Zach Braff’s new TV show gives him a dark JD twist that Scrubs never dared to

Warning: Spoilers ahead for Bad monkey Season 1, Episode 3, “Nobody Said He Was Alvin Einstein.”

Bad monkey Season 1, Episode 3, “Nobody Said He’s Alvin Einstein,” introduces Zach Braff, and he puts an interesting spin on his beloved Scrubs Character. Braff is added to these Bad monkey Casting brings the actor back into the public eye ahead of the inevitable Scrubs Revival promised by the sitcom’s original showrunner. The Scrubs The star could not reprise his role as Dr. John “JD” Dorian in Bad monkeyHowever It’s impossible not to see the dark possibilities of how JD’s life could have panned out.

Braff’s appearance in Bad monkey is something of a mini Scrubs AgainWith showrunner Bill Lawrence being at the helm for both projects. The pair collaborated on all nine seasons of Scrubs and have reunited a few times since the sitcom ended in 2010. However, their other team-ups have all been with Braff in the director’s chair while Lawrence takes on showrunner duties. so, Bad monkey is the first time since the actor/showrunner dynamic has been restored Scrubs.

Zach Braff’s Israel O’Peele is like a twisted version of Scrubs’ JD

Braff’s Bad Monkey character feels like a dark alternate future for JD

Braff plays the disgraced doctor Israel “Izzy” O’Peele on Apple TV+ Bad monkey. As Braff is best known for playing JD, seeing the actor step into the role of another character in the medical field is certainly familiar territory—even if there are big differences between JD and Israel. That said, Braff is much older than he was when he last played his Scrubs Character, so It’s almost like seeing JD’s life again Scrubs And how bad it was.

Dr. O’Peele is a pill-popping alcoholic who is deeply embedded in the nefarious scheme at the heart of Bad monkeys history. JD certainly made some misguided decisions during Scrubs‘RunBut there aren’t really any mistakes that would result in his life taking such a turn that it becomes similar to Braff’s Bad monkey Persona. Regardless, it’s still compelling to think about how such a development could happen.

Zach Braff’s Bad Monkey episode contains a brilliant Scrubs reference

Vince Vaughn’s Bad Monkey character name Braff’s Scrubs costar

Although Braff was part of an ensemble cast ScrubsHe was paired with some characters more than others. One of the most frequent by far was Donald Faison’s Chris Turk. Since the show ended, Braff and Faison have remained close friends and currently co-host a Scrubs Rewatch podcast named Fake doctors, real friends. in Bad monkeyVince Vaughn’s Andrew Yancey gives the Braff/Faison friendship a hard nod.

talking to Izzy, Yancey mentions a friend named Donald. With Braff in the scene, the namedrop of Vaughn’s character brings Faison to mind. Interestingly, Izzy is a surgeon, which further separates him from JD. However, Faison’s Scrubs Character was also a surgeon, so his name was mentioned by Bad monkeys main actor serves as a rather strong reference to the medical sitcom.