The show, which ran from 2001 to 2010, was rebooted for season 10 in February 2026
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NEED TO KNOW
- The Scrubs cast opened up about what their bond and chemistry are like off the set, especially after returning over a decade later
- “We all hang out. We go on vacation together,” Zach Braff explained
- Sarah Chalke also said that a “safe” and “comfortable” environment allows everyone to do their “best work”
The Scrubs cast has nothing but love for each other, even when the cameras stop rolling.
During the Scrubs event at PaleyFest at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Saturday, April 11, the cast of season 10 chatted exclusively with PEOPLE about what it was like rekindling their bond on set.
Zach Braff, who reprised his leading role as Dr. John 'J.D.' Dorian, explained that the cast's connection is "real" and believes "that comes across" in the show.
"I think one of the things that is the secret sauce in Scrubs that makes it work is that none of this is fake," he explained.
Braff, 51, added that the Scrubs team also spends time together outside of work, including various outings with John C. McGinley and showrunner Bill Lawrence.
Credit: Stephanie Augello/Variety via Getty
"You're looking at all of us here; we're all real friends. We all hang out. We go on vacation together. Johnny and I sauna together. Bill and I go to dinner together. We're all buddies," he said.
Sarah Chalke agreed that their bond is "super rare."
Chalke, 49, plays Dr. Elliot Reid and explained that they all felt "lucky" to "love the script" and the characters of Scrubs. This passion for the medical series translated over into their off-camera friendships.
Credit: Brian Bowen Smith/Disney
"And everybody continued to spend time together and hang out and travel and have meals every time I was in town after the show wrapped, which I think is really rare," Chalke said. "So, to get to do a job and come back to a group of people that you love spending time with, I mean, you're obviously at work for really long days. And so it makes the world of difference."
She added, "I think especially in comedy, because to have that environment that feels so safe and so comfortable, I think that's where everybody can do their best work."
McGinley, 66, who plays Dr. Perry Cox, told PEOPLE that their long working days also meant they spent "more time with each other than you are your families."
Credit: Darko Sikman/Disney
Overall, he said it was just a really nice group of people brought together.
"And so [Lawrence] has a rule, a no a–hole policy, which he got from Mike Nichols," McGinley explained. "At first, you think that's kind of a bully or a strong-arm tactic. It's not. He knew something we didn't, that we were going to be together for a long time. And so, unpleasant people have been rooted out of the group over the years. And what's left is this core that adores each other."
McGinley also shared that Lawrence, 57, rented a house near him in Malibu, both a few summers back and again recently. Because of this, a lot of the Scrubs cast will be hanging out again this summer. "That makes me really happy. We can jump in the sauna and BBQ," he said.
As for Lawrence, he felt the cast's chemistry wasn't a result of him "creating anything," but he does "have a weird philosophy in Hollywood."
He said, "Some people said, 'Hey, you work with the same actors and actresses.' My belief is that doing a TV show is like being at Thanksgiving with your family, only for like six months. And every family has that annoying uncle that makes horrible jokes or one situation after another. So if you're lucky enough to find a really talented man or woman that you would want to spend time with anyway, I think you're crazy not to keep working with them."
Lawrence reunited with Chalke, who was a "huge player" on Cougar Town, which ran on ABC and TBS from 2009 to 2015, and he lets Braff direct episodes on his various shows.
McGinley appears on Lawrence's new HBO series, Rooster, which stars Steve Carell as an author who steps in to become a college professor to save his daughter's job.
"I've tried to work with every one of the people that I admire their talent and also enjoy spending time with them as much as I can. And the chemistry's not fake because we've never stopped spending time with each other," Lawrence said.
He said without that chemistry, they would not have rebooted Scrubs. "Some casts, it's a job, and you don't connect on that level, and then you go onto the next thing," he added. "I don't think we would have, because everybody is so talented, they're all working. I don't think we would have brought the show back if we didn't enjoy each other so much."
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Scrubs originally aired from 2001 to 2010 before returning for season 10, which premiered in February 2026. The season 10 finale aired on Wednesday, April 15.
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