Scrubs (season 1)

Scrubs season 1
Scrubs Season 1 DVD art
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	24
Broadcast
Original channel	NBC
Original run	October 2, 2001 (2001-10-02) – May 21, 2002 (2002-05-21)
Home video release
DVD release
Region 1	May 17, 2005 (2005-05-17)
Region 2	June 27, 2005 (2005-06-27)
Season chronology
← Previous — Next → Season 2
List of Scrubs episodes

The first season of the American comedy-drama television series Scrubs premiered on NBC on October 2, 2001 and concluded on May 21, 2002 and consists of 24 episodes. Scrubs was created by Bill Lawrence who wrote the pilot as well as 3 other episodes in the season. Adam Bernstein directed the pilot as well as 4 other episodes. Sarah Chalke, Judy Reyes and Donald Faison each signed a five year deal. John C. McGinley and Ken Jenkins each signed a seven year deal, this was done by NBC as they thought they might leave and do other films. Zach Braff signed a four year deal because Lawrence only had a four year contract. Neil Flynn was only a guest star in the first season, although he appeared in every episode of the season. Bill Lawrence said if the show had been cancelled at the end of the first season, he would have made the Janitor a figment of J.D.'s imagination.^[1]

Plot

The first season follows J.D. (Zach Braff) and his best friend Turk (Donald Faison) in their first year out of medical school as interns at Sacred Heart Hospital. J.D. quickly meets his reluctant mentor, Dr. Perry Cox (John C. McGinley); a young woman (and fellow intern) named Elliot (Sarah Chalke), on whom he has a crush; the hospital's janitor (Neil Flynn), who goes out of his way to make J.D.'s life miserable; the Chief of Medicine, Dr. Bob Kelso (Ken Jenkins), who is more concerned about the budget than the patients; and Carla Espinosa (Judy Reyes), the head nurse and Turk's new girlfriend, who puts Turk through the trials and tribulations of being in a serious relationship. The characters face romances and relationship issues, family obligations, overwhelming paperwork, and a tremendous number of patients. The first season also introduces recurring supporting characters such as "The Todd" (Robert Maschio), a boorishly lascivious surgeon; Ted (Sam Lloyd), the hospital's hapless, milquetoast lawyer; Laverne (Aloma Wright), fellow nurse and mentor to Carla; Jordan Sullivan (Christa Miller), Dr. Cox's caustic administrator ex-wife, and Doug Murphy (Johnny Kastl), a nervous young doctor who often accidentally kills patients.

Cast and characters

Main cast

• Zach Braff as Dr. John "J.D." Dorian
• Sarah Chalke as Dr. Elliot Reid
• Donald Faison as Dr. Chris Turk
• Ken Jenkins as Dr. Bob Kelso
• John C. McGinley as Dr. Perry Cox
• Judy Reyes as Nurse Carla Espinosa

Recurring roles Neil Flynn as The Janitor (24 episodes) Aloma Wright as Nurse Laverne Roberts (17 episodes) Robert Maschio as Dr. Todd Quinlan (15 episodes) Sam Lloyd as Ted Buckland (11 episodes) Charles Chun as Dr. Phillip Wen (7 episodes) Johnny Kastl as Dr. Doug Murphy (7 episodes) Christa Miller as Jordan Sullivan (6 episodes)

Guest stars Scott Foley as Sean Kelly (2 episodes) Brendan Fraser as Ben Sullivan (2 episodes) Michael McDonald as Mike Davis (2 episodes) Masi Oka as Dr. Franklyn (2 episodes) Sean Hayes as Nick Murdoch (1 episode) John Ritter as Sam Dorian (1 episode)

Production

Writing staff

• Bill Lawrence – executive producer/head writer
• Eric Weinberg – supervising producer (episodes 2–14) / co-executive producer (episodes 15–24)
• Matt Tarses – consulting producer (episodes 2–14) / co-executive producer (episodes 15–24)
• Neil Goldman and Garrett Donovan – co-producers
• Gabrielle Allan – co-producer
• Mike Schwartz – story editor
• Debra Fordham – staff writer
• Mark Stegemann – staff writer
• Janae Bakken – staff writer

Production staff Bill Lawrence – executive producer/showrunner Randall Winston – producer / co-producer (pilot) Liz Newman – associate producer Danny Rose – associate producer Mychelle Deschamps – producer (pilot)

Directors Includes directors who directed 2 or more episodes Adam Bernstein – 5 episodes (including pilot) Michael Spiller – 4 episodes Lawrence Trilling – 4 episodes Marc Buckland – 4 episodes Matthew Diamond – 2 episodes

Episodes

See also: List of Scrubs episodes

Series #	Season #	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Production code
1	1	"My First Day"	Adam Bernstein	Bill Lawrence	October 2, 2001 (2001-10-02)	535G
In the series opener, all the major characters are introduced as J.D., Turk and Elliot start life at Sacred Heart Hospital.
2	2	"My Mentor"	Adam Bernstein	Bill Lawrence	October 4, 2001 (2001-10-04)	S101
J.D. tries to get to know Dr. Cox, but is rebuffed. Turk actively pursues Carla and succeeds through candor where swagger and machismo have failed. Elliot gets on Carla's wrong side. J.D. tries to convince his patient (John Ducey) to quit smoking.
3	3	"My Best Friend's Mistake"	Adam Bernstein	Eric Weinberg	October 9, 2001 (2001-10-09)	S102
Elliot takes issue with the terms of endearment Dr. Kelso uses for her, but naïvely follows Dr. Cox's advice and confronts Kelso about it. J.D. misses Turk's company because they are both too busy to hang out, and he worries that a patient's post-op reaction is Turk's fault. Elliot and J.D. are getting close, but an interrupted kiss might make the difference between being friends and something more.
4	4	"My Old Lady"	Marc Buckland	Matt Tarses	October 16, 2001 (2001-10-16)	S103
The three interns have to face death for the first time: J.D.'s patient is a headstrong but kindly old woman, Turk's is a young man who just needs some company, and Elliot's is a Hispanic woman who does not speak any English. The episode's writer, Matt Tarses, won the 2002 Humanitas Prize in the 30 Minute Category for this episode.
5	5	"My Two Dads"	Craig Zisk	Neil Goldman and Garrett Donovan	October 23, 2001 (2001-10-23)	S104
J.D. has to decide between Dr. Cox or Dr. Kelso as a mentor. The decision isn't made any easier when all three, along with Dr. Kelso's lapdog Dr. Steadman, play a game of golf together. Elliot believes her breasts to have healing powers. In order to make up to Carla, Turk gives her a pen that, unbeknownst to him, was previously removed from a patient's rectum. Dr. Cox's actions to help an uninsured patient earn him a suspension. Louie Anderson has a cameo appearance.
6	6	"My Bad"	Marc Buckland	Gabrielle Allan	October 30, 2001 (2001-10-30)	S105
Dr. Cox's suspension puts his future at the hospital in doubt. Elliot discovers her patient, Dr. Greenberg, is a psychiatrist, and begins to act like his patient. J.D. has a beautiful but self-absorbed board member as a patient, and he winds up having sex with her. Unfortunately, he finds out that she is Dr. Cox's ex-wife, Jordan (Christa Miller, in her first appearance in the series). J.D. tries to convince Jordan to help Dr. Cox.
7	7	"My Super Ego"	Peter Lauer	Mike Schwartz	November 6, 2001 (2001-11-06)	S106
J.D. relishes being the best intern, but then has to face competition from fellow intern Nick Murdoch (Sean Hayes). Turk confronts his fear of making a mistake in surgery after thinking he has accidentally nicked a patient's colon.
8	8	"My Fifteen Minutes"	Lawrence Trilling	Eric Weinberg	November 15, 2001 (2001-11-15)	S108
J.D. and Turk save the life of a TV cameraman, which makes them celebrities. Dr. Kelso decides to take advantage of this by using Turk in advertisements for the hospital aimed at the African-American community, with slogans such as "Our MD's have Mad Skills" and "Time to Get an EKG, G". Cox is supposed to write J.D.'s intern evaluation but tells J.D. to do it himself. When J.D. refuses, Dr. Cox reveals that he wanted J.D. to do it so that he could discover his own shortcomings and judge himself.
9	9	"My Day Off"	Elodie Keene	Janae Bakken	November 20, 2001 (2001-11-20)	S107
J.D. develops appendicitis and sees the hospital from the patients' point of view. Elliot and Turk are his medical and surgical interns respectively.
10	10	"My Nickname"	Matthew Diamond	Bill Lawrence	November 27, 2001 (2001-11-27)	S110
J.D. and Carla's relationship changes when he starts to have more medical knowledge than she has, and takes offense at her nickname for him ("Bambi"). Elliot treats Jill (Nicole Sullivan), a patient who's just as nervous and neurotic as she is. The Janitor comes up with a new nickname for J.D.
11	11	"My Own Personal Jesus"	Jeff Melman	Debra Fordham	December 11, 2001 (2001-12-11)	S109
Turk loses his faith in a just God after spending a night on call on Christmas Eve, but regains it after finding the missing pregnant girl Elliot has been searching for. Dr. Cox assigns J.D. to videotape the childbirth of one of Dr. Cox's friends.
12	12	"My Blind Date"	Marc Buckland	Mark Stegemann	January 8, 2002 (2002-01-08)	S112
J.D. must look after a social worker, Alex Hanson (Elizabeth Bogush), who slipped in the hospital and winds up stuck in an MRI machine. They flirt, but J.D. is reluctant to ask her out without knowing what she looks like. Elliot tries to gain Dr. Cox's favor the way J.D. has. Turk is angry at Carla and she can't figure out why. Jimmie Walker has a cameo appearance.
13	13	"My Balancing Act"	Michael Spiller	Neil Goldman and Garrett Donovan	January 15, 2002 (2002-01-15)	S113
J.D.'s relationship with Alex is jeopardized by the amount of time he spends at the hospital. Turk and Carla experience bedroom-related problems. Carrot Top has a cameo appearance.
14	14	"My Drug Buddy"	Michael Spiller	Matt Tarses	January 22, 2002 (2002-01-22)	S111
When drugs go missing, Elliot suspects a patient who is a former drug addict, but Alex defends him. Elliot tells J.D. that she thinks Alex will hurt him and J.D. accuses her of being jealous. Alex ends up being the one who took the drugs. She and J.D. part on uncertain terms, and J.D. tries to confront Elliot about her accusation of the patient. They end up in bed. Carla gets a ride from Dr. Kelso. Dr. Cox realizes he has feelings for Carla.
15	15	"My Bed Banter & Beyond"†	Lawrence Trilling	Gabrielle Allan	February 5, 2002 (2002-02-05)	S115
The episode switches between Elliot and J.D. spending a sex-filled day in bed and the ensuing weeks, where their new relationship breaks down. The hospital staff reveals their feelings to a psychologist.
16	16	"My Heavy Meddle"	Will Mackenzie	Mike Schwartz	February 26, 2002 (2002-02-26)	S116
J.D. and Elliot are not talking to each other after breaking up but with Turk's help them get on better terms. Dr. Cox goes on the rampage as Carla enlists Ted's help on fulfilling a coma patient's wishes.
17	17	"My Student"	Matthew Diamond	Story by: Mark Stegemann Teleplay by: Janae Bakken & Debra Fordham	March 5, 2002 (2002-03-05)	S114
The interns receive their first medical students. J.D.'s is very much like he was at the beginning, Elliot's is a jerk but the son of the CEO of the corporation that owns the hospital, and Turk's is a smart, confident woman (Kelli Williams) to whom Dr. Cox is attracted.
18	18	"My Tuscaloosa Heart"	Lawrence Trilling	Story by: Janae Bakken Teleplay by: Debra Fordham & Mark Stegemann	March 12, 2002 (2002-03-12)	S117
J.D. feels guilty when a rude patient, whom he ignored, dies. Carla assures him that it was the terminal cancer, but J.D. is unable to sleep. Dr. Cox is unable to decide between the three women he likes. Elliot and Turk discover a possible new side to Dr. Kelso. The title is taken from "My Tuscaloosa Heart" by Ken Jenkins, which features in the episode.
19	19	"My Old Man"	Adam Bernstein	Matt Tarses	April 9, 2002 (2002-04-09)	S120
The interns' parents come to visit. Carla deals with the fact that she is just like Turk's mother. Elliot questions why she became a doctor. The episode guest stars R. Lee Ermey as the Janitor's father, Lane Davies and Markie Post as Elliot's parents, Hattie Winston as Turk's mother and John Ritter as J.D.'s father, Sam Dorian.
20	20	"My Way or the Highway"	Adam Bernstein	Eric Weinberg	April 16, 2002 (2002-04-16)	S118
Due to Turk's competitiveness, Turk convinces J.D.'s patient to decide upon surgery instead of medicine, which angers J.D. Elliot falls for a patient, Sean (Scott Foley). Dr. Kelso fires two nurses and after Dr. Cox confronts him, he fires "Coffee Nurse".
21	21	"My Sacrificial Clam"	Marc Buckland	Story by: Debra Fordham Teleplay by: Janae Bakken & Mark Stegemann	April 30, 2002 (2002-04-30)	S119
J.D. is struck by a needle full of blood contaminated with Hepatitis B. Cleared from infection, he becomes scared of getting sick. Elliot chooses the hospital over her new boyfriend Sean. St. Elsewhere cast members William Daniels, Eric Laneuville, Stephen Furst, and Ed Begley, Jr. guest star.
22	22	"My Occurrence" (Part 1)	Lawrence Trilling	Bill Lawrence	May 7, 2002 (2002-05-07)	S122
Jordan's brother and Dr. Cox's best friend Ben (Brendan Fraser) comes into the hospital after piercing his hand with a nail-gun; however Dr. Cox and J.D. later become worried when his hand won't stop bleeding, with J.D. going into denial about the results of Ben's tests. A series of paperwork bungles nearly has Turk operate on the wrong patient, and has Elliot incorrectly informs Jill (Nicole Sullivan) that she's pregnant.
23	23	"My Hero" (Part 2)	Michael Spiller	Neil Goldman and Garrett Donovan	May 14, 2002 (2002-05-14)	S123
Ben begins treatment for leukemia, but Dr. Cox has a hard time being supportive because he cares about Ben too much. Turk's ego takes a hit from the attending surgeon Dr. Wen, and Carla and Elliot scorch Dr. Kelso in a personal review. J.D. is very spooked to discover that the janitor knows far too much about him. The episode guest stars Lela Lee as Bonnie.
24	24	"My Last Day"	Michael Spiller	Gabrielle Allan & Mike Schwartz	May 21, 2002 (2002-05-21)	S121
The interns realize they have become jaded after working at the hospital for a year, and they decide to treat a patient aggressively. After Dr. Cox chides Jordan for her predictability, she reveals all the main characters' secrets to each other.

Notes

• ^† denotes a "supersized" episode, running an extended length of 25-28 minutes.

References

1. ^ "Scrubs' janitor to get a real name". Pop Critics. December 20, 2007. http://popcritics.com/2007/12/20/scrubs-janitor-to-get-a-real-name. Retrieved October 16, 2010. 

General references

• "Scrubs Season 1 episodes". TV Guide. http://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/scrubs/episodes-season-1/100387. Retrieved December 24, 2009. 
• "Shows A-Z - scrubs on ABC". the Futon Critic. http://www.thefutoncritic.com/showatch.aspx?id=scrubs&view=listings. Retrieved December 24, 2009. 

External links

• List of Scrubs episodes at the Internet Movie Database
• List of Scrubs season 1 episodes at TV.com