JD’s New Successor Is Scrubs Revival’s Saving Grace

Published Oct 8, 2026, 6:46 AM EDT

Shealyn Scott is a Senior Writer at Screen Rant. She has been writing for the site since 2024, focused on network, reality, streaming, and classic television.
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One of the most divisive characters in the Scrubs reboot is actually the key to its long-term success. In the 25 years since the original series premiere, characters like John "J.D." Dorian (Zach Braff), Chris Turk (Donald Faison), Elliot Reid (Sarah Chalke), and Carla Espinosa (Judy Reyes) have remained one-of-a-kind icons in the medical dramedy genre, but longtime fans bemoaned the sendoff OG Scrubs season 9 gave to their favorite ensemble. Consequently, ABC's Scrubs revival was the perfect opportunity to right the flagship series' biggest wrongs and catch up with the beloved Sacred Heart Hospital staff.

While the vast majority of the original main cast reprised their roles, ABC also took a calculated risk by introducing the next generation of doctors, with interns like Samantha "Sam" Tosh (Ava Bunn), Blake Lewis (David Gridley), and Dashana Trainor (Amanda Morrow) emerging as the reboot's young heroes. Nevertheless, Scrubs season 2 is continuing to explore what Sacred Heart looks like in the modern age— and without Perry Cox (John C. McGinley) or Bob Kelso (Ken Jenkins) at the helm, recently appointed Chief of Medicine J.D. is finding opposition in an unlikely place: his mentee, Grant Summers (John Higgins).

It’s Easy To Dislike Grant In Scrubs Season 2, Episode 3

ABC

Grant is the newest Scrubs character to join the cast, first appearing in season 2, episode 2, but his role in the overarching story is very quickly taking shape. When viewers meet the head resident, he seems affable, a tad awkward, but by and large a pleasant addition to the Sacred Heart crew. Soon, however, he shows his true colors when J.D. attempts to enlist his help in finding a loophole for Dr. Cox's insurance appeals. Whether you view his callousness as pragmatic or petty, Grant's brutal honesty only intensifies in Scrubs season 2, episode 3.

Most of the interns in the Scrubs reboot are hit-or-miss dilutions of Gen Z archetypes, but Blake's nuanced development throughout the revival's first season cemented him as a fan-favorite. As such, his central role in "My Ex's Ex" seemed to be cause for excitement. Adhering to season 2's early focus on career growth, Blake's subplot revolved around him applying for a competitive cardiology fellowship. Unfortunately, Grant immediately insists that he'll never make the cut, and, when some hands-on training with Turk goes awry, the resident takes it upon himself to give Blake an unnecessarily harsh reality check.

The confrontation is nothing short of heartbreaking, as the intern confides that his dream of being a cardiologist stems from his experience with his dying mother. In a hilariously inappropriate response, Grant simply finds his "lost" wallet and offers to pay for coffee. To be fair, it all works out in the end, as J.D. teaches Grant the importance of fostering the young doctors' confidence, and the pair stumble into the joint epiphany that Blake would be a perfect match for palliative end-of-life care. Regardless, Grant's subtly scummy traits make him a total nuisance— which is exactly what Scrubs needs.

The Scrubs Revival Needed A Strong Antagonist

Thus far, Scrubs has avoided common reboot problems like failing to update the show's technology or ruining the main characters' lives for extra drama, but the revival is in desperate need of a natural source of conflict. Dr. Kevin Park (Joel Kim Booster) is gone, Jordan Sullivan (Christa Miller) has been drastically toned down, and even the Janitor (Neil Flynn) and his son (Darcy Michael) have disappeared completely following the reboot's first season finale. As a result, J.D. was going into season 2 with no main antagonist.

At a glance, it may seem like a good thing that the main character has no enemies, but tension is what makes a story compelling. Grant doesn't have to be cartoonishly evil or hate J.D.'s guts to be an effective antagonist; he simply offers resistance, which makes J.D. a better mentor and a more interesting hero. Similarly, it legitimizes his role as Cox's true successor by forcing J.D. to complete the transition from wily young intern to wise old chief. Of course, Grant isn't a full-blown villain, but he's certainly offering Scrubs season 2 some much-needed contrast.

New episodes of the Scrubs revival air every Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

Cast

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  Zach Braff

  John 'J.D.' Dorian

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  Donald Faison

  Christopher Turk