The Real World: North Hollywood Medical Center

Season-Specific Info

The Music

The Fictional World: Sacred Heart

Fan Interests

The Real World: North Hollywood Medical Center

1-1: The Premise

Scrubs is the wacky hospital comedy with a heart from Spin City co-creator Bill Lawrence.
Through the eyes of the main character, J.D., we see the highs and lows of life as a medical intern in urban hospital Sacred Heart.
In Season Two, we follow J.D. and his friends from the rough years as interns into the new world of full-fledged residency.
In Season Three, we continue to watch our protagonists find their way as they grow into their roles as competent doctors.
In Season Four, they continue to mature as they start to focus on specialties and experience the evolution of familiar relationships.
And in the upcoming Season Five, we'll see how their lives change as they branch out into the world, both personally and professionally.
Think of it as a mix of M*A*S*H and The Wonder Years with a dash of Malcolm in the Middle and a hint of Ally McBeal.

1-2: The Inspiration

Bill Lawrence got the idea of a show about the highs and lows of hospital internship from his college friends who are now MDs; one of whom, Dr. Jon Doris, serves as a technical advisor for Scrubs.

As for the plotlines, Bill Lawrence has said that "The House of God", written by Samuel Shem, has influenced the show in some ways; he urges fans to read it as a sort of "supplemental reading."
Also, the writers' homework for Season Two was "Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science" by Atul Gawande.

1-3: The Actors

Zach Braff - John "J.D." Dorian: Our doe-eyed, daydreaming hero and narrator.
Sarah Chalke - Elliot Reid: Sexy, slightly neurotic internist and sometime object of J.D.'s affection.
Donald Faison - Chris Turk: Surgeon and J.D.'s best buddy from school.
Judy Reyes - Nurse Carla Espinosa: Tender-hearted, caliente-tongued, and certainly not "just a nurse", she's also the object of Turk's affection.
John C. McGinley - Dr. Perry Cox: Maniacal, unwilling mentor.
Ken Jenkins - Dr. Bob Kelso: Superficially saccharine Chief of Medicine.
Neil Flynn - The Janitor: The bane of J.D.'s existence.

      Other stars include...
Aloma Wright - Nurse Laverne Roberts: Colleague and confidant to Carla, doormat to no one.
Robert Maschio - Todd: Turk's sexually-charged surgical colleague.
Sam Lloyd - Ted the Lawyer: Legal counsel and reluctant lackey to Dr. Kelso.
Charles Chun - Dr. Wen: Attending surgeon.
Johnny Kastl - Dr. Doug Murphy: Quivering peer to J.D., Turk, & Elliot.
Matt Winston - Dr. Jeffrey Steadman: Resident (S1).
Lela Lee - Bonnie: Turk's competitive surgical colleague.

      Occasionally Recurring Characters...
P.D. Mani - Medical Intern Simotas.
Masi Oka - Lab Tech Franklyn.
Joe Rose - Sloppy Joer Troy.
Martin Klebba - Crotch-Punching Midget Randall Winston.

Randall Winston is co-producer of Scrubs and had the same position on Bill Lawrence's Spin City, where Barry Bostwick's mayor was also given the name.

      Recurring Guest Stars...
Christa Miller Lawrence - Jordan Sullivan: Sacred Heart board member and Dr. Cox's nasty ex-wife.
Brendan Fraser - Ben Sullivan: Jordan's brother and Dr. Cox's best friend.
John Ritter - Sam Dorian: J.D.'s dad.
Tom Cavanagh - Dan Dorian: J.D.'s big brother.
Hattie Winston - Margaret Turk: Turk's mom.
D.L. Hughley - Kevin Turk: Turk's big brother.
Markie Post - Lily Reid: Elliot's mom.
Lane Davies - Dr. Simon Reid: Elliot's dad.

Scott Foley - Sean Kelly: Elliot's on again-off again boyfriend.
Tara Reid - Danni: One of J.D.'s girlfriends with interesting family ties.

Richard Kind - Mr. Corman: Frequent Sacred Heart patient with hypochondria.

More Guest Star info can be found at Scrubs-TV.com

1-4: The Set

The show is filmed in the former North Hollywood Medical Center, located on the 12600 block of Riverside Drive in the former North Hollywood, Valley Village, California. An Aerial Pic.
This article gives a glimpse of how the hospital is used as a television set.

Trivia Injection:
The pilot episode ("My First Day") was shot in an entirely different abandoned hospital in Glendale, California, which has since been torn down. The reshooting of some of the scenes for that episode were somewhat tricky for the crew, as they had to do it some five months later in North Hollywood Medical.
The interstitial exterior shots of Sacred Heart (with people coming and going) are of a fully-functioning hospital in downtown Los Angeles.

1-5: The Wardrobe

The surgical caps seen on the show are provided by ScrubCaps4U.
As for the stethoscopes, I've received no confirmation, but they appear to be the Prestige Medical Sprague in Stealth Black (J.D., Elliot, Dr. Cox), Gold (Dr. Kelso), and Traditional Assorted (Carla & Nurses).
The Todd's recently sported "I ♥ Vagina" t-shirt can be purchased from the I Love Vagina Clothing Co.
You can find more wardrobe/prop info in posts by "harleyrose" at the official message board.

1-6: The Intro Sequence

Quite a few fans noticed that there were several versions of the intro scene where the different cast members "morph" into each other during the opening theme. The change in sequence/timing is so slight, though, you'd have to be very observant to catch it.
There was no word whether the new Season Two opener -- which had very limited use -- also had slightly different versions.

Trivia Injection:
Another thing about the original intro scene is that the x-ray behind the title is actually backwards! The producers realized this gaffe and corrected it in the new, briefly-used intro for S2.
Many people have tried to come up with reasons why the mistake was let through in the first place...
One person said it was backwards intentionally -- that that's the way doctors read them (a radiologist has since contacted me to say "pshaw!").
Others have suggested the rare condition of situs inversus, where the heart and/or other organs are on the opposite side of the body from the norm.
The most likely explanation is that this is a show about doctors learning through their mistakes -- even down to placing the x-ray backwards.
And according to Bill Lawrence himself, that's exactly the case. The "mistake" was intentional.

1-7: Accolades & Awards

Scrubs has been nominated for a heap of things...

2001-02 People's Choice - Best New Series

55th Writer's Guild Award - Episodic Comedy: "My First Day" (Pilot), written by Bill Lawrence

2001-02 Primetime Emmy - Best Directing in a Comedy Series: Marc Buckland, "My Old Lady"

2001-02 Primetime Emmy - Best Casting in a Comedy Series: Brett Benner, C.S.A.; Debby Romano, C.S.A.

2001-02 Teen Choice - Best New Show

2002-03 Primetime Emmy - Best Casting in a Comedy Series: Brett Benner, C.S.A.; Debby Romano, C.S.A.

First Annual Commie Award - Funniest Live-Action Series; Funniest Smart Ass, John C. McGinley

15th Producer's Guild Award - Bill Lawrence and Randall Winston

2003-2004 Humanitas - Neil Goldman & Garrett Donovan, "My Screwup"

2003-2004 Primetime Emmy - Best Editing in a Comedy Series: John Michel, "My Screwup"

2003-2004 Primetime Emmy - Best Writing in a Comedy Series: Neil Goldman & Garrett Donovan, "My Screwup"

2004-2005 People's Choice - Favorite TV Show

2004-2005 People's Choice - Favorite Male TV Star: Zach Braff

62nd Golden Globe - Television Actor in a Comedy or Musical: Zach Braff

TVLand Future Classic Award (2002)

Humanitas Award - "My Old Lady" (2002)

2002 TeeVee Award
2003 TeeVee Award

Season-Specific Info

Season One:
2-1: Why It Started Late

The entire Fall Premiere schedule was pushed back due to the events of September 11, 2001.

Season Two:
2-2(a): The Magical, Mystical, Disappearing New Intro

After two episodes, the newer, longer intro was scrapped for the original, only to surface once more for the "super-sized" episode 2.07, "My First Step". Now we finally have an explanation for all the switching around. A source at the show explains that, as we guessed, the old intro is preferred because it's shorter, therefore allowing a few more precious seconds for the actual plot of the episode. This is also the reason why even the shorter intro is sometimes cut down greatly to just the title card and one line of the song: "I'm no superman."
Not only that, but Bill Lawrence has recently confirmed that the fans weren't the only ones who didn't like the newer, longer intro with the "sluggish" music. It apparently wasn't favored by the producers, either.

2-2(b): Episode Length

Season One was broadcast on Tuesday nights at 9:30, a time-slot with considerably less pressure than NBC's most-watched night, "Must-See TV" Thursday, where Scrubs was moved prior to the beginning of Season Two.
Because Thursday night has a much larger audience, advertising prices are very high. To take advantage of the situation, NBC's programs on that night run shorter so as to make a little extra room for ads. The producers of the shows on this night are aware of this, and take it into consideration when putting together their episodes -- there are no unkind network edits in this case.

Trivia Injection:
Also, as of Season Two, Scrubs begins a little late -- 8:32 on NBC, to be exact -- allowing lead-in Friends a few extra minutes. The reason for this has not been well explained by the network, but the major buzz is that it helps to get a ratings jump on the competition. Of course, it could also be that NBC is trying to squeeze a few more ads in at Friends rates...but that's mere speculation. Some sources report that NBC does unkindly edit the episodes for this purpose.

2-2(c): Season Length

Several factors are to be considered when looking at Season One's (generous) 24-episode order and Season Two's (standard) order for 22.
S1 had the cushy time-slot of Tuesday @ 9:30. The ratings it pulled here earned it wunderkind status.
    S2 was moved to a far more competitive time-slot, where, though it performed much better than many series on Thursdays @ 8:30, it was dwarfed by the mega-hit status of Friends and clobbered by the second half of Survivor.
    Also, the 2002-2003 TV season was brutal, with surprise hits on competing networks throwing NBC into a sort of panic mode. NBC Entertainment Head Jeff Zucker claimed at the time of February Sweeps that he at least wanted to come out on top financially, and by cutting orders of under-performing series and showing reruns of heavy-hitters Friends and Will & Grace, he was able to do just that.
    As for the early season finish (April), that was due to the year-long trend of airing new episodes on "rerun nights" (repeat Friends, new Scrubs, repeat Will & Grace). There's really no excuse for that, as they didn't bother to advertise these nights as having anything new. So the low ratings that NBC has punished Scrubs for could very well be NBC's own fault.

Season Three:
2-3(a): When It Began

The Season Three premiere in N. America was October 2, 2003. If your country orders third season episodes, chances are that they will begin roughly at the same time of year you began seeing S2. (e.g. January on UK's SkyOne.)

2-3(b): Why It Began Late

A wonderful little invention called the "Super-Sized" episode: they're not just for special occasions anymore! Friends and Will & Grace had 45-minute premieres, along with the "new" comedy Coupling on "Premiere Thursday", with Scrubs starting a week later as an afterthought.

2-3(c): What's the Deal with "My Dirty Secret"?

It was originally scheduled to be broadcast on October 16th, but NBC feared audience loss to the baseball play-offs on FOX, and therefore at the last minute filled their schedule for that night with reruns.
    While Friends and Will & Grace caught up to themselves the following week, Scrubs' "My Dirty Secret" was mysteriously skipped over. Many theories for this abound, the most popular of which is that the episode contained too much sexual content.
    MOPNT's speculation is less juicy but slightly more logical: Pushing Scrubs' schedule back a week would have bumped some ratings-grabbing guest stars right out of Sweeps. As "My Dirty Secret" didn't have any major guests, the network probably figured they could air it at any time.
    When the episode did finally air, on Thursday, December 11 (bumping "My Rule of Thumb", which finally aired in January), it was edited and also renumbered to conform chronologically. Depending on which version you're seeing it's either episode 3.03 or 3.09 (which, of course, also renumbers episodes originally listed 3.04-3.09).

Trivia Injection:
Even though the episode had yet to air, due to the wonders of technology, a copy of it began floating around the internet on Oct. 16 -- someone was able to intercept the overnight transmission of the episode to affiliate stations and put it online. Highly illegal, but some fans with limited patience considered it a Godsend.

2-3(d): Why All The Time-Switching

This is one of those oft-asked questions that doesn't really have a definite answer. As we all know (and if we've forgotten, NBC's promos are sure to remind us), this was Friends' final season. Being such a wildly popular hit, NBC was trying to milk it for all it is possibly worth. The first switch -- Scrubs' move from Thursdays at 8:30 (ET/PT) to Thursdays at 9:30 -- was to accommodate a second (rerun) episode of Friends. Such episodes, sadly, get more viewers than a new episode of Scrubs.
Believe it or not, so does the new reality show The Apprentice. That's why it bumped Scrubs out of Thursdays completely.
Some fear that all this time-switching signals the death of our show. Fear not. The more insiders I hear from, the more confident I am that Scrubs will definitely be renewed for a fourth (if not even a fifth) season. In fact, Scrubs' first time back in its old Tuesday 9:30 slot on Feb. 3rd. earned it 100% audience retention from its lead-in, Frasier among the important 18-49 demographic.

2-3(e): Why So Many Continuity Problems?

As explained above, shuffling "My Dirty Secret" from being Episode 3 to Episode 9 created some problems. Along the same vein, the Michael J. Fox episodes ("My Catalyst" and "My Porcelain God") were moved up to air in February Sweeps, shuffling the order of some of the episodes around them. This caused some minor continuity issues, most noticeably with Randall, who was fully installed as janitor ("My Catalyst") before he announced his new position a few episodes later ("My Butterfly").

Trivia Injection:
Had this season's episodes aired in the order intended, "My Brother, Where Art Thou?" would have lined up with S2's sixth episode "My Big Brother," and "My 15 Seconds" would have lined up with S1's eighth episode, "My 15 Minutes."

Season Four:
2-4(a): Why It Started Early

NBC rolled out their Fall season early in order to take advantage of the tail end of the audience who tuned in to the network for the Summer Olympics.
And at those official upfronts, not only was Scrubs' fourth season confirmed, but NBC announced that the show's contract was renewed for two seasons -- through Season Five -- the first time the network has displayed its loyalty to the series in such a way.

2-4(b): Season Length

In March, we were all quite surprised to hear that NBC had extended Scrubs' episode order from the standard 22 to a very generous 25 episodes. Similar was done for Friends spin-off Joey, so it's assumed the decision was made to make up for the early season start at the end of August in order for the network to remain competitive through May Sweeps. Regardless of the reason, we were thrilled to be blessed with an extra three episodes.

Season Five:
2-5(a): Will It Be...?

Yes! For the first time ever, we have the luxury of not having to bite our nails in anticipation of renewal. During the May 2004 advertiser upfronts, NBC announced its simultaneous order for a fourth and fifth season of Scrubs.

2-5(b): When It Begins...

Good question! At the moment, we don't have a definitive answer. At the May 16th advertiser upfronts, NBC announced that while Scrubs is definitely coming back next season, the only timeframe they could give was "at some point." But fear not -- the decision isn't due to lack of faith in Scrubs; it's simply to allow star Zach Braff to finish the second movie he's filming this summer, the recently announced Fast Track, which really is on the fast track, beginning principal shooting in July.

The Music

3-1: The Theme Song

The Scrubs theme is a snippet of a complete song entitled "Superman," written and performed by the group Lazlo Bane. See this site's music section for download/purchase details.

Trivia Injection:
Zach Braff was the one who suggested this song to the producers for the theme.

Trivia Injection:
Chad Fischer of Lazlo Bane runs a recording studio out of his garage, where Colin Hay ("Beautiful World" [ep. 1.24], "Overkill" [ep. 2.01], and "My Brilliant Feat" [ep. 2.22]) has recorded.
Chad also provides the music for Zach Braff's film Garden State.

3-2: The Songs In Specific Episodes

This site's music section has a (nearly) complete list of popular songs featured in Scrubs.

3-3: The Official Soundtrack

The Scrubs soundtrack was expected to be released August 20, 2002; however, that date was pushed back to September 24, 2002. A diligent fan found and submitted the complete track list in May 2002 -- however, the final list actually turns out to be much different!

Trivia Injection:
To promote the soundtrack, a music video for the show's opening theme song, "Superman," was made. The video was directed by show star Zach Braff. You can see the video here

3-4: The Music in Advertisements

The U.K.'s adverts for the summer screening of Scrubs' Series One on Channel Four:

"100 Million Ways" by Nash.

NBC's winter 2002-03 ad campaign for Scrubs and Good Morning Miami:

"Jericho" by Weekend Players.

April, 2004 "My Fault" promo on NBC:

Do you know it? (MP3 - 74 KB)

3-5: The A Cappella Group

Ted the Lawyer (Sam Lloyd) and his Band, The Worthless Peons -- Roy (Philip McNiven), Crispin (George Miserlis), and Randall (Paul Perry) -- are not professionals, just actors who sing. Calling themselves The Blanks, the guys have been an amateur a cappella group for a while. Invited to perform at Scrubs' 2001 Christmas party, Bill Lawrence was so charmed by their quirky style he wrote them into the show.
As for an album, the rumors of which have been circulating since Summer 2003, it's finally been released! It features nearly all songs performed on Scrubs as well as many others. The show's cast and creator Bill Lawrence also guest on the album.
More info here.

Trivia Injection:
Sam Lloyd and Paul Perry are also in a Beatles cover band called The Butties, whose rendition of "Eight Days A Week" was heard in the Season Three finale, "My Best Friend's Wedding," and "Joy to the World" heard in Season Four's "My Best Moment."

The Fictional World: Sacred Heart

4-1: The City

Many people have asked where exactly Scrubs is supposed to take place. The unofficial answer is: wherever you want! Aside from minor environmental clues (the largest of which being that they are located a train ride or a long car trip from one of the nation's Sea World parks), the producers have gone to great lengths to keep Sacred Heart's location a mystery.
And sorry to burst everyone's bubble, but the 916 area code revealed in Season Four isn't concretely indicative of Sacramento -- a cell provider could easily give you an area code from anywhere across the country.

4-2: The Characters

        Dr. Cox
Dr. Cox's personality is based in part on Bill Lawrence's father-in-law (Christa Miller's dad), and also in part on Bill Lawrence's former English teacher, Mr. Cox, at Ridgefield High School in Ridgefield, CT.

        The Janitor
Bill Lawrence has said that in every job he's ever had, there's always some guy who seems to hate him for no apparent reason. The Janitor is a nod to That Guy, a part specifically written for Neil Flynn. Flynn originally auditioned for the role of Dr. Cox, so he could wear the white coat or carry a briefcase, but Bill Lawrence insisted that he get the jumpsuit and mop. It's worked out well, as Neil is an accomplished improv comic who ad libs a lot of The Janitor's bits.

Trivia Injection:
Bill Lawrence has also revealed that, had the show only lasted a year, the Janitor would have finally been written as a mere figment of J.D.'s imagination. Once Scrubs headed steadily into its second season, the Janitor was given a firmer identity to other characters.
Source.

        Rowdy
Rowdy, a preserved Yellow Labrador, made his first appearance in the second episode, "My Mentor." According to J.D., Rowdy was purchased from a man who "used to keep him in a box full of old hats." This was inspired by Bill Lawrence's real-life experience of seeing a taxidermied pooch at a garage sale. The "perfect pet," he says.
And yes, Rowdy is played by an actual dead dog. No, you can't have one.

        Elliot...and Her Breasts
We see them a lot, don't we? Seems to be a running joke to feature Sarah Chalke's rack in as many episodes (and as many different bras) as the law allows.

        J.D....and His Hair
It's like that when he wakes up.
Seriously, someone identifying themselves as "vanitycrafts" (the industry name for the hair and make-up folks) at the Official Scrubs Message Board has this advice for getting your tresses to look the same:

Spray d:fi beach bum [volumizing hairspray] on the roots and dry up and forward all over, holding it up at the roots. When dry, apply a large dollop of American Crew Fiber [styling creme] all over, pulling and twisting ends.

        Elliot...and Her New Hair
I can't believe this is a frequently asked question. The best picture anyone can find is here. Take it to your stylist. Good luck.

        J.D. & Elliot
If you're a 'shipper, you're in for a long, bumpy ride.
The running joke in-show is that J.D. and Elliot compulsively hook up once a year -- the annual sleep-over.
During a Q&A at the 2002 Paley Festival, where the Scrubs cast and creator were guests, Bill Lawrence revealed that J.D. and Elliot's dynamic has been planned pretty much from the beginning. He and his writers found the "Will they? Won't they?" route cliché and therefore got it out of the way quickly in "My Bed Banter & Beyond" because, according to Lawrence, "In reality, if you and a co-worker like each other, you'll hook up quickly and then crash and burn." Lawrence also figures the show has a couple in Turk and Carla, and he wants to respect that relationship. But, he promised then, he could see J.D. and Elliot having sex every so often.
Most recently, however, after several seasons of the "annual hook-up," Bill Lawrence announced his boredom with the on again-off again dynamic, hence the burning of a few bridges at the end of the third season. The creative process is dynamic, so there's always hope, but keep in mind the most recent quote from Lawrence: "Until the show's in its eighth year and [the writers] are desperate, I doubt they'd hook up again."

Fan Interests

5-1: Broadcasts

This feature will return soon.

5-2: Video / DVD

For four years it has been the most frequently asked question: "When can I own Scrubs on DVD?" Now, after over a year of escalating rumors (props to Zach Braff, the folks at CALL-TURK, and a TelevisionWithoutPity poster who dropped a date on us in September '04 and was right on the money), that day has finally arrived! You can own your copy of the 3-disc Season One set, packed full of extras, NOW!
Full details here.

5-3: Tickets - Nope

Because the show is not filmed before an audience, tickets are not available. However, the following point will let you know how you may see the show live....

5-4: Walk-On Roles

Throughout any given year, various charities hold auctions through eBay, with props, scripts, etc., and walk-on roles for different series up for bid. Scrubs is a major contributor to such charities, usually donating walk-on roles for auction. Closing bids tend to average about $3,000.

5-5: Scrubs Merchandise

The NBC Store has started selling Scrubs merchandise... You can find similar goodies at eMerchandise, which ships internationally. Many things, ranging from autographed photos to Emmy Consideration DVDs to walk-on roles are often featured on eBay.

5-6: If You Miss an Episode

...Make Requests at Video Trading Newsgroups: general | PAL
...Read An Episode Guide: TVtome.com | Scrubs-TV.com
...Read An Episode Recap: Diet Coke of Snark
...Read An Episode Transcript: This Site
At this point, unfortunately, NBC does not honor requests for tapes of episodes direct from them. And, remember, the downloading of episode video files (via file sharing services like Kazaa, KazaaLite, Morpheus, BitTorrent, etc.) is a violation of current copyright laws.

5-7: Fan Mail

Contributors to The Star Archive report success receiving autographed photos via the following Touchstone address. Send a self-addressed, stamped envelope with your request. And please let me know your own success rate.

You can also leave a voicemail message for any of the cast or crew at "Turk's new cell phone number": 916-CALL-TURK (916-225-5887).

Fan messages can be directed to Zach Braff (J.D.) in comments to his official blog: http://gardenstate.typepad.com/zach_braffs_garden_state_/
Fan e-mail can be directed to Robert Maschio (The Todd) at his official website: http://www.robertmaschio.com/
Fan e-mail can be directed to Sam Lloyd (Ted the Lawyer) and members of his a cappella group, The Blanks (The Worthless Peons), at their official website: http://www.theblankswebsite.com/