'Scrubs' Stars Defend [Spoiler]'s Shocking Offscreen Split in Revival Show

The Scrubs revival wasn’t afraid to take risks — even if it meant splitting up a beloved OG couple.

During the Wednesday, February 25, season premiere, fans learned that J.D. (Zach Braff) and Elliot (Sarah Chalke) were no longer together.

“The objective of a pilot is a really, very difficult format for storytellers because you’re inviting people into an ecosystem and you’re introducing new characters in 21 minutes and 30 seconds,” John C. McGinley, who plays Dr. Cox, exclusively told Us Weekly of the premiere. “So if the objective of a pilot is to get you to come back for the next episode, the pilot achieves that.”

McGinley, 66, praised creator Bill Lawrence for coming back strong, adding, “I think he nailed it. There’s so many ‘wait until you see this moments’ in the pilot. It’s a home run.”

Related: How Did ‘Scrubs’ End Before Revival? What to Remember About Breakups, Exits

Scrubs is coming back nearly two decades after it originally ended — but what happened before its revival? The medical sitcom, which originally aired from 2001 to 2010, followed the lives of employees at the fictional teaching hospital Sacred Heart Hospital. The hit series starred Zach Braff, Sarah Chalke, Donald Faison, Judy Reyes, Neil Flynn, […]

Judy Reyes, who reprised the role of Carla, also weighed in on the shakeup. “Bill and Zach have been working together for years,” she noted. “Zach directed this pilot so the commitment was real and they achieved that because they’re both so talented.”

The medical sitcom, which originally aired from 2001 to 2010, followed the lives of employees at the fictional teaching hospital Sacred Heart Hospital. The hit series starred Braff, Chalke, Donald Faison, Reyes, Neil Flynn, Ken Jenkins and McGinley before it was brought back for a ninth season, titled Med School.

In season 8, J.D. left Sacred Heart while Elliott, Turk (Faison), Dr. Cox and Carla remained at the teaching hospital. The show’s final season moved the setting to a medical school to introduce new characters. Only Braff, Faison and McGinley remained regular cast members while others made guest appearances.

The revival brought in many familiar faces while also introducing newcomers played by Ava Bunn, Jacob Dudman, David Gridley, Layla Mohammadi and Amanda Morrow.

“I did want the characters to grow. You see that they are impacted by time passing – but with age and experience,” Reyes, 58, told Us. “The challenge is always going to be with the characters and the story lines. I’m so proud that that was achieved.”

Reyes recalled immediately signing on once she heard who was involved.

“I think the initial worry is that the show is so special, so unique and so well written. Could we do the same thing or feel the same way that we did at the time when we were doing the show? We are comfortable around each other enough to feel really safe — especially once we got the script,” she explained. “Also Bill Lawrence was still involved and that was really urgent for us to continue that tone of the show.”

Scrubs airs on ABC Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET.