Donald Faison Teases ‘Scrubs’ Fans Will Be ‘Happy in the Near Future’

Donald Faison has a hopeful message for fans of Scrubs.

“We’re trying to work out a Scrubs situation,” Faison, 49, exclusively tells Us Weekly while promoting NBC’s Extended Family. “I think everybody will be happy in the near future if you’re a Scrubs fan.”

Faison, who played Dr. Chris Turk in the series, explains that there’s a few logistical hoops that need to be worked out before returning. But despite some kinks, he’s “sure” Zach Braff and fellow Scrubs castmates “will follow suit.”

“We’re trying,” he says. “We’re really trying.”

The series, which ran for nine seasons from 2001 and 2010, chronicled the lives of employees at the fictional Sacred Heart Hospital. The cast, which also included John C. McGinley, Sarah Chalke and Judy Reyes, has previously hinted at a return to the show — but nothing materialized.

In June 2022, the cast and crew reunited at an ATX Festival panel, and Faison noted that they “would love to work together again.”

“It’s just that it’s really hard,” Faison explained. “It can’t be a full season of a show — it would have to be a movie or something like that, where you could only give a couple of months to it. Everyone is doing things.”

Faison also pointed out that creator and showrunner Bill Lawrence would need to be involved for everyone to make their return, but joked, “This dude’s never going to be free again.”

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Lawrence, meanwhile, said during the festival that he’d be interested in a revival, adding, “We’re gonna do it because we’re lucky enough that people care. Top to bottom, we enjoy spending time with each other. If you ever have an excuse to work with people that you’d want to spend time with anyways, run to it … It’s worth it to me to see Neil [Flynn] back in that jumpsuit again.”

While fans anxiously await Scrubs’ return, they can still get a weekly Faison fix with NBC’s Extended Family. The sitcom follows Jim (Jon Cryer) and ex-wife Julia (Abigail Spencer) navigating a coparenting relationship while she moves on with her new fiancé, Trey (Faison).

If Extended Family returns for another season, Faison shares that Braff, 48, will make an appearance on the show.

“It won’t be, like, just one scene. He’s like, ‘I want a real character on the show, I want to recur,’” he tells Us. “So we’re trying to figure that out.”

Extended Family airs on NBC Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m. ET and streams the next day on Peacock.

With reporting by Christina Garibaldi