‘Scrubs’ Stars On How Scott Foley & Rachel Bilson’s Arrival Changes J.D. & Elliot’s Relationship & Impacts Turk’s Marriage

Exes J.D. (Zach Braff) and Elliot (Sarah Chalke) are both getting significant others in Season 2 of Scrubs‘ revival on ABC, and for Elliot, it’s a blast from the past and someone J.D. was once jealous of. As Deadline revealed exclusively last month, Scott Foley is returning to the medical comedy, reprising his role as marine biologist Sean as he and Elliot rekindle their previous on-again off-again romance.

And Rachel Bilson, whose hospital visitor Charlie hit it off with J.D. in the Season 1 finale, is also back for an arc as the duo hard launch their relationship that may be coming fast and furious for J.D.

“J.D. is going, as you said, a little fast and furious with her, and Turk’s giving him advice that he’s going way too fast and needs to calm down,” Braff said during a joint video interview with the three stars of Scrubs ahead of the Season 2 premiere.

Added Faison, “He’s a little rusty with his courtship, and he’s going all in a little too too much, but that makes Turk realize that he hasn’t been going in with the wife at all, as far as the romantic side goes. Like he’s just playing husband; I’ll come home, we’re gonna do the maybe watch a movie thing, and then let’s go to bed, and then I’ll go to work, and you go to work in the morning, and stuff like that. He’s not doing any type of romantic anything.”

The first three episodes of Season 2 set up a “running storyline of the difference in all of our lives,” Braff said.

“J.D. is a bachelor again, and he’s out there in a new exciting thing, Turk’s been in a long-term relationship for many years, and Elliot’s also dipping her toe in the dating waters,” he said. “The contrast between our romantic lives is something that’s really been funny. Scott Foley’s back to be a love interest for Sarah for some episodes, and Rachel’s been mine, and the dynamic with us all together is just hilarious, we’re having so much fun.”

Besides revisiting a classic Scrubs love triangle (J.D., Elliot, Sean) that produced the signature “Nobody cares, Sean” line the jealous J.D. used to say, Foley’s return serves another story purpose.

“The writers were like, ‘How do we bring back Elliot’s neuroses?’,” Chalke said. “And so they thought that Scott would be a good way to do that because now that Elliot’s more comfortable in her job and feels super confident as a doctor, this is kind of what shakes her and brings back a lot of her neurotic days.”

This marks a character adjustment — and return to form — for Elliot.

“One thing we overcorrected for a little bit in Season 1 was Elliot being this mature person, and not that she’s not mature, but I think I and Sarah and others and fans missed a little bit of batsh*t crazy Elliot.

Said Chalke, “We brought some of the batsh*t back.”

Added Braff, “So we’ve taken the batsh*t dial in Elliot and put it back to normal. And by normal, I mean her old batsh*t stuff.

“Which has been super fun to do, I missed it,” Chalke said.

Is Elliot getting back with Sean because she may be jealous of what J.D. has with Charlie, and what happened with her Season 1 romantic interest pilot Wes who doesn’t seem to be in the picture anymore?

“We reference the fact that she’s still with the pilot at the beginning, but she doesn’t really realize, like Carla’s, like ‘Elliot, he’s so boring.’ She’s like, ‘He’s not boring, he’s just sending me pictures,’ and it was amazing the different alts of the jokes that the writers came up with for the photos that Wes was sending her. And then she realizes, she looks at what Charlie and J.D. have, and she’s like, ‘Huh, maybe I do want that’.”

Braff applauded Elliot’s classy reaction to his new romance.

“She’s being very mature about it, I have to say, because J.D.’s not being very tactful about his loving on Charlie.

Added Chalke, “Yeah, it’s in her face, in the workplace and outside.”

“Yeah, it’s not very respectful,” Braff continued. “But J.D.’s about to get a big wake-up call when TV’s Scott Foley shows up with his green eyes.”

Added Faison, “He’s so handsome. He’s got like this salt and pepper thing going right now. It’s just dreamy.”

Scrubs Season 2 launches on Sept. 30 with a two-episode premiere on ABC and streaming next day on Hulu.