha Tosh: Intern, social media maven, and her surprising interactions this season, Bunn shared: “I am excited for people to meet Sam Tosh as a character because she is quite the girl boss. I have a lot of fun moments with Dr. Cox (John C. McGinley, Brooklyn Nine-Nine). I’m like new prey for him—fresh meat that he can make fun of. I’m here to be his on-screen comedic punching bag in a beautiful, fun way.”

On what she’s most excited for fans to see this season, Bunn added: “I am honestly most excited for the OG fans to see the OG cast, and we’re just here to support.”

On Dr. Asher Green’s heart of gold and what he learned through his portrayal, Dudman told us: “Asher has a heart of gold, and that’s something that I hope comes across to the audience because, for me, getting to portray a character who sees the good in everyone did wonders for me as Jacob. Hopefully, they can take that away.”

On what audiences can expect from Asher as the season progresses, Dudman teased: “I’ve enjoyed some good moments throughout the season where we get to see Asher’s eagerness to help and him failing to stand up for himself. Asher’s radical behavior, driven by his emotions, gets him and the hospital into some very difficult situations. As the season continues, you’ll see that his heart’s in the right place, but he doesn’t always think things through.”

On Dr. Blake Lewis’s all-business, by-the-book approach to his internship, Gridley said: “Dr. Lewis is an alpha, maverick-type doctor who doesn’t really want to integrate with any of the other interns at first and thinks he can do everything all by himself. He’s such a fun character to play because he’s so blunt and says things that I would never say.”

On the evolution of his character’s arc this season, Gridley continued: “But one of the coolest parts of playing Blake is that he does have a good heart deep down, and you kind of get to discover why he’s built these walls up. Then you get to see him be humbled and, little by little, show more of his humanity toward his patients and lean on his fellow interns for community and support. It’s just a great arc—from pride to humbleness.”

On the hilarious full-circle moment of joining the show, Bunn disclosed: “When Zach found out he got this job the first time, my mom was finding out she was pregnant with me. So, it’s kind of serendipitous that I joined the show.”

On going from dramas to his first comedy and the joy of the experience, Dudman expanded: “Yeah, well, I’ve messed it up for myself, really, because I come from the world of UK TV drama. I never got to watch dramas in my downtime because it just felt like work. So, I would watch a lot of American sitcoms, thinking, ‘Well, I’m never going to be in one of them, so I can relax and enjoy myself.’ Now I’m going to have to watch something bizarre from another part of the world where I feel like I won’t ever exist in that world. But obviously, it’s been a joy working on this show and seeing part of the biggest industry in North America and getting to see how you guys do it over here.”

On the creative and cultural differences of the revival, Gridley revealed: “One of the cool things about it all is watching the new episodes and then comparing them to the old. They’ve really done an amazing job at capturing the same spirit. There’s just something magical about it—an escapism—where time flies by so fast, you’re laughing, and you’re just enjoying it.”

Gridley concluded: “You know Zach said something really cool that stuck with me at one of the dinners we had. He said, ‘Just remember, when you’re making this show, at any moment when there’s laughter, that’s potentially millions of people laughing at the same time.’ And I think, like the original show, this revival will do the same. It’s very cool to culturally be a part of something that’s making people laugh in such a tough time. It’s a great why.”

Catch Scrubs when it premieres on ABC on February 25th!