John Higgins’ New ‘Scrubs’ Character Makes Zach Braff’s J.D. Doubt Whether He’s Still Up to the Task

John Higgins joins Scrubs Season 2 as Grant Summers, the chief resident who makes J.D. question whether he still remembers everything he needs to know. Zach Braff says the character, who rats to HR over J.D.’s attempted insurance fraud, is sharp enough to make the protagonist doubt his own abilities.

Braff describes Grant as very smart, from the best schools and hospitals. He says J.D. might wonder:

• Am I still up to the task?
• Do I remember everything I need to know?
• Am I as current?

Grant’s Arrival at Sacred Heart

Grant is introduced in the two-episode premiere, which finally shows the chief resident character that Higgins is playing. He is below J.D. on the totem pole at Sacred Heart, yet he has no trouble going toe-to-toe with the protagonist.

Braff explains that J.D.’s insecurity comes from returning to hospital work after years away as a concierge doctor. He treated erectile dysfunction, insomnia, and GLP-1s, experiences that contrast sharply with running an underfunded urban hospital.

The First Meeting

Their first meeting does not go smoothly. J.D. gives Grant a deeply uncomfortable nickname — G-Spot — and then accidentally grabs his cheek instead of giving him a mentorly squeeze of the shoulder.

They put it behind them quickly, but not for long. They soon clash over Dr. Cox’s treatment plans and insurance denials, leaving J.D. feeling his signature sense of distress.

What Scrubs Is Really About

Braff insists the show’s heart is about the doctors and nurses themselves. “J.D. is a great doctor,” he says. “One thing that Scrubs really hammers home is that for the comedy’s sake, these three [gestures to himself, Sarah Chalke, and Donald Faison], as parts of the story are great at what they do.”

He points to the theme song, “I’m No Superman,” and says the show aims to make you laugh and feel emotion. “It really is about the superheroes that are doctors and nurses in a hospital.”

Streaming Where to Watch

The first two episodes of Scrubs Season 2 are now streaming on Hulu and Disney+. New episodes air on ABC Wednesdays at 8 p.m. and stream the next day.

The contradictions are the point. J.D. doubts himself while the show insists he is great at what he does. That tension is what makes the comedy work.

Hopefully they can all find a way to get along and lift each other up, but we also won’t be mad if the writers make some stellar jokes out of the back and forth in the meantime.

Source material: “Zach Braff Says John Higgins’ New ‘Scrubs’ Character Is Making J.D. Question His Own Abilities As a Doctor: “Maybe This Kid Knows Some New Stuff I Don’t”,” Decider.

Disney+ · Hulu · John Higgins · Scrubs · TV Review · Zach Braff