'Scrubs' revival casting update confirms which stars won't return for season 2

When ABC brought Scrubsback, plenty of people wondered whether a medical sitcom that ended over a decade ago could still find an audience. The answer turned out to be a fairly clear yes. The revival landed among the top 25 broadcast shows of the season, according to Nielsen data reported by Variety, which is a strong showing for any returning property, let alone one that had already said goodbye twice.

That performance made a second season feel inevitable. Now that it is officially moving forward, the first details about who will actually be at Sacred Heart Hospital are starting to take shape. Per Variety, X Mayo and Joel Kim Booster, who played Nurse Pippa Raymond and Dr. Kevin Park, are both exiting the series ahead of Season 2, which counts as the show's 11th season overall. On the flip side, Ava Bunn is being promoted to series regular after appearing as Dr. Sam Tosh in the revival's first run. The official description for the new season states:

"J.D., Turk and Elliot have leveled up from interns to icons at Sacred Heart. Now, the respected doctors inspire the next generation while balancing the ups and downs of working in a hospital. Together with characters new and old, they are navigating this next chapter with laughter, heart and some surprises along the way."

The returning storylines give Season 2 a decent runway too. The first season closed with J.D. trying and failing to keep the seriousness of Cox's autoimmune diagnosis from Jordan. Bilson's Charlie, the gift shop worker J.D. met after Turk and Carla's matchmaking efforts, continues as his new romantic storyline. There may be at least one more familiar face on the way as well.

"Dr. Kelso will be back next year," creator Bill Lawrence told Deadlineearlier this year, though Ken Jenkins’ return has not been officially confirmed. One of the more surprising parts of all this may be the scheduling. Since the revival premiered in February as a mid-season entry, the expectation for a while was that Season 2 would likely follow the same path and arrive in early 2027.

ABC scrapped that idea at its May upfront, confirming that Scrubs Season 2 will be part of the network's fall 2026 slate, once again holding its Wednesday night, 8 p.m. ET/PT timeslot. That's a notably quick turnaround at a time when plenty of shows go a year or more between seasons, and it says something about how much the network wants to keep the show in front of viewers.

"We love the momentum on Scrubs, it was the No.1 new comedy on a multiplatform basis, it was the No.1 comedy in 18-49 on linear this season, so we want to really keep that show present and top of mind as we head into the fall," ABC scheduling executive Ari Goldman told Deadlinewhen the fall plan was announced.

As for how much Scrubs is actually coming, the order is modest but slightly bigger than last time. Season 2 will consist of 10 episodes, compared to nine for the first season, which is still shy of a standard 13-episode comedy order. That may disappoint fans hoping for a fuller run, but a leaner season arguably suits a series juggling this many characters.