Who Every ‘Scrubs’ Legacy Character Is Now Mentoring in the Revival

Warning: Spoilers ahead for the Scrubs Season 2 double-episode premiere!Although the first Scrubs revival season earlier this year did make an effort to bring together the two generations of Sacred Heart doctors, Season 2 has taken the next step by officially introducing multiple new mentor–mentee partnerships. Some of these professional pairings were teased in Season 1, but with the focus still on re-establishing the original cast and catching up with 17 years’ worth of their lives, there wasn’t much room for blending the two sets of characters. Thankfully, Scrubs Season 2’s double-episode premiere, “My First Time in a While” and “My Mentee,” goes in hard on fully establishing which new doctors will be taken under the respective wings of their more seasoned counterparts.

The revival doesn’t just focus on these intergenerational matchups, though. The beloved sitcom’s current era refuses to forget about some of the most iconic mentorships in Scrubs history and ensures everyone knows they’re still active after all this time. It should go without saying that Carla (Judy Reyes) is still without a new mentee, although Scrubs never really champions mentoring among the nursing staff. In a way, experienced nurses like Carla act as unofficial mentors for young doctors trying to find their feet.

Dr. Elliot Reid Is Now Officially Mentoring Dr. Sam Tosh

But Elliot Is Still Learning the Ropes of Mentorship

Elliot (Sarah Chalke) and Tosh (Ava Bunn) worked together a handful of times in Season 1, and it was clear there was some personal and professional chemistry between them. They’re both talented doctors, but are haunted by self-doubt that has already proven to overwhelm them at times. In this way, Elliot is the perfect doctor to mentor Tosh. While the Season 2 double-episode premiere introduces some friction to the relationship, only the best mentor–mentee dynamics have these sticky moments.

It’s clear that the perspective of the younger doctor is already keeping Elliot sharp, and Elliot’s years of experience are benefiting Tosh’s career and decision-making skills. While similar, they’re not identical. The two women balance each other out nicely, though. What’s especially nice about this relationship is that it isn’t something Elliot ever really experienced from the other side. She would receive about as much abuse as she did help and praise from Dr. Cox (John C. McGinley), who was putting most of his attention into JD’s (Zach Braff) career. So, at times, she’s a little too intense when advising Tosh. Still, it must be quite therapeutic for Elliot to be the role model for Tosh that she wished she had had in the 2000s.

Dr. Christopher Turk Is Dr. Dashana Trainor’s Mentor

Turk Is Afraid of Being Surpassed, Though

This is another pairing that was alluded to in Season 1, but it was always left ambiguous as to whether Dashana (Amanda Morrow) was actually an official mentee of Turk (Donald Faison). After all, a big part of Turk’s role as Sacred Heart’s Chief of Surgery is to help train the next generation of surgeons. In that sense, he’s also the mentor of Amara (Layla Mohammadi) and pretty much everyone else in green scrubs.

That said, Scrubs Season 2 quickly establishes that the fiercely competitive relationship between Turk and Dashana is very on-brand mentorship. Given how much of a natural Morrow’s character seems to be at her job, it makes sense that Turk would take a liking to her, even if he’s also a little intimidated by her skills. Furthermore, Dashana has already voiced her admiration for Turk in Season 1 and said that he’s a role model for upcoming Black surgeons everywhere.

Dr. John “JD” Dorian Has Chosen to Mentor Dr. Grant Summers

Grant Is the Mentee That JD Needs, Rather than the One He Wants

JD spent most of Season 1 settling in as Dr. Cox’s replacement as Chief of Medicine. Paired with the adjustment to working with his ex-wife and the emotional twist of his own mentor being diagnosed with a life-changing condition, there was understandably little time for much else. Season 2 wastes no time in rectifying that. After amusingly sweeping aside the chance to mentor a doctor who, for all intents and purposes, is a straight-up JD clone, Braff’s character opts instead to take Chief Resident Grant Summers (John Higgins) under his wing. It’s unclear if Grant was at the hospital in Season 1, as we never saw him. With the number of doctors who only showed up occasionally during the classic era, though, I think it’s fine to just accept that Grant also interned at Sacred Heart – just off-screen.

JD also offers to mentor Blake (David Gridley), who gently rejects him.

Initially, JD and Grant seem like a match made in heaven. Sure, Grant doesn’t seem as hungry for approval as JD was (and still is), but the pairing comes across as a fresh spin on JD’s dynamic with Dr. Cox. That is ultimately what turns out to be the case, but it’s not quite so straightforward as JD saying “jump” and Grant asking “how high?” Higgins’ character is not afraid to oppose his new mentor, a trait that almost sees JD call the whole thing off. Thankfully, saner heads prevail, and Braff’s character realizes that there is supposed to be an element of frustration when serving as a mentor rather than a mentee in these scenarios. It’s a great learning experience for JD, and Grant is set up to be a great new character who doesn’t just channel a young JD.

Even the Todd Is a Mentor Now

These Lessons Are…a Little Different

Professionally known as Dr. Todd Quinlan, Rob Maschio’s Scrubs character is best known for his wildly inappropriate innuendos and hilarious one-liners. That being said, it’s easy to forget that he’s actually a very talented surgeon. There is a point during the original series when he’s officially named the most skilled at what he does in the hospital. However, given that he’s largely a comedic character who is never given any kind of dramatic storyline, his talents in the operating room rarely come into play. Scrubs Season 2 has kept that trend intact while still upholding the theme of Sacred Heart’s old guard passing on their knowledge to a new crop of doctors.

As far as we can tell, though, Todd isn’t sharing how best to perform an appendectomy or the importance of sterility in the OR, but is encouraging his new mentee to refine his high-fiving and innuendo skills. I suppose it’s possible that surgical advice is still being imparted off-screen, but that isn’t what Scrubs is choosing to focus on. It makes perfect sense, given Todd’s history with the show, and honestly, it wouldn’t surprise me if he only really cared about making sure the hospital always has someone making filthy jokes when he retires.

Dr. Perry Cox Is Still Mentoring Everyone

The Inner Mentor Never Dies

John C. McGinley’s return for the Scrubs revival was largely defined by his retirement from medicine and then being diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder. The show’s new era gently implied that his days of offering advice to the doctors he helped mold were over. Instead, a full dynamic change that sees him as a patient in need of care was promised. That promise is currently being fulfilled, but Scrubs Season 2 has thankfully realized that Dr. Cox can’t simply deactivate his teaching circuits, and no one really wants him to anyway.

As such, the double-episode premiere showcases scenes that reveal McGinley’s character slipping back into old ways by offering sage wisdom not only to JD, but also to Elliot, Turk, and even Tosh. Everyone still deeply respects his opinion in all walks of life, with doctors from across his career hanging on his every word. Although he might be unsure of how to teach in an official capacity in 2026, it’s clear he’s still a natural mentor even when he isn’t necessarily trying to be. Alternatively, maybe he just can’t stop himself from trying, which feels, to borrow from the Scrubs lexicon, far more “Coxian.”