ABC’s Scrubs has locked in the main cast for Season 2, and the revival is shaking up a few things, with more screen time for OG Neil Flynn and new addition Rachel Bilson and two prominent recurring characters, Dr. Park and Charge Nurse Raymond, not returning.
No changes to the series’ core trio, which remains intact, with Zach Braff (John “J.D.” Dorian), Donald Faison (Christopher “Turk” Turk) and Sarah Chalke (Elliot Reid) returning as series regulars.
Also back is the group of new interns introduced as recurring last season. One of them, Ava Bunn, has been promoted to series regular for Season 2. We got to know her character Sam Tosh a little better than other newcomers last season as she emerged as a J.D.-type wide-eyed intern standout from the first eight seasons and Lucy (Kerry Bishé) from Season 8.
SCRUBS – ÒMy CelebrationÓ – A chaotic day at Sacred Heart forces the doctors and interns to face burnout, life-changing decisions, and their relationships with one another. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15 (8:00-8:30 p.m. EDT) on ABC. (Disney/Darko Sikman)
AVA BUNN, JACOB DUDMAN, DAVID GRIDLEY, AMANDA MORROW, LAYLA MOHAMMADI
The rest of the actors playing interns, Jacob Dudman (Asher Green), David Gridley (Blake Lewis), Layla Mohammadi (Amara Hadi) and Amanda Morrow (Dashana Trainor), will continue to recur next season.
“This isn’t a show about the kids, but the audience is curious about their family life and home life, and so we do want to show a little bit of that as well,” the revival’s showrunner Aseem Batra told Deadline at the time of the Season 1 finale in April.
Also back as recurring are OG fan favorites John C. McGinley (Perry Cox) and Judy Reyes (Carla Espinosa) who both are already series regulars on other series filming in Los Angeles, HBO’s Rooster and ABC’s High Potential, respectively.
“Both shows have been amazing and working with us to get those performers over to Vancouver [where Scrubs films], Batra said in April. “So we’ll do our very best to keep them in the fold, because they are part of this in a big way, but we’re happy for their success in other areas, and we’d just love them back as much as we can get them.”
With Dr. Cox transitioning from a nemesis to patient of J.D., “he does need more conflict,” Batra admitted to Deadline about Braff’s character in April.
Flynn’s The Janitor played that role alongside Dr. Cox on the original series but he was only in the Season 1 finale of the revival for a couple of scenes.
That will change with Flynn set to recur in Season 2 alongside another actor that guest starred in the Season 1 finale, Bilson.
Batra teased a Season 2 multi-episode arc for Bilson’s hospital visitor Charlie who hit it off with J.D. after they met in the Season 1 finale.
“The Rachel Bilson arc is going to also help us, because it’s like, what feelings does that kick up for Elliot, for J.D., so we’re really excited to have her back,” she said in April.
J.D. and Elliott rekindling their romance is still a possibility, Batra said at the time. That may be helped by the fact that Andy Ridings is not listed as a recurring or guest star for Season 2, meaning that his pilot Wes, whom Elliott started dating in Season 2, may be out of the picture.
According to sources, that has not been fully determined, and a Wes return is possible.
A significant Sacred Heart staff turnover is in the works. Back as recurring are OG Robert Maschio, reprising his role as The Todd, Vanessa Bayer as HR awkward head Sibby, and Michael James Scott as sassy charge nurse Dubois.
However, not coming back is Dubois’ partner in crime, fellow charge nurse, Raymond (X Mayo). The move is somewhat surprising as Dubois and Raymond were two of the revival’s breakout characters.
Also gone is a character that locked horns with J.D. as his main rival in Season 1, scheming attending physician Dr. Kevin Park (Joel Kim Booster).
Meanwhile, the hospital’s Maintenance Guy (Darcy Michael) went from a J.D. friend to foe in the finale when The Janitor revealed him to be his son. Michael also is not listed among the returning Season 2 cast but his departure is not set in stone, sources said.
“We don’t know if that’s his son, he lies about everything. He kind of, like throws a wrench in all of J.D.’s peaceful plans, so yes, we want to see some conflict there, for sure,” Batra said about the character in April.
Shrinking series regular Christa Miller, who reprised her Scrubs role as Jordan Sullivan as a guest star in Season 1, will do the same in the same capacity next season. As Cox’s long-time partner, Jordan is expected to be part of his medical journey storyline following his recent diagnosis.
However, the return of another popular OG cast member, Ken Jenkins, who played Dr. Bob Kelso for all nine seasons from Scrubs‘ original run, remains in limbo.
The 85-year old retired actor did not appear in Season 1.
“Dr. Kelso will be back next year,” Scrubs creator Bill Lawrence told Deadline in February. “It just didn’t work out this year but it will next year.”
Jenkins has not been confirmed as a Season 2 guest star, with his potential comeback still up in the air. He remains on Batra’s wish list for the revival.
“Well, we’ve got Johnny Kastl, we’ve got Scott Foley, we would love to have him back, and, of course, Ken Jenkins,” Batra said in April. “We want to see more of Neil Flynn. So we have quite a wish list.”
She can cross off at least one item on that list with Flynn’s recurring status next season.
Here is Scrubs’ official Season 2 logline:
J.D., Turk and Elliot have leveled up from interns to icons at Sacred Heart. Now, the respected doctors inspire the next generation while balancing the ups and downs of working in a hospital. Together with characters new and old, they are navigating this next chapter with laughter, heart and some surprises along the way.
Joining Season 2 as executive producer is veteran comedy showrunner Mike Royce. The original series’ creator Lawrence serves as executive producer on the revival via his Doozer Productions alongside the company’s Jeff Ingold and Liza Katzer. Braff, Faison and Chalke star and executive produce. Batra serves as executive producer and showrunner; Mathew Harawitz, Randall Keenan Winston and Michael Spiller also executive produce. The series is produced by 20th Television, a part of Disney Television Studios The series will return to ABC on Wednesdays this fall and stream next day on Hulu.
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Sadie Sink‘s role in Spider-Man: Brand New Day remains a mystery ahead of the film’s premiere.
A new video teased Sink revealing three things about her character in the Sony Pictures production, but left audiences with the same doubts.
“Since the trailer dropped, I’ve seen so many theories about who I’m playing,” Sink said in the Instagram clip. “To match your incredible energy, I’ve decided to give you three exclusive, confirmed answers right now.”
Starting off the video, Sink said, “I can confirm I am not Spider-Man.”
She continued to joke and said, “I am not Aunt May,” the character that Marisa Tomei played and died in 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home.
“And third, I can definitely confirm that I am in this movie,” she added. “As for who I really am, you’ll have to find out in the theater.”
The Instagram caption for the post read, “We can confirm…she’s in this movie.”
In a recent interview, Sink opened up about the positive experience she had working with Tom Holland in the superhero film.
“It was interesting stepping into that space and being a little bit of an outsider in that way, but he could not have been more welcoming, and just the whole crew in general,” she told Nylon in an interview. “He was just so relaxed and open, and I felt very at ease.”
The logline for Spider-Man: Brand New Day reads, “It’s a brand new day for Peter Parker. Fighting crime full-time as Spider-Man in a world that doesn’t remember him—and the pressure of seeing his old friends move on without him—sparks a change in Peter he may not have the power to control. But that transformation might also be the only thing that can stop a shocking new threat to the city and those he loves – a powerful villain no one can even see. The world may have forgotten Peter Parker, but he hasn’t forgotten them.”
Sink will star in the film alongside Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jon Bernthal, Liza Colón-Zayas, and Mark Ruffalo.
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Mara Wilson continues to be remembered for starring in the 1996 film Matilda, the Danny DeVito-directed film based on Roald Dahl’s 1988 novel of the same name.
While attending the Fanboy Expo in Tennessee, Wilson opened up about a potential sequel to the fantasy film and why she didn’t like being associated with the character when she was younger.
“People always ask me about doing a Matilda 2. And that could be possible,” she said, according to People.
Although Wilson is open to the idea of a follow-up to the film, she does question how they would make it happen.
“But one thing that people always say is, ‘Oh, maybe it could be Matilda’s daughter.’ And I have some issues with that, because I think Matilda’s powers come from her adversity,” Wilson said at the expo. “They come from the bad things that she went through, and the whole point is that she overcame these things. And she found power in educating herself and in making friends with these people who were really lovely.”
She continued, “And so I don’t think Matilda would raise her daughter to be in a position where she developed those powers to protect herself.”
Wilson also raised up the question as to who would marry Matilda, adding, “Who’s good enough for Matilda? Matilda’s such an awesome character that I can’t imagine who she would marry and have kids with, you know?”
Before starring in Matilda, Wilson also starred in 1993’s Mrs. Doubtfire and 1994’s Miracle on 34th Street. However, after starring in Matilda, people started to refer to her by her character’s name, which she wasn’t initially fond of.
“I used to be a little annoyed when people would call me Matilda because I was like, ‘No, I’m Mara. It felt almost a little bit like being called by your sister’s name — your much cooler, smarter sister’s name. And I was like, oh, no, I’m not as cool as she is,” she recalled.
Wilson remembered Carrie Fisher once said, “I feel like me and Princess Leia have kind of merged over the years,” and Wilson said that she “sort of feels like that too.”
“I feel like Matilda has been a character that I looked up to, and Matilda would do things that I do. She would talk about mental health. She would talk about books. She would be working. She would be writing, she would be loving books and doing stuff for public libraries and things like that. And I do all of those things. Those things are very important to me,” she added. “So Matilda has really taught me a lot of good lessons. And I think I’ve become a lot like her in my own way.”
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William H. Wisher Jr., a producer and screenwriter who co-wrote The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day, dies. He was 71.
The Wisher family confirmed news of the filmmaker’s death, saying he “passed away peacefully at home.”
“William believed that stories have the power to connect people across generations,” the family said in a statement. “While the world celebrates the unforgettable films he helped create, we will remember him for his kindness, his humor, his brilliant imagination, and the love he gave so freely to his family and friends. We are grateful for the outpouring of love and support during this difficult time.”
Wisher helped redefine the science fiction action genre as one of the writers of James Cameron’s The Terminator, which was released in 1984. The screenwriter would return to work with Cameron in the film’s sequel for 1991’s Terminator 2: Judgment Day.
Other works in which Wisher worked include Judge Dredd (1995), The 13th Warrior (1999), Exorcist: The Beginning (2004), Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist (2005), Live Free or Die Hard (2007), and I.T. (2016).
Wisher is survived by his loving wife, Deborah Lynn Wisher; his siblings, Brian Wisher, John Wisher, Carla
DeMaci, and Dana Aboissiere; and many cherished nieces, nephews, cousins, extended family members,
and dear friends.
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