Before the Scrubs revival was announced by the trades in 2024, fans of the original series had already experienced their own kind of reunion. Zach Braff and Donald Faison had spent years revisiting the show together through their rewatch podcast, Fake Doctors, Real Friends, bringing J.D. and Turk’s friendship back to life in a very different format. Speaking to Collider ahead of the Scrubs Season 2 revival, Braff and Faison exclusively revealed that the podcast will be returning, with the pair currently in “final negotiations” to bring it into a studio setting.
The new era of Fake Doctors, Real Friends will focus on episodes from Season 1 and Season 2 of the revival, giving the podcast an opportunity to explore the show’s new generation alongside its returning stars. For a podcast that began with Faison recording largely from his closet during lockdown, Fake Doctors, Real Friends has come a remarkably long way. More importantly, it helped set in motion a chain of events that would ultimately bring the original cast back together for a brand-new series.
Why the ‘Scrubs’ Rewatch Podcast ‘Fake Doctors, Real Friends’ Was a Success
Fake Doctors, Real Friends offered fans more than a behind-the-scenes look at their favorite actors. It also revealed the genuine friendship between Braff and Faison, whose dynamic seemed remarkably similar to that of J.D. and Turk. Listeners soon discovered that the chemistry extended far beyond the pair themselves. As Braff and Faison dissected episodes week after week, they were joined by co-stars and crew members from the original series, including creator Bill Lawrence and director Michael Spiller, alongside Sarah Chalke (Elliot), Judy Reyes (Carla), and John C. McGinley (Doctor Cox). The conversations made it clear that much of the chemistry audiences had watched on screen in the early 2000s had existed behind the scenes too. Many of those involved with Scrubs had remained close in the years since, giving the podcast an authenticity that could not easily be recreated.
The timing of Fake Doctors, Real Friends‘ launch in March 2020 also played a significant role in its success. The podcast arrived just as the world entered lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic, when audiences were looking for familiar voices, comforting television and some sense of connection. In that environment, the podcast offered a recurring source of companionship at a time when everyone was experiencing the same feeling of isolation. Braff and Faison were effectively inviting listeners into their own friendship, making the distance between actor and viewer feel smaller than ever. Fans could communicate with the pair through messages and even appear on the podcast, while Scrubs itself became a source of comfort for many people revisiting the series from home. Its hospital setting also carried an unexpected relevance at a time when medicine and healthcare had become central to everyday life.
The fact that the Scrubs cast were experiencing lockdown alongside everyone else only strengthened that connection. The early episodes had an unmistakable figuring-it-out quality, with the original cast dropping into conversations from their homes and the production gradually finding its rhythm. That roughness became part of the podcast’s charm, but Fake Doctors, Real Friends is now getting its well-deserved glow-up.
‘Fake Doctors, Real Friends’ Took Notes From Dax Shepherd’s ‘Armchair Expert’
When Collider asked whether fans could expect the same lockdown-era feel from the new episodes, Faison joked, “I’ve grown up since then, thank you very much!” before revealing that Fake Doctors, Real Friends will be moving into a studio. Braff then excitedly declared, “This is a Collider exclusive!” and revealed that the team is “in final negotiations to do it in a proper set, like Dax [Shepard’s] show. You know, in a cute little cozy room.” The move gives Fake Doctors, Real Friends a physical home that reflects just how far the podcast has come. It also opens the door to a new kind of discussion around the revival, with the pair able to break down episodes such as Season 1’s “My Return” alongside some of the people responsible for bringing the new Scrubs to life.
Season 2 also gives the podcast a new generation of characters to explore. Ava Bunn’s Doctor Sam Tosh is the only new cast member to be promoted to a series regular alongside the original trio, creating an opportunity to revisit the experience of joining Scrubs from a completely different perspective. During the pandemic-era podcast, the original cast frequently reflected on what it was like to join the show and suddenly find themselves part of a major television production. The revival could now explore those same questions with its newer cast members, offering an interesting comparison between two generations of Scrubs actors.
The studio format itself appears to be taking inspiration from Armchair Expert, the podcast hosted by actor and comedian Dax Shepard alongside Monica Padman. The series brings celebrities, journalists and academics into conversations about “the messiness of being human,” with guests ranging from Shepard’s wife Kristen Bell and Jimmy Kimmel to Seth Green, Mila Kunis, Molly Shannon, and Gwyneth Paltrow. That format has also become highly compatible with the current clip-driven social media landscape. Armchair Expert has built a substantial Instagram following through its use of short-form clips, giving individual conversations a life beyond the full-length podcast. Fake Doctors, Real Friends now has an opportunity to do the same with a professional studio setup and a revival that already has an established audience.
‘Fake Doctors, Real Friends’ Has a Real Connection to the New Seasons of ‘Scrubs’ Now
For the Scrubs podcast, those clips could serve another purpose beyond growing its listener base. Anyone discovering a particularly funny or revealing conversation may be encouraged to seek out the episodes being discussed on Disney+, creating a natural connection between the podcast and the revival itself. The rewatch format depends on the show, after all, making Fake Doctors, Real Friends an unusually direct way to keep the revival in the conversation between episodes.
The content itself also appears set to evolve. Faison told Collider that the new podcast will explore the characters beyond their lives at Sacred Heart, asking questions like, “What does that mean for them at home? What does that mean for them when they’re not at work? What does that mean for them when they’re not in their comfortable place?” That focus could make Fake Doctors, Real Friends more than just a marketing exercise for the Scrubs revival. Alongside the duo’s signature anecdotes and behind-the-scenes stories, Fake Doctors, Real Friends’ own revival now has an opportunity to examine the emotional questions at the heart of the new series. Humor and a human connection were always Scrubs‘ greatest strengths, and it may be exactly what allows both the revival and its rewatch podcast to connect with audiences all over again in Season 2.
Fake Doctors, Real Friends with Zach and Donald is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. The two-episode premiere of the Scrubs revival airs Wednesday, Sept. 30, at 8:00 p.m. EDT/PDT on ABC and streams the next day on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+.
- Release Date
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February 25, 2026
- Directors
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Chris Koch, Gail Mancuso, Ken Whittingham, Michael Spiller, Randall Keenan Winston, Zach Braff
- Writers
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Aaron Lee, Amy Pocha, Aseem Batra, Breanna Porter, Christopher Eddins, Mark Stegemann, Mathew Harawitz, Michael Hobert, Seth Cohen, Sophie Zucker, Tim Hobert
Cast
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Donald Faison
Christopher Turk
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