The following are a list of characters from the NBC/ABC[1] American comedy-drama Scrubs.
Zach Braff portrays John Michael "J.D." Dorian, the show's protagonist and narrator. J.D. is a young attending physician, who begins the series as a staff intern. His voice-over to the series comes from his internal thoughts and often features surreal fantasies. J.D. is a recurring character in season 9.
J.D.'s name is based on that of Dr. Jonathan Doris, a college friend of series creator Bill Lawrence. Doris serves as medical advisor on the show. According to Zach Braff, he feels that after seven years, there is not much of J.D.'s personality left to be explored, except for his relationship with Turk, while Lawrence has stated that the seventh season was to show J.D. finally growing up, in order to satisfy many fans who did not want to see him stay the same.[2] However, Braff also says that J.D. has gradually evolved over the series, but at the same time cannot evolve too much, as they need to "[give] the fans what they want, which is to see the characters be themselves."[3]
Donald Faison portrays Christopher Duncan Turk, J.D.'s best friend and a surgical attending physician and later Chief of Surgery. Turk roomed with J.D. at the College of William and Mary and at medical school, and the two have an extremely close relationship, which is best described in the season 6 episode My Musical as "Guy love". He is married to Carla Espinosa. J.D. claims that Turk's middle name is such because his father loved doughnuts.
Turk and J.D. are best friends and surrogate brothers. They both attended The College of William and Mary (Scrubs creator Bill Lawrence's alma mater), where they roomed together.[4] They share a goofy sense of humor; for example, they both enjoy dancing "the robot",[5] "dramatic slow running", pretending to be "multi-ethnic Siamese doctor", and also pretending to be the "World's Most Giant Doctor." He and J.D. own a stuffed Yellow Labrador Retriever named Rowdy which they treat like a live dog. J.D. was also Turk's best man,[6] and, is the godfather of his and Carla's child, Izzy.
Donald Faison is the only original cast member, besides John C. McGinley, that returns for season nine as a regular cast member.
Turk's name is based on that of real-life physician Dr. Jon Turk, a medical consultant for Scrubs.[7]
Sarah Chalke portrays Elliot Reid, another intern and later private practice physician. Her relationship with J.D. becomes romantic on several occasions and at the start of season 9 she is married to J.D. and 7 months pregnant. Elliot is driven by a neurotic desire to prove her abilities to her family (in which all of the males are doctors), her peers, and herself.
At Sacred Heart, Elliot begins as an intern and later becomes a resident after a gruelling, year-long internship. She serves as Co-Chief Resident with J.D. during season 4. At the end of that season, she briefly leaves to take on an endocrinology fellowship, which ends five days later after her research partner finds the cure to osteogenesis imperfecta, the disease they are researching.[8] After a brief spell at a free clinic, she returns to Sacred Heart and becomes a senior attending physician. At the end of the episode "My Coffee", she accepts an offer to go into private practice, allowing her to receive double the pay, still work at Sacred Heart, and never have to deal with superiors Dr. Cox (John C. McGinley) or Dr. Kelso (Ken Jenkins) again. In "My Full Moon", she ponders her future career after struggling to deliver the bad news to a patient diagnosed with HIV, and tells Turk that if she was lucky enough to get married and had enough money to not have to work, she would "walk out of this place [the hospital] and never look back".
Judy Reyes portrays Carla Espinosa, the hospital's head nurse, who acts as a mother figure to the interns, often hiding their mistakes from their attending doctor. During the course of the series Turk forms a relationship with Carla, eventually they marry and start a family together. Carla does not appear in season 9 but is mentioned a few times by Turk.
Carla starts dating Christopher Turk (Donald Faison) in the show's second episode, "My Mentor". They have remained together for almost the entire run of the show. Carla marries Turk in the season finale of season 3, "My Best Friend's Wedding". She and Turk go through a trial separation in season 4 after Carla discovers that Turk is still talking to his ex-girlfriend without telling her he is married which is prolonged after Carla and J.D. kiss. Following some couples' therapy and some frank discussions with Turk and J.D., however, the couple reunite and immediately begin trying to conceive. Initially, they are unsuccessful, but she finally gets pregnant toward the end of the season after several episodes are spent on Turk and Carla worrying about their respective fertility. Carla gives birth to a baby girl, whom they name Isabella, in the episode "My Best Friend's Baby's Baby and My Baby's Baby". J.D. becomes the godfather of the child. In "My Coffee" when J.D. enters the room that Carla's in with Isabella in her arms, she points to him and says "Isabella, this is the man you will be competing with for your father's love." In "My House", it is revealed that she suffers from post-partum depression. She spends most of the following episode in denial about the condition, but finally gets help after a frank discussion with Jordan Sullivan, who had also suffered from the condition.
John C. McGinley portrays Percival "Perry" Ulysses Cox, a senior attending physician at Sacred Heart and the hospital's Residency Director before becoming the new Chief of Medicine in season eight. J.D. considers Cox his mentor despite the fact that Cox routinely criticizes and belittles him. Cox frequently suggests that this harsh treatment is intended as conditioning for the rigors of hospital life.
Dr. Cox is sarcastic and bitter, and has a quick, cruel wit, normally expressed through frequent and sometimes incredibly long rants, in which he has viciously verbally attacked almost every character on the show. He is athletic, often found playing basketball in the hospital's parking lot with younger hospital employees. In "My Friend the Doctor", he shows off by slam-dunking a basketball, but then injures his back when he lands, a reminder that he's middle-aged. Out of vanity, he tries to disguise his injury. In "My White Whale", Cox reveals he was circumcised but his son was not.
According to McGinley in the Season 1 DVD bonus features, Dr. Cox's habit of often touching his nose is a homage to Paul Newman's character in The Sting, although Cox also uses it as a sign of irritation on occasion, rather than just a sign signifying "it's going to be OK", as it was used in the film. Dr. Cox also has been compared to Gregory House (although Cox's character was created several years before House's) by Kelso, who says, "Oh Perry, you are so edgy and cantankerous; like House without the limp." This is further explored in "My House", during which Cox acquires a temporary limp. At the end of the episode, through a series of circumstances, Dr. Cox walks into the room where the other characters are sitting and in a very House-esque way, gives them the answers to everything they have been trying to figure out through the whole episode.
Ken Jenkins portrays Robert "Bob" Kelso, formerly Sacred Heart's Chief of Medicine. Kelso is cold, heartless and cruel, driven primarily by the hospital's bottom line rather than the well-being of patients. However, it is occasionally suggested that he has a softer side, and that his cruelty is a means of coping with the years of hard decisions. It has been noted by other characters he was burdened by the job. He retired in Season 7, after which his relationship with staff at the hospital improves. Towards the end of season 8, he realises he misses being a doctor. In season 9 he returns to Sacred Heart as a professor.
Throughout the series, he is at odds with Dr. Perry Cox (John C. McGinley), Sacred Heart's Chief Attending Physician who eventually replaces him as Chief of Medicine. Cox calls him "Bobbo" or some other variation, often refers to him as a "pod person" or "the Devil himself", and even punches him out in the episode "My Dream Job"; the two have occasionally shared moments of understanding and compassion, however, such as when Kelso tells a depressed Cox that the hospital and Kelso himself needs him, as they balance each other out to do what is best for the hospital. After his retirement, Kelso becomes more openly friendly with Dr Cox.
Neil Flynn portrays the hospital's custodian known as "Janitor" through most of the series (in the last episode of season 8 he reveals his name "Glenn Matthews". An incident in the pilot episode establishes an adversarial relationship between him and J.D., which persists throughout the series. This tends to take the form of the Janitor pulling mean-spirited pranks on J.D., although he gives J.D. a pass after his father dies.
In the ninth season premiere, Turk tells J.D. that the day after he left Sacred Heart, the Janitor asked when J.D. was returning, either oblivious to, or in denial of, J.D.'s departure, and upon coming to the realization that J.D. no longer worked at Sacred Heart, promptly walked off the job and quit. He was not seen for the remainder of the season due to Neil Flynn leaving the show to go work on his own show The Middle.
Flynn is an improv comedian and, as such, ad-libs many of his lines. Flynn originally auditioned for the role of Dr. Cox (which ultimately went to John C. McGinley). However, Lawrence asked Flynn if he would consider another part—the mysterious custodian who makes tormenting J.D. his life's work.
The role of Janitor was originally devised as a one-time gag in the series' pilot episode, Lawrence admitted: "When we watched the pilot, we knew instantly we had to keep this guy around."
Eliza Coupe portrays Denise "Jo" Mahoney, one of several new interns in Season 8. Denise is extremely blunt and opinionated. She has never been able to connect strongly to her emotions, even when she is with her family. Denise becomes J.D.'s protegee, taking steps to empathise with patients.
Denise Mahoney was among several interns introduced into the show for Season 8 of Scrubs. J.D. nicknames her "Jo" in "My Jerks", as she reminds him "of that streetwise mannish girl" on The Facts of Life.[9] She is tough and insensitive, and contemptuous of any show of vulnerability or emotion.
Denise says she got into medicine because she is fascinated by the "nuts and bolts of it all".[10] She is extremely dedicated as a doctor, so much so that she spends too much time in the hospital. Elliot finally gets through to her in the only ways she understands — humiliating her — to help her get out of the hospital and blow off steam.[11]
In Season 9 Denise is a teaching assistant at the new Sacred Heart.
Kerry Bishé portrays Lucy Bennett, a medical student at Winston University. She serves as the new narrator for Season 9. She loves horses and believes if they could talk they would be wise. She is currently having an affair with Cole, who she says "[kills] her soul as he climbs into bed with her". Later on through the series she starts to accept Cole and admits to her class she loves him. She walked out on Cole when he was diagnosed with cancer but came back to support him. When Cole wanted to become a surgeon, he tore up 17 of Lucy's cuddly horses and attempted to re-assemble them. Lucy had 17 individual funerals for them which Drew had to suffer through.
Lucy is at first overwhelmed by life in a hospital, especially when both her chief professor, Perry Cox (John C. McGinley), and her student advisor, Denise Mahoney (Eliza Coupe), take an immediate dislike to her. Seeking a respite, she sleeps with her classmate Cole Aaronson (Dave Franco), an arrogant rich kid who takes a naked picture of her without her knowledge, and then humiliates her by letting it fall out of his backpack and into the wrong hands. At the end of the episode, she befriends J.D., who is temporarily teaching at the university; he takes her under his wing and encourages her to stand up to Dr. Cox.
As the season progresses, Lucy faces more and greater challenges in medicine and life. In "Our Drunk Friend", she personally raises money to send an alcoholic patient to rehab, only to have it blow up in her face when he falls off the wagon. J.D., who had initially seemed to support her, tells her that he knew the patient was a lost cause, but felt that she needed to learn how to cope with defeat.
Michael Mosley portrays Drew Suffin (Season 9), who is a medical student at Winston University giving it a second go. He had previously been in jail and was apparently shot by a 12 year old. He describes jail as "cold". He is in a relationship with Denise. He is apparently Dr. Cox's favorite student; at one point Drew was forced to tape a "#1" sign to his chest by Cox, which is shortly replaced by a pink t-shirt saying "#1". However he no longer wears either, though Cox still shows him signs of favoritism (he even pats Drew's back to the dismay of J.D.). Drew disappoints Dr. Cox after Cox shows off Drew to Turk in the series finale 'Our Thanks' when Cox says how his new protégé is the opposite of J.D. Drew then turns to Dr. Cox and asks for relationship advice. Dr. Cox replies by saying 'Oh dear God, Drew, not you. It's happening again.'
Cole Aaronson portrayed by Dave Franco, is a medical student at Winston University. His family donated a large portion of money to get the new Sacred Heart Hospital built and as such, Cole believes that he can do whatever he wants, as he is "untouchable". While spoiled, arrogant, and immature, he occasionally reveals himself to have a good heart. He is in a relationship with Lucy. He is also diagnosed with melanoma, in which he takes his frustrations out on Lucy, causing her to leave him. He then confides in Dr. Kelso, who gives him some much needed advice, which also brings Lucy back to him. His melanoma goes away in the series finale and Cole decides to become a surgeon and to follow Dr. Turk. By the end of the episode, Turk gives up trying to scare Cole away and accepts him as a kind of protegé.
Jordan Sullivan, played by Christa Miller, is the ex-wife of Perry Cox and a retired member of the Sacred Heart Board of Directors. Jordan's father, Quinn Sullivan, had occupied a position in the Board of Directors, and she inherited it after his death. She is the sister of Danni Sullivan (an ex girlfriend of J.D) and the deceased Ben Sullivan (who was a close friend of Dr. Cox). After her divorce with Dr. Cox, they continue to maintain a strictly sexual relationship. However, they both continue to have feelings for each other and eventually get back together shortly before the birth of their son, Jack. However, Jordan does not tell Dr. Cox he is the child's father for several episodes because she wants to make sure he wants to be with her. Though Dr. Cox and Jordan had been shown to bicker, Dr. Cox remarks that Jordan refuses to argue with him because she does not want Jack to be emotionally scarred.[12] However, she often makes Jack increasingly feminine in order to annoy Dr. Cox. When Jordan and Dr. Cox find out that their divorce papers were not signed correctly, and that they are still legally married, their relationship becomes strained. Deciding that marriage was ruining their relationship, Dr. Cox and Jordan have a legal divorce. Later, Dr. Cox and Jordan give birth to a daughter, Jennifer Dylan (named by J.D, after his initials). Also in season 8 both Jordan and Perry start to wear their wedding rings again.
Jordan is portrayed to be sarcastic, vindictive, and cold; she blames this on her parents, but later tells Elliot that her parents were supportive and not the cause of her behavior.[13] Despite her occasional cruelty, Jordan does display loyalty towards friends and sometimes attempts to fix her wrong-doings. She eventually forms a tolerance and almost fondness for Elliot, which seems to stem from both of them being able to manipulate their boyfriends and the fact that they are both "nervous pooers." Elliot and her then boyfriend Keith even double-dated with Jordan and Cox a couple of times. However, in later episodes, Jordan has been easily annoyed by Elliot and in "Their Story" did her best to cause tension between her and Keith. However, she does manage to fix it at the end of the episode. In the later seasons of the show Jordan formed a friendship with Carla and Elliot. In the episode "My Finale" she kisses J.D. on the cheek, having called him a good lover, but then she realizes to her horror that she is becoming nice, before insulting Ted to balance it out. During J.D.'s vision of the future she, Dr. Cox and family spend Christmas with J.D., Elliot, Turk and Carla.
Benjamin "Ben" Sullivan played by Brendan Fraser; A carpenter/photographer who was Jordan and Danni's older brother and Cox's brother-in-law and best friend. Unlike his sisters, Ben was easy going and friendly with a good sense of humor. Ben was an expert at identifying actresses who appear naked in movies (a trait that allowed him to become quick friends with J.D., who had a similar skill), and was described by Jordan as "clumsy", which has caused him to have many accidents during his carpentry jobs. Ben was diagnosed with leukemia, which initially caused a strain on Ben and Cox's friendship (due to Cox being unable to handle the fact Ben only had 30% chance of survival), but eventually J.D. convinced Cox to be there for Ben. Ben eventually succeeded in his treatments and went into remission. He then traveled on the "World Leukemia Tour" for the next 2 years and returned only in time for his nephew Jack's birthday in "My Screw Up". Cox, despite not being pleased at Ben for not seeing a single "doctor, medicine man, or 'scary shaman with saucers in his ears'" during his extended trip, was nonetheless delighted to see him again, and then left Ben in J.D.'s care while Cox made some arrangements for Jack's birthday party. Unfortunately, Ben went into cardiac arrest (a common complication of leukemia) 20 minutes after Cox left the hospital and died. Cox took his death very hard, initially blaming J.D. and sending him home, but Ben's ghost (possibly a figment of Cox's imagination) reminded him that it was not his fault, and Cox later apologized. Everyone at the hospital was saddened by Ben's death, and many senior members of the hospital attended his funeral two days later. Finally Cox acknowledged Ben's death and his ghost dissipates. Cox sat in the front row with Jordan and J.D., and cried during the ceremony over the death of his friend.
Theodore "Ted" Buckland, played by Sam Lloyd, is Sacred Heart's lawyer. Ted is the hospital's "sad sack", with pathetically low self-esteem and frequent suicidal tendencies. He is constantly degraded by Kelso, who has slowly but surely broken him down. It is implied that Ted has never won a case and it took him five tries to pass the Bar Exam due to stress induced dyslexia; he also states that he took the exam in Alaska, where it is much easier to pass. Ted attended Ithaca College.[14] Through a conversation with the Janitor in season three, it appears Ted speaks Korean.[15]
So intense is Ted's hatred for Kelso that he regularly has homicidal thoughts about him, with the only dream he ever has being "holding [Kelso's] head under the water until the last bubble goes... bloop." Kelso is well aware of these thoughts, as once when Ted pondered killing Kelso and himself with a letter opener, Kelso correctly surmised Ted's thoughts, saying "You'll never do it, you don't have the guts." However, before retiring Kelso thanked him "for everything." Due to not receiving much acknowledgement, Ted reacts with surprise and disbelief when someone so much as knows his name. On many occasions, Ted has considered suicide, even going so far as to stand on the edge of the hospital roof and try to coax himself into jumping. Ted has also claimed that he had a wife and kids, but they left him due to the stress of his job.
He has a disturbingly close relationship with his mother, with whom he lives. He sleeps in the same bed as her, and remarks that she had installed a camera in the bathroom to check up on him when he is bathing. Ted is part of an a cappella group, with three other non-medical employees from around the hospital, called "The Worthless Peons" (played by The Blanks, the real-life band of Sam Lloyd), and is shown to be uncharacteristically confident when surrounded by his bandmates. He is also shown to participate in biking and triathlons, often training with Doug Murphy. Ted is also a member of the "Brain Trust," a group composed of The Todd, Ted, Janitor, and Doug. With the help of Janitor and J.D., Ted finds the courage to ask Stephanie Gooch (Kate Micucci), the ukulele-playing musician who performs for the hospital's patients, on a date, and the two form a relationship and move in together. He later appears in Hawaii in the season 2 finale of Cougar Town, written and directed by Bill Lawrence, and says that (Stephanie) Gooch has run off with (Dr.) Hooch.
Dr. Doug Murphy, played by Johnny Kastl, is a pathologist at Sacred Heart, formerly being a doctor of internal medicine. Doug is an incompetent nervous wreck, who often accidentally kills patients who have been assigned to him, and even has causes of deaths named after him. Due to anxiety, Doug is nicknamed "nervous guy" and "pee pants" by Dr. Cox, who, along with Kelso, degrades him constantly. Despite his lack of skills as a doctor and having to repeat his third year of residency, Doug eventually becomes a licensed doctor. However, Doug begins to doubt himself and his ability, and comes to the conclusion that he should not be a doctor. While on a trip to the morgue, Doug realizes he has the ability to identify the cause of death of several people, having seen several deaths he caused. He becomes an expert coroner, but still makes several mistakes such as forgetting a gurney, misplacing a dead body, or waiting too long to get a patient before rigor mortis sets in. He also mentions that he hates dead people (in 'My Way Home' J.D. attempted to sneak out of the hospital in a body bag, and when he sat up, Doug believes he's a zombie, panics and hits him repeatedly with a fire extinguisher, saying: 'dead people should be dead.').
Doug is often seen eating a lollipop, as do other coroners at Sacred Heart. At the baby shower thrown for Carla and Turk's child, Doug and some other coroners are shown eating and trading lollipops with each other. Doug and Ted often hang out with each other, and are revealed to compete in triathlons and bike together as well. Doug, Ted, and The Todd are all members of the Janitor's second "Brain Trust," but Doug was temporarily replaced with Lloyd. Doug revealed that after putting toe tags on cadavers for so long, he had developed a foot fetish, and was later found hiding under a reception desk because he "got tired of looking at dead ones' feet."
Keith Dudemeister, played by Travis Schuldt, is a medical resident at Sacred Heart. The episode "My Intern's Eyes," was shown through (but not narrated by), Keith's point of view. Originally, Keith was introduced as a timid intern who eventually became very popular and adapted quickly to his hospital responsibilities. J.D. grows to irrationally dislike Keith, particularly when Keith begins to date Elliot. However, J.D. soon decides that he would like Keith because Elliot did and admits that Keith has genuine skills as a doctor. J.D. also admits in one episode that, had Elliot never worked at the hospital, he and Keith would probably have become best friends due to a lack of sexual tension between them. Elliot, who speaks fluent German, informs J.D. that Keith's last name means "master of dudes" in German. In "His Story IV", Keith reveals himself to be a Republican, which strengthens the relationship between him and Elliot, as she is also one. Eventually, Keith moves in with Elliot and she confesses that she loves him. Keith later proposes to her, and they quickly begin to plan for a wedding.[16] Elliot, doubting her commitment and feeling that she had "passed the point of no return" in her relationship with Keith, decides to break off the engagement. Their relationship becomes very strained, with Keith hurting and feeling that Elliot had ruined his life. While he continues to act professionally at work with her, he alternates between being angry and depressed while outside of the workplace. Elliot finally realizes his feelings in "My Jerks" and sincerely apologizes for hurting him. Keith responds by saying that he really had needed to hear that. He appears again in "My Finale" in J.D.'s final daydream of all the people he had met during his time at Sacred Heart.
Dr. Todd Quinlan, often called The Todd, played by Robert Maschio, is a surgeon at Sacred Heart who often delves into rampant sexual innuendo. Despite his frat boy personality, lack of common sense, and inability to spell, Todd is a skilled surgeon, being ranked the best surgical intern and second best surgical resident. He is a friend of Turk, even believing that he is Turk's best friend, instead of J.D, and that Turk would choose him over Carla if it came down to it. Todd was not given an official surname until season five. In the Season 1 DVD Commentaries, Bill Lawrence explained that they never gave him one on purpose. "Quinlan" was picked up by a fan from a prop tag on Todd's shirt once in the first season. It was merely a prop and not intended to be an actual name; however, the name eventually stuck.
Todd's sexuality is never explicitly stated, although in "My Lucky Charm" he states that "The Todd appreciates hot regardless of gender." He pretended to be gay in "My Lunch", believing that "chicks dig gay dudes."[17] He constantly makes sexual comments towards men and women alike, even admitting that he would sleep with a 68-year-old syphilis patient and stating that he "accepts all applicants, regardless of age or disability." After talking with Dr. Molly Clock, Todd explained that his view on women was due to an unhealthy relationship with his mother in which they made out. However, it is also revealed in "My Tormented Mentor" that Todd's father also influenced him to look at women as sexual objects. It has been implied that Todd only makes such comments to maintain an image. He has shown a surprising amount of sensitivity and compassion for friends and people around him, such as going out of his way to protect Turk and even identifying why Turk was so upset. Despite his constant comments, Todd is never malicious or crosses boundaries and is overall a fairly likeable individual.
Throughout the series, The Todd often refers to himself in third-person and has a variety of high fives (which are shown to hurt people), made by taking a word or subject and adding "five" to the end, for example "Moving-on Five" or "Slide Five" normally accompanied by a sound effect. Todd is also a member of the Janitor's second "Brain Trust", a group composed of Todd, Ted and Doug. In "My Soul On Fire, Part 1", it was revealed that Todd went to medical school in the Bahamas and learned the "high five" from his professor. In "My Chief Concern," he appears to be involved in a three-way sexual relationship with the Hendersons, a married couple. Although Todd has maintained a steady role, he only appears twice in "My Finale": When J.D. runs out of the hospital, and when J.D. leaves for the final time, in which he gives him a "good-bye five, from the big dog". The Todd returns as a recurring character in season 9.
Laverne Roberts, played by Aloma Wright, is a nurse of Sacred Heart. In her free time, Laverne enjoys soap-operas and intra-office gossip. Laverne is a devout Christian, often having strong opinions on the way others act, premarital sex, and abortion. The vision of Laverne received by Carla, however, claims that she had sex with Bob Kelso before she got married. It is later revealed that she maintained much of her religious devotion as a way to cope with watching suffering and death in the hospital every day. Laverne is one of the few members of the hospital that can intimidate imposing employees such as Dr. Cox, Janitor, Kelso, and Carla, with whom she is especially close. Laverne has a husband named Lester, a son, and a nephew Lance fighting in the Iraq War. She and Lester are shown to have marital problems, but her attempts to fix them have been unsuccessful. She has an above ground pool where at least once she had a party that was often referenced by characters throughout the series.
While driving to the hospital one morning, Laverne is involved in a car accident and falls into a coma, put on life support. Her family decides to take her off after learning she had suffered brain damage and was brain dead. Employees of the hospital visit her and speak to her, giving final good-byes. Carla, unable to admit that Laverne has no chance of recovering, avoids this and is followed by a manifestation of her feelings that take the shape of Laverne. The manifestation disappears once Carla finally gives Laverne a farewell, and Laverne immediately dies afterward. Her character briefly makes an appearance in "My Comedy Show" in a flashback and in the 8th season finale when J.D. imagines all the people he knew from the hospital one last time.
After the show was renewed for a seventh season, Scrubs creator Bill Lawrence promised Aloma Wright another job on the show because killing off Laverne was written under the impression that it was the final year of the show. Wright plays a new character that is similar to Laverne, but only J.D. can see the similarities. Initial reports that she would play Shirley, Laverne's twin sister who is supposed to be the alcoholic, non-religious "anti-Laverne", turned out to be untrue.[18] The new character has been seen briefly while Kim was giving birth. J.D. was able to see the physical similarities between Laverne and Nurse Shirley, and J.D. gives her the nickname "Laverneagain", which she hates.[19] Since joining the staff of Sacred Heart, at the beginning of season seven, she has apparently developed a close friendship with Janitor.
Dr. Wen, played by Charles Chun, is an attending surgeon who mentored Turk and the Todd for their first three years at the hospital. He tends to be very serious and businesslike and is one of very few characters that is not treated comically (although, a couple of attempts are made, such as him and Turk arguing over what song to play during a surgery and him pushing Turk to help him beat Dr. Cox and J.D. at wheelchair racing). Dr. Wen is more dispassionate and modest than most surgeons, but he does have an egotistical, competitive side; he competes against Dr. Cox in a wheelchair race between the medical and surgical branches.[20] Little is known about Wen's personal life other than that he is married, and his wife once broke her legs in a car accident. Although his full position within the hospital is unknown, he is the Chief of Surgery until he passes the title to Turk. It is revealed that he is inordinately fond of the song "A Little Respect" by Erasure.[21]
Dr. Wen has not been featured on the show since Season 6, but in Season 8 his name is seen on Dr. Cox's "Sometimes Allowed" list,[22] and he is parodied in the annual interns sketch show. J.D. comments that the Dr. Wen sketch is not working, referring to Dr. Wen's lack of comedic flair. When Carla becomes a surgical nurse, revealing things about Turk in surgery, Dr. Wen is seen laughing with the Todd under his mask. He made an appearance in the series finale.[23] The character shares the same name as a former writing partner of series writer Bill Callahan, the two previously wrote for Spin City, which was co-created by Scrubs creator Bill Lawrence; Callahan and Wen parted ways in 2003 while working on 8 Simple Rules, a year before Callahan joined the show's writing staff.
Lonnie, played by Michael Hobert, was first seen in the opening episode of Season 1 as one of J.D.'s patients in an MRI machine. He began working at Sacred Heart as one of J.D.'s interns in Season 3, first seen in "His Story II". While trying to impress a date, J.D. stole Lonnie's scrubs and told his date that Lonnie was his "slave". In Season 4, he became a 2nd year resident and was taught by Co-Chief Residents Elliot and J.D. He continued his residency in Season 5, supervised by Dr. Cox. He has even been a part of the Triple Giant Doctor (in "My Ocardial Infarction"). He has three children "that he knows of", all daughters, he can grow a moustache in one day, and played Big East Conference basketball for Villanova University, where he was All-Conference. During the fourth season, he is strongly disliked by J.D. mainly due to his outgoing nature and perhaps more to do with the fact that, unlike most of the other interns, he does not appear to fear his mentor. He briefly appeared in season 6. Michael Hobert also appeared as an extra in the pilot episode, as a patient getting an MRI scan near the end of the episode. In the season 8 finale entitled "My Finale", Lonnie is shown one last time. His last words of the episode are "I hate you so much, J.D."
Lloyd, the Delivery Guy (played by writer Mike Schwartz), whose last name may be Slawski, his father's surname,[19] is a member of the air band Cool Cats with Turk, Ted, and the Janitor where he plays air drums. He has been in rehab, but is now back on drugs (though he does not use needles, and carries a straw) admitting to J.D. that he once received a DUI for crack cocaine, but in an early episode was a patient at the hospital after getting his penis stuck in a flashlight. He was also seen in a musical number after getting feces thrown in his eye by a homeless person. It is discovered that he is the son of "Colonel Doctor" when J.D. is taped to the ceiling in the episode "My Perspective".
Lloyd is also an avid fan of 'speed metal', which he aggressively blasts while driving his truck. This is introduced in episode 10 of season 6, ("My Therapeutic Month") when J.D. asks Lloyd for a ride and Lloyd introduces him to metal band Devildriver, specifically their songs 'The Devil's Son' and 'Driving Down The Darkness'. In episode 14 of season 6 ("My No Good Reason"), Dr. Cox uses Lloyd as part of a plan to get Laverne Roberts to admit that sometimes bad things happen for no reason. She saw through it, though ("That's not her father, that's a delivery guy in a sweater."). In episode 15 of season 6 ("My Long Goodbye"), J.D. sent a text message to Lloyd to go pick up Jack from daycare because J.D. did not listen to Dr. Cox when he said it the first time. Lloyd proceeded to blast speed metal from his radio with Jack in the car. During this occurrence, Lloyd lip-synced to the song "Driving Down The Darkness" while Jack air drummed.
He has also been mentioned to be the loneliest person in the hospital. In the episode my Old lady Episode 4 of season 1 Lloyd was in J.D's fantasy dumping a ton of bricks on J.D's Head. He delivered syringes and installed Elliot's stripper pole in the episode "Their Story", and it was revealed he was a hypochondriac in "My Turf War". In the season 6 finale, Lloyd is a part of Janitor's brain trust, replacing an upset Doug. However, he is fired from this after his tryout. Interestingly, in one of his early appearances when making fun of Carla, his nametag says Frank. Lloyd's uniform consists of blue shorts and a blue shirt. It is revealed in "My Identity Crisis" that his father's name is Coleman Slawski (Colonel Doctor), and therefore he would most likely be Lloyd Slawski. According to RateYourDoc.org, Lloyd is now an ambulance driver for Sacred Heart after cleaning up. In episode 14 of season 8 ("My Soul on Fire Part 1"), the Janitor announces to the Brain Trust that Lloyd died whilst snorkelling in his father's pool. This turns out to be false when Lloyd enters the room and states that he faked his own death.
Kimberly "Kim" Briggs, played by Elizabeth Banks, is a former urologist at Sacred Heart and the mother of J.D.'s child, Sam Perry Gilligan Dorian. Kim had been working in the hospital on J.D.'s first day (the pilot episode) and attended Ben's funeral in "My Screwup." However, J.D. did not notice her because of her wedding ring (Married women are "invisible" to J.D.). However, Elliot later remarks that she is actually divorced and only wears it to avoid unwanted advances from other doctors. J.D. and Kim start dating, and she reveals in "My Transition" that she is pregnant. Ironically, the two did not actually have sex because they did not want to risk pregnancy; instead, their child was accidentally conceived via premature ejaculation during non-penetrative sex. The two begin to vacillate on whether to have an abortion, but decide to have the baby after Turk and Carla's daughter is born. In "My House", Kim accepts a position at a hospital in Tacoma, Washington, but says she will return in approximately four months. J.D. decides to make a surprise trip to visit Kim in "My Road to Nowhere" in order to see her first ultrasound, when she reveals she had miscarried. In light of this news, the two have a long conversation about their relationship, ultimately deciding to end it. At the end of the episode, however, she is seen during her ultrasound, having lied to J.D. so he would not feel he had to stay with her.
In "My Conventional Wisdom", Turk and J.D. go to a medical convention in Phoenix, Arizona. Coincidentally, Kim is speaking at this convention and they learn she is still pregnant. She pleads with J.D. to discuss their problems, but he feels too angry, overwhelmed and leaves. She follows him back to Sacred Heart and confronts him. J.D. decides to listen to his conscience in "My Rabbit" and support Kim solely for the sake of their son. However, their relationship soon reignites and the two become a couple again. J.D. avoids telling Kim he loves her, still contemplating whether they are right for each other. When Kim goes into labor in "My Hard Labor," she demands to know what he really thinks of their relationship. J.D. ultimately tells her the truth — that he does not really love her anymore — and she is furious and ends the relationship. After the birth, however, they agree to remain friends for the sake of their child. She moves away afterward with Sam, but J.D. still has the privilege of seeing him often. In "My Cuz", Kim is revealed to be dating Sean Kelly, Elliot's ex-boyfriend, Elliot having introduced them after Kim and J.D.'s breakup. In "My Chief Concern", Kim is present when J.D. gets a new job at her hospital.
Dr. Seymour "Beard Face" Beardfacé, played by Geoff Stevenson, is a doctor with a thick and bushy beard which inspires everyone to constantly refer to him as "Beard Face" rather than the correct pronunciation of /ˌbɪərd fæˈseɪ/. This constantly angers him and prompts the line "It's Beardfacé, damn it". He was first seen in "My Case Study" (episode 2.03). Beardfacé was formerly the fastest appendectomist at Sacred Heart until Turk took the title, a moment Turk considers one of his greatest. In Scrubs: Interns it is revealed that Beardfacé is going through a "gender identity crisis" by inviting Howie to dinner and stealing sports bras. He is seen talking to an intern in "Our First Day of School" (episode 9.01) but was only in the background and had no lines.
Dr. Coleman "Colonel Doctor" Slawski, played by Bob Bencomo, is a doctor nobody seems to know the name of. He can be seen as early as in "My Super Ego" (episode 1.07), yet his nickname (stemming from his bearing a striking resemblance to Colonel Sanders) is introduced as late as in "My Jiggly Ball" (5.04) when Slawsky laughs at a joke Dr. Kelso has made and Kelso says, "Thank you, Colonel Doctor!" To Slawski's "Excuse me?", Kelso reacts: "I'm sorry. I don't know your name and you look like that Kentucky Fried Chicken guy." The Janitor watches surveillance footage of Slawski using the bathroom so he can "freak him out" by guessing how many times he went during a given day. Like Dr. Mickhead he has been around since the show began, but was originally only supposed to be an extra. He is also shown to be the father of Lloyd the Delivery Guy when J.D. is taped to the ceiling in the episode "My Perspective" (6.09). His real name was revealed in "My Identity Crisis" (7.04). His name (Coleman Slawski) is a play on the word Coleslaw. He is seen in the background in a lot of Season 9 episodes.
Dr. Hooch, played by Phill Lewis, is an orthopedic surgeon whom Turk and J.D. like to mess with. When he was first introduced, he was an easy-going guy, but due to a combination of people accidentally calling his name and J.D. and Turk pulling pranks, he gradually became angrier and eventually snapped. Hooch is now very aggressive; he once knocked a man out with his shoe for trying to exit an elevator he was guarding for J.D. Earlier in the same episode when J.D. and Turk put bouillon cubes in his shower head he rushes out of the shower room and threatens everyone in the area ("If it happens again, I will wait in my SUV, blast me some speed metal, 5.1 surround sound, heavy on the bass, and someone will be getting mowed down.") Upon learning Turk did it he threatens to take one of Turk's fingers as his "funny prank". Upon seeing Hooch's extreme behavior, J.D. and Turk habitually respond with "Hooch is crazy," saying it in a seemingly nonchalant manner. J.D. and Turk pair him with another doctor, Dr. Paul Turner (played by Jim Hanks, brother of Tom Hanks who played the titular character Turner in the movie Turner & Hooch), in one episode to create what J.D. describes as "a super medical crime-fighting team", "Turner and Hooch". Despite resenting J.D. and Turk for the manipulation, Turner and Hooch form a good team and are near tears when they are forced to split. Hooch briefly replaced Turk as J.D.'s best friend, and was given the nickname Chocolate Bear Two.
As of "My Growing Pains", Hooch has been fired for being involved in a hostage situation. This is presumably due to Rex and three interns following him around all day, again as a prank by J.D. & Turk. As of "My New Role" in Season 8, his name appears on the "Never Ever, Ever, Ever, Ever, Ever Allowed in Dr. Cox's Office" list along with J.D. and Jordan, despite the fact that he's been fired. (However, Jordan was no longer working at Sacred Heart at that point either.) He is seen in the series finale in a straitjacket, saying "Hooch is crazy".
In the second season finale of Cougar Town it is revealed by Ted Buckland that, since the end of Scrubs, Hooch has been released from the mental institute and has run away with Ted's former girlfriend; Stephanie Gooch.
Leonard, played by producer Randall Winston, is the hospital's security guard who is easily recognizable thanks to his height, giant afro and the hook that he has in place of his right hand. He was first seen in J.D.'s fantasy of denial in "My Occurrence" (episode 1.22), still having his right hand. One of the shows many running jokes (first made in "My Screw Up", 3.14) is that whenever he is mentioned, he is called the "big, black security guard with the hook for the hand" but everyone knows him by his giant afro. When his relationship with second year resident Gloria is revealed in "My Lunch" (5.20), she states that she's "never going back" and Leonard tells everyone that he loves white meat. He does not allow bouncing basketballs in the hallways, and has confiscated (and popped) Turk's, because of J.D., on more than one occasion. Leonard lost his hand after it got caught in an ice machine (sometime between episodes 1.22 and 3.14), and received a $5,000,000 settlement from the hospital. Leonard might be bisexual, for in "My Chopped Liver" (5.17), when Dr. Cox is pretending to mentor the interns, Gloria says that her boyfriend is bi-curious and wants her to pick his lovers. This would only prove to be true, though, if Gloria and Leonard were already dating at that point. He appears in the Finale alongside Gloria, where he says "Got me some white meat". Gloria is later seen in an episode where she is actually pregnant with Leonard's twin children.
Dr. Walter Mickhead, played by Frank Encarnacao, who had his first appearance in "My Overkill" (episode 2.01). He has been seen and mentioned several times since. He was originally known as black haired doctor. He is one of a handful of characters who started out as background extras for the show (Dr. Kelso addresses him as pediatrician "Dr. Carlson" in "My Case Study", episode 2.03). His name is first brought up in "My White Whale" (3.03) when J.D. tells Turk: "The girl one just called you Dr. Jerk!" - "No sweat. You should hear what [the interns] call Dr. Mickhead." In "My Porcelain God" (3.13), J.D. mentions that Dr. Kevin Casey helped Mickhead to quit his addiction to huffing paint. In "My Quarantine" (4.16), he turns out to be one of many hospital staff members who slept with Jordan during her divorce from Dr. Cox. When Dr. Cox thanks whoever taught her a "Reverse Cowgirl" position, both J.D. and Dr. Mickhead reply "You're welcome."
In "Her Story II" (5.10), we learn that his wife was recently murdered and that Mickhead is "a person of interest" in the investigation. He is not doing much to rebut the suspicion that he was involved in his wife's death, first practically making out with a nurse in the hospital a few days after the event, then asking J.D.'s girlfriend Julie to hide a hammer (supposedly the murder weapon) for him in her basement, a maneuver J.D. can only stop in the last second. Consequentially, Mickhead is seized by two policemen later in the episode, protesting his innocence and fighting the arrest. In "My Cabbage" (5.12), he is giving out "cool" orange prison jumpsuits to people at the hospital after his release. Dr. Cox remarks in "My Conventional Wisdom" (6.20) that Mickhead has just barely beaten the rap.
In "His Story IV" (6.07), he admits to being a Republican. Also in season 6, it is revealed that he is a surgeon. In "My Saving Grace" (8.03), short-time chief of medicine Dr. Maddox admits that she has had a sexual relationship with Mickhead, complaining that he had to choke her to keep an erection, to which Mickhead replies: "I have needs." He is seen in "My Finale", when J.D. imagines everyone he's met at the hospital, where he simply says "I didn't kill her".
Dr. Molly Clock, played by Heather Graham, is an attending psychiatrist at Sacred Heart, who first appears in "My Old Friend's New Friend" (episode 4.01). According to Turk, Dr. Clock is the second hottest employee at Sacred Heart (second to Nurse Tisdale) and he would kill to have sex with her; however, he also disapproves of her profession and sometimes refers to her as a "devil woman". Dr. Clock is perky and incredibly optimistic, expressing great joy over the fact that the hospital cafeteria is serving kielbasa and believing that all people are naturally good natured. She is also excellent at her job, very intelligent and self-confident, and as a result becomes the mentor and role model that Dr. Elliot Reid has always wanted (along with Carla). Molly has shown an uncanny ability to single out a person's deepest insecurities, once reducing Elliot to tears with the word "eyebrows." She has also shown a fetish to men who have problems with their mental health (like J.D.). Dr. Clock is one of the few people in the hospital who are completely impervious to Dr. Cox's sarcastic barbs, which annoys him to no end.
In "My Last Chance" (4.08) Molly announces her plan to accept a position at a Milwaukee hospital and makes out with J.D. at her farewell party. Molly agrees to sleep with J.D. but only if Elliot tells him that it's okay. She leaves without anything happening between the two of them when Elliot gives J.D. a note that he believes gives him permission to sleep with Molly but actually says "Now we're even." Molly is last seen in "My Best Laid Plans" (4.19) when she returns to Sacred Heart and ends up at a bar with J.D., willing to go all the way—but J.D. decides not to at the end. The name Molly Clock is an homage to one of the medical consultants on the show, Dr. Dolly Klock.
Randall Winston, played by Martin Klebba, is a little person who works in the janitorial branch of Sacred Heart. He has a very likable demeanor and addresses people as "Bro" or "Brah". The character is named for one of the show's producers, Randall Winston (who himself plays the part of Leonard, the security guard with a hook for a hand). Randall's first two appearances take place in J.D.'s daydreams, where he imagines Randall dressed in a karate gi and punching him repeatedly in the crotch in surprise attacks, first after jumping out of J.D.'s locker, second when J.D. walks in on one of Dr. Cox and Jordan's sadomasochistic sex routines in which Randall oddly seems to participate. It is later revealed that these fantasies relate to Randall being treated at Sacred Heart for kidney injury after having sparred in his karate class and to his using the expression "punch in the crotch" all the time ("My Rule of Thumb", episode 3.10).
In "My Catalyst" (3.12), the Janitor introduces him to Dr. Kelso as "my new associate." Kelso offers the two of them a wage of 23 dollars a month for getting rid of the hospital's trash (which they do by simply dumping it on a roof behind the hospital). When J.D. learns in "My Butterfly" (3.16) that Randall has been hired to work at Sacred Heart, he realizes "why he's been back in my dreams," e.g. emerging from the chest cavity of a surgery patient and punching Turk in the crotch. In "My Self-Examination" (3.21), we learn that Randall has just been elected president of the hospital's janitor's union, beating the Janitor, who assures him that he has some hard feelings for him. This is only one of several instances in which the Janitor draws the short straw in competing with Randall. For instance, Randall is incredibly strong for his size and is not only able to bring the Janitor to his knees by squeezing his hand and apparently breaking it ("It's like a mechanical vice!" a tormented Janitor observes) but has also beaten him once in a wrestling match. When the Janitor challenges him to a rematch on the roof of the hospital, Randall responds: "You never learn, do you?" ("My Catalyst", 3.12)
Although generally on good terms with J.D., Randall at least once participates in a prank the Janitor plays on him. When J.D. is about to check on Randall for a fake injury he supposedly suffered when an air conditioning vent collapsed on him, he coughs out the words "Co-chief! Co-chief!" as part of the Janitor's elaborate attempts to demote J.D. from his new "Chief Resident" position ("My New Game", 4.03). Randall is also a member of the first brain trust and is the third member of Hibbleton, the Janitor's a cappella band. Randall appears in the final episode of Season Eight ("My Finale", 8.18) as one of the many supporting characters that J.D. sees as part of a final fantasy down the hospital's hallway leading towards the exit, where he says, "Way to leave a cherry gig, brah" and pretends to punch J.D. in the crotch.
Bill Lawrence, who created the sitcom Spin City, notably created the character Randall Winston, who was the mayor of New York in Spin City.
Ronald aka Snoop Dogg Attending (formerly Snoop Dogg Resident and Snoop Dogg Intern), played by Manley Henry, is nicknamed as such because of his physical resemblance to Snoop Dogg. He was seen as an intern as early as "My Super Ego" (episode 1.07) but was not credited. He was first mentioned in the episode "My Porcelain God" (3.13) by J.D. (he asked "Where my ho's at?". to which J.D. replied "I haven't seen them"). He was given the name Snoop Dogg Resident in the episode "My Fishbowl" (6.12). He is also seen to be an attending in the episode "My Jiggly Ball" (5.04), as he is balancing on a wheelchair with the attendings to see which attending would introduce Kelso at a conference. He later got a snake when a patient who owns a pet store gave it to him, he replied "My ho's are gonna love this". Again he was mentioned in "My Long Goodbye" (6.15). It was revealed he had become an attending in "My Own Worst Enemy" (7.01) after J.D. incorrectly called him an intern and then a resident. In "Their Story" (6.17), his annoyance about the fact that nobody calls him his real name, Ronald, is revealed. Like Dr. Mickhead, Colonel Doctor, and Dr. Beardfacé, Ronald was a long time extra before being mentioned. Also revealed in "My Own Worst Enemy", he has feelings for a squeaky-voiced intern named Josephine. He is seen again in "My Finale" during J.D.'s fantasy about everyone he met at the hospital with his arm around Josephine, and returns once more in "Our Drunk Friend" in a brief cameo.
Troy, played by Joe Rose, works in the Sacred Heart cafeteria and is the Janitor's lackey/sidekick. He is first seen in "My Big Mouth" (episode 2.04) when J.D. inadvertently insults him while trying to make the Janitor feel better about his role in the hospital. Just like the Janitor, Troy comes to hate J.D. and the two often team up to intimidate and harass him. However, Troy's penchant to get overenthusiastic while messing with J.D. annoys the Janitor and he frequently has to remind Troy to play it cool. This especially relates to Troy's occasional homicidal urges. When J.D. embarrasses his foes in showing that, even on second try, they are unable to solve the riddle of what two coins could be used to make 30 cents if one of them is not a nickel (a challenge he first presented to them in "My Lucky Night", 3.04), the Janitor has to interfere so that Troy would not attack J.D. with a crowbar ("My Déjà Vu, My Déjà Vu", 5.22). Troy also twice proposes to simply kill J.D. instead of solving the riddle (triggering the Janitor's query "How's therapy going?" on the second occasion). During a brief truce in "My Brother, My Keeper" (2.14), the Janitor assures J.D. that a reluctant Troy would "stop spitting in your food." Troy is not very intelligent (to solve J.D.'s riddle, he twice proposes to take a penny and a button that he has written 29 cents on or that they just kill J.D.) and the Janitor advises him repeatedly not to procreate. In "My Moment of Un-Truth" (3.17), the Janitor uses Troy as sole guest of a fake twin birthday party in the cafeteria, a video of which is supposed to serve as "indisputable evidence" to Turk and J.D. that the Janitor has a twin brother called Roscoe (the clumsiness of the whole performance is partly attributable to Troy's extremely bad acting and his following the Janitor with his eyes as he switches sides and into the role of Roscoe behind the camera). Troy is also a member of the first brain trust and Hibbleton, the Janitor's a cappella group.
Dr. Paul Zeltzer, played by Bob Clendenin, a skilled oncologist who made his first appearance in "My Hero" (episode 1.23). He is described by Dr. Cox as "the finest oncologist we have on staff." ("My New Old Friend," 2.12). Dr. Zeltzer seems to enjoy prostitutes (when Dr. Cox once invited him and some other doctors to his apartment for food and drinks, Zeltzer immediately asked whether there would be prostitutes there. When Cox told him no, Zeltzer unconvincingly responded, "Oh, uh, good." "His Story," 2.15) and to have rather unusual sexual tastes. According to the season one DVD commentary, this trait was given as part of common practice with one-off staff members who are deemed funny enough to warrant returns - when they do, a particular character trait is assigned to them, in this case sexual deviancy. This feature is underlined in "My Office" (4.02) when a patient has a light bulb stuck in his rectum and Dr. Zeltzer comments: "That's why my wife and I use candles." When Turk responds by calling him "the most disturbing man I've ever met in my life," Zeltzer takes this as a compliment and becomes curious whether Turk and Carla are "open-minded." A flashback reveals that once, when Zeltzer and his wife had Dr. Cox and Jordan over for drinks, they slipped their guests "roofies" (Rohypnol), a date rape drug. After Cox and then Jordan passed out, Mrs. Zeltzer announced "Party time!" While Jordan is ready to "give them another chance" a year later, Cox angrily turns down an invite to a camping trip with Zeltzer, his wife and "a pretty interesting guy named Ron" ("My Chopped Liver", 5.17). Zeltzer has a strong rivalry with Dr. Leventhal, another oncologist at the hospital, and has admitted to having an affair with Leventhal's wife, apparently out of spite for him ("My New Old Friend," 2.12). He appears in "My Finale," stating to Dorian: "Key party later. There will be prostitutes."
Jason "Cabbage" Cabbagio, played by Shaughn Buchholz, first appears in "My Intern's Eyes" (episode 5.01). He is J.D.'s favorite intern as he amuses J.D., he also has a "dynamite ape impression." After Dr. Cox forces J.D. to realize that he's letting his personal feelings for Cabbage (and his dislike of Cabbage's colleague and Elliot's booty call, Keith Dudemeister) get in the way of admitting that he is never going to be a good doctor, J.D. has to let him go. Before leaving the hospital for the final time as a doctor, Cabbage stops to pick up a used medical glove and drops it into a waste bin, which causes him to accidentally spread an infection to Mrs. Wilk when he stops to thank her for being so kind to him ("My Cabbage", 5.12). The infection leads to her death in the next episode "My Five Stages" (5.13). Cabbage returns in "My Coffee" (6.03) as an employee at Coffee Bucks, the new hospital café.
Michael Learned as Patricia Wilk, a kind and genial patient who suffered from a very serious disease which caused her lengthy stay at the hospital. While there, she befriended many of the staff, especially her physicians (J.D. and Cox) and eventually, despite insurmountable odds, she recovered to the point of being released from the hospital. However, due to the last act of medical ineptitude of Jason "Cabbage" Cabbagio (who forgot to wash his hands after handling an infected medical glove and then shook her hand just before she left for home), she contracted an infection which forced her to return to the hospital one week after leaving. Due to her already seriously weakened immune system, the infection quickly became deadly. Despite the efforts of J.D. and Cox, her health began to fail to the point that she was declared terminal. She became depressed and scared of death and J.D. and Cox went through the 5 stages of grief, but they were all comforted by Doctor Hedrick (a counselor for the terminally ill). Succumbing to the infection, she later lapsed into unconsciousness and died peacefully. Mrs. Wilk had a lasting effect on J.D., and could be seen in his "parade" out during the Season 8 finale, stating "Hi, Tiger."
Sean Kelly, played by Scott Foley, is a handsome and charismatic animal trainer who works at SeaWorld. Sean quickly wins over all of Elliot's close friends with the notable exception of J.D., who is jealous of Sean throughout the course of his relationship with Elliot. Elliot and Sean's relationship has its ups and downs, with Elliot ultimately breaking up with Sean just as they prepare to move in with each other after realizing that she still has feelings for J.D. Almost immediately, J.D. regrets breaking up Elliot and Sean when he realizes that he does not really love Elliot and just wanted what he could not have. J.D. finally tells Elliot that he does not love her at Turk and Carla's wedding rehearsal in "My Self-Examination", and in the following episode, "My Best Friend's Wedding", J.D. sets out to find Sean in an attempt to fix his friendship with Elliot. When J.D. finds Sean sitting on the street outside of his apartment, he is shown to have grown a massive beard in the mere four days since Elliot dumped him, much to J.D.'s amazement. He convinces Sean to come to Turk and Carla's wedding and win Elliot back. Sean does, but he is unable to convince Elliot to take him back. Sean finds some satisfaction in the fact that Elliot has had her heart broken too and ends up leaving the wedding with J.D.'s ex-girlfriend Danni. He makes an appearance in Season 8, in "My Cuz", paired up with Kim Briggs.
Sam Dorian, played by John Ritter, is J.D. and Dan's father, who is an unsuccessful office supplies salesman. He was the main source of income for his family and, although he failed to get ideal wages, he still got enough so the family could get by. Sam and his wife, Barbara, got divorced when J.D. was seven years old, but he still remained a part of J.D.'s adult life. He is good friends with Chris Turk, J.D.'s best friend, as they both act and sound like "real men". Sam was reported to have died after having a "massive heart attack" in the episode "My Cake" and Dan delivered the bad news and a double-layer fudge cake (which is used in the Dorian family as a way of conveying bad news) to J.D. The character died in the series to pay homage to Ritter's real-life death. J.D. named his son Sam after his father. Zach Braff mentioned during the commentary of this episode on the Season One DVD that Ritter ad libbed his final line (a slightly embarrassed "I pooed a little" after soliciting J.D. to pull his finger, a running gag throughout the episode), which caused the entire cast and crew to break up laughing.
Daniel "Dan" Dorian, played by Tom Cavanagh, is J.D.'s older brother, a hyper, quick witted slacker who lives with his mother in his home town and works at a bar; his brother calls him a "a self-involved user". J.D. is very uncomfortable when his brother is around while Dr. Cox is generally disgusted by his lack of maturity and self-serving attitude and refers to him at one point as "the worst older brother in the world;" Dan is seemingly oblivious to Cox's disdain and often reacts to his rants in a nonchalant manner. However, Turk and Elliot genuinely like him, the latter being somewhat attracted to him in earlier seasons. While at first J.D. shows signs of jealousy for his brother, it's later revealed that J.D. is embarrassed by him, of which Dan is aware. He is also aware that J.D. looks up to Dr. Cox, and later asks Cox to promise him that he will never have a reason to let J.D. down.
He has a fling with Elliot in season four, which J.D. discovers to his own surprise that he does not mind. The siblings are briefly estranged after J.D. tries being honest with his brother about wasting his potential. When J.D. makes another attempt to be honest with his brother, however, Dan follows him up on his advice and proceeds to apply for a new job, made evident by the suit that J.D. gives him for his new interview. As of season seven, Dan has apparently turned his life around, gainfully employed in real estate, he finally purchased his own home and given J.D. a Prius. J.D. is angry and jealous at first for how quickly and (comparatively) easily successful Dan has become as opposed to him, but he eventually gets over those feelings and is proud of how his brother has turned his life around. Upon meeting J.D.'s son for the first time, he notes that his nephew "looks like Dad". Dan makes a brief last appearance in "My Finale" as the first person J.D. imagines there as he leaves the hospital for the final time. His final line was his apparent catchphrase to J.D., "Heyyy, little brother."
Danielle "Danni" Sullivan, played by Tara Reid is an on-again, off-again fling of J.D.'s, similar to many of the women he has dated. She is the younger sister of Dr. Cox's ex-wife, Jordan Sullivan. Like J.D., Danni maintains an internal monologue in her head. According to J.D., she has hearing "like a bat". She is also seen dating Larry Thomas of Seinfeld "Soup Nazi" fame. At Turk and Carla's wedding, she made out with both Doug and Ted in quick succession, something she apparently has a habit of doing at people's weddings. This led to a later fight between the two when they were quarantined together. According to Turk, she also threw up on his grandmother, before leaving the wedding in the company of Sean. She appears for the final time in season 4. She is mentioned in Season 9 when Jordan tells Dr. Cox that a man she married died.
Ladinia Williams, nicknamed "Lady," is played by Kit Pongetti and is the girlfriend (later becoming his wife in season 8) of the Janitor. She is named so because her parents were watching the Disney film Lady and the Tramp not long after she was conceived. In "My Soul On Fire, Part 2" at Lady and Janitor's wedding ceremony, the Brain Trust's Justice of the Peace (a cameo by Bill Lawrence) calls her by Ladinia. Pongetti had a cameo in "My Philosophy" as Dr. Mitchell, a research fellow with an office next to Kelso's.
Stephanie Gooch, sometimes called simply The Gooch, is played by actress/musician Kate Micucci. A local musician who plays her ukulele for the hospital's patients, Stephanie becomes the object of Ted's affection. J.D. and the Janitor call a temporary truce to help Ted with his lack of confidence around women. Although Ted initially can only be around her in the presence of his band, he later overcomes his awkwardness. The two begin dating, a fact Ted enjoys flaunting to the hospital's staff. By the end of season 8, Ted and Stephanie have moved in together. Micucci has performed several of her original songs on the show, including "Screw You" (a modified version of her Garfunkel and Oates duet "Fuck You") which has been featured in both Scrubs and the Scrubs: Interns web series. In a guest appearance in the second season episode "Something Good is Coming" of Cougar Town, another series by Scrubs creator Bill Lawrence, Ted recounts that Gooch left him for Hooch shortly afterwards.
Franklyn, played by actor Masi Oka is the quiet lab technician that has been seen throughout the series. Because he is so calm and quiet, he is often used by the other characters, seen for example when Dr. Cox destroys his (Franklyn's) lab in a fit of rage, he still retains his calm demeanor, despite his apparent annoyance. He also possibly has a crush on Elliot, as evidenced by the fact that in one episode, Elliot was able to easily persuade him to run a lab on a patient by flirting, though he had other work. She once got him to re-check a test sample by asking him while crying.
Harvey Corman, played by actor Richard Kind is an "admittedly frugal hypochondriac", who appears in episodes "My Female Trouble", "My Malpractical Decision", "My Fault", "My New Old Friend". In "My Fault", he comes to Sacred Heart for a Full-body scan in order to find every little thing that is wrong with him. At the end of the episode he says of his name that it does not "get him as much action as you may think" after admitting to Dr. Cox, whom he severely annoys, that he did not get the scan.
Ed Dhandapani, played by actor and comedian Aziz Ansari, is a lackadaisical intern who appears in four episodes in season eight. Extremely talented at creating fast-spreading catchphrases, Ed is well liked by many at the hospital but hated by J.D. Though he is intelligent, he is content with being an average doctor and spends more time doing ridiculous activities with his friends than learning medicine. Because of this, Dr. Cox fires him after a warning.
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