11.4 Million Viewers in Five Days

“Scrubs” returned to ABC after 16 years last week, and it seems that much of its old audience has come back too. The first episode of the reboot hit 11.4 million viewers in the five days following its premiere.

That total comes from a combination of Nielsen’s measurement of viewers who tuned into ABC’s initial telecast and encore airings plus Disney’s own data regarding streamings on Hulu and other digital platforms. Per Disney, “Scrubs” achieved ABC’s most-streamed comedy episode and most-streamed series premiere in more than a year. The previous record holder was the Tim Allen and Kat Dennings-led series “Shifting Gears,” which premiered on Jan. 8, 2025.

On broadcast, “Scrubs” was the most-watched comedy among adults age 18-49 since the “Shifting Gears” launch and the crossover episode between “Abbott Elementary” and “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” that aired on the same night, excluding telecasts that benefitted from lead-in from an NFL game.

Created by Bill Lawrence, “Scrubs” originally premiered in 2001 on NBC, where it aired for seven seasons before moving to ABC for Seasons 8 and 9. The official description for the reboot of the medical sitcom reads, “JD (Zach Braff) and Turk (Donald Faison) scrub in together for the first time in a long time: Medicine has changed; interns have changed; but their bromance has stood the test of time. Characters new and old navigate the waters of Sacred Heart with laughter, heart and some surprises along the way.” Along with Braff and Faison, returning cast members include Sarah Chalke, Judy Reyes, John C. McGinley and more. Lawrence executive produces alongside Jeff Ingold and Liza Katzer through his Doozer Productions banner; Braff; Faison; Chalke; showrunner Aseem Batra; and Randall Winston. 20th Television is the studio.