Carla is clocking back in. Judy Reyes is returning for the new Scrubs revival at ABC, and yes, she is reprising Carla Espinosa. The catch: she is not a series regular this time. Because Reyes already stars on High Potential, she will be billed as a special recurring guest star. Translation: expect meaningful appearances, just not every week. Classic TV billing gymnastics.
ABC has already handed the revival a straight-to-series order for the 2025-2026 season. Zach Braff is back as John "J.D." Dorian, with Donald Faison and Sarah Chalke also returning as Christopher Turk and Elliot Reid. The action heads back to Sacred Heart, with new faces mixing in alongside the old guard.
"JD (Braff) & Turk (Faison) scrub in together for the first time in a long time- medicine has changed, interns have changed, but their bromance has stood the test of time. Characters new and old navigate the waters of Sacred Heart with laughter, heart and some surprises along the way."
"Scrubs means so very much to me. So excited for the chance to get the band back together."
So what does a 2025 Scrubs look like?
Creator Bill Lawrence has been clear this is not picking up the day after we last saw everyone. He is interested in who these characters have become years later, and how the medical world itself has changed. If you remember J.D.'s season 8 finale fantasia about the future, Lawrence has basically said that montage was a dream, not canon. The guiding idea now: the students become the teachers, which fits the time jump and keeps the show grounded in a hospital full of rotating interns.
Who is back
- Zach Braff as John "J.D." Dorian
- Donald Faison as Christopher Turk
- Sarah Chalke as Elliot Reid
- Judy Reyes as Carla Espinosa - special recurring guest star while she remains a series regular on High Potential
Quick refresher for the Sacred Heart file
Scrubs premiered in 2001 on NBC and quickly built a weird-and-warm identity: slapstick one minute, surreal fantasy cutaways the next, and then a gut punch of emotion when you least expected it. It ran seven seasons on NBC before moving to ABC for two more; that final ABC season featured a largely new ensemble. The original core included Braff, Faison, and Chalke, plus John C. McGinley as bulldozer mentor Dr. Perry Cox, Ken Jenkins as gloriously grumpy Chief of Medicine Bob Kelso, Judy Reyes as no-nonsense nurse Carla, and Neil Flynn as the wonderfully unexplainable Janitor.
Bottom line: Sacred Heart is opening its doors again, the bromance is intact, and Carla will be there to keep everyone honest. More casting news to come as we get closer to the 2025-2026 launch.