History Characters / ScrubsMainCharacters

* TheIntern: During the first season, J.D. was Dr. Cox's Intern and followed him around to learn and apply medical knowledge. At the end of the first season, he became a Resident.

* CharacterTics: His habit of touching his nose. John C. [=McGinley=] stated that this is an homage to Paul Newman's character in ''Film/TheSting''. He also holds his hands together behind his head whenever he's worried or stressed. This is {{lampshaded}} by Carla at one point where - after showing him that he's not reaching his patient - she asks if he wants to put his hands behind his head. He does. He also bumps his shoulder into people (usually J.D) after giving them a dressing-down. J.D once tried to do the same back to him and ended up getting knocked to the floor when Dr. Cox didn't budge.

** One of the running gags in the earlier seasons was that Kelso would ditch work to go on some extravagant vacation while the hospital staff was floundering. His conversation with his old friend Townsie shows that those trips were likely for medical seminars to keep himself up to date with the latest medical procedures (which have a tendency to rapidly become obsolete). Considering how often he's shown to be a match for [[InsufferableGenius Cox]] and how often he stumps the interns with questions, he really is keeping pace despite being much older while still working as Chief of Medicine. In contrast, said old friend still uses woefully, almost lethally outdated techniques, and serves as an example of someone who ''did'' slack off and isn't up to date.

* TheAlmightyJanitor: Of doctors. It's noted that he's an absolutely brilliant phsyician who ''should'' be in a much better position than he is given his age and brilliance, but he always gets in his own way because he's an absolute cynical jerkass who refuses to play the game. As such, he's "merely" an attending physician at a teaching hospital.

* BrokenAce: When Cox says he's the best, nobody disagrees with him, but he has some huge issues.

* HeroicBSOD: He has a heavy breakdown at the end of "My Lunch" due to three patients dying due to organ transplants from a woman infected with rabies. The third patient hit him the hardest since he wasn't in a desperate state and could have waited a little longer, but all three got their transplants under his direct supervision. The next episode he was mostly just drinking on the couch and only says 20 words total (most of them are in flashbacks) while everyone else tries talking to him.

* SaltAndPepper: With J.D. being "Vanilla Bear" to Turk's "Chocolate Bear"

* SaltAndPepper: With Turk being "Chocolate Bear" to J.D.'s "Vanilla Bear".

* SexGod: According to Jordan, Kim and Elliot, he's good at sex. Jordan taunts Perry about how good it was. Kim and Elliot are both in agreement that J.D. is better at sex than Sean, but that Sean is better at foreplay, with Elliot explaining that J.D. takes foreplay too literally. It should be noted that Elliot told Kim that Sean was "good at the sack" when she introduced him to her, which means that while Sean is good in the bed, J.D. is even better. Several of his other girlfriends are also horny to have spontaneous sex with him, such as Jamie Moyer, Neena Broderick and Danni Sullivan (although the latter has a high libido in general), while he never managed to get with some of his other girlfriends, e.g. Lisa, Molly or Kylie.

* MoralityChain: Becomes this to [[spoiler: Doctor Cox after he becomes Chief of Medicine]] after Dr. Kelso tells him that [[spoiler: the Chief always needs someone to remind him that the patients come first.]]

* SexGod: According to Jordan, Kim and Elliot, he's good at sex. Jordan taunts Perry about how good it was. Kim and Elliot are both in agreement that J.D. is better at sex than Sean, but that Sean is better at foreplay, with Elliot explaining that J.D. takes foreplay too literally.

* WillTheyOrWontThey: With Elliot. [[spoiler: After a while, they do]].

* StalkerWithoutACrush: He sometimes brushes up against this in his pursuit of Dr Cox's attention, for instance he once admitted to infiltrating his Superbowl party by disguising himself as a pizza delivery guy.

* AManIsAlwaysEager: A plot point in "My Dirty Secret." He's used to having frequent sex, and when Carla decides to wait until their wedding night to have any more, he's ''not'' happy.

* SaltAndPepper: With Turk being "Chocolate Bear" to J.D.'s "Vanilla Bear"

* BunnyEarsLawyer: However eccentric he becomes (and they really pushed this one in later seasons), he is consistently shown as an excellent doctor, with Cox describing him as one of the best he's ever seen.
* ButtMonkey: He gets most of the physical comedy and gets hurt offscreen, he ends up homeless at the end of Season 4 until Elliot lets him move in with her and then he ends up homeless again for a good part of Season 6. His friends tend to give him little to no respect and he's always mocked for who he is by pretty much everyone. Not to mention he is constantly tormented by [[ThePrankster the Janitor]] who goes out of his way to make J.D.'s life miserable just because he can.

* EmbarrassingFirstName: Percival, which is usually shortened to Perry.

* PetTheDog: Though when he retires Kelso tells Ted "Thanks for everything" and when he eventually leaves the hospital makes sure to give Ted a fond farewell.

* HeyYou

* ScrewTheMoneyIHaveRules: The exact reason why he hates Kelso.

* ZeroApprovalGambit: In one episode, he lets himself be hated because it rallies the staff together AGAINST him, letting them focus on caring for their patients instead of arguing with each other.

* ProgressivelyPrettier: She started out as a cute nerdy girl in the first two seasons, but she got a huge makeover at the start of Season 3 that makes her look conventionally more attractive to signify her new boost in confidence. There's even a gag where they show how much she needs to spend to keep her look. After she becomes a private practice doctor, she wears dresses or casual instead of scrubs (with the doctor's gown over her clothes), and her hair becomes notably more styled in the final seasons.

* GroinAttack: For their first date, he and Kim ride horses without saddles. While Kim has fun, J.D. is in absolute pain. Thankfully, Kim being a urologist checks on him immediately.

* SurferDude: Probably the first impression one gets from him

* AmbiguouslyBi: He's constantly lusting after women, but certain comments hint he's in love with his army buddy Johnny. Though this Johnny may be [[IfItsYouItsOkay the only man he'd pine after.]]

* InsistentTerminology: Refers to Turk and Carla as "Mr and Mrs Turkleton". Even when Turk points out that isn't his last name.

* {{Jerkass}}: He cheats on his wife and keeps her doped up on anti-depressants, openly dislikes his gay son, and treats his staff like crap.

* VitriolicBestBuds: Becomes this with Dr. Cox in Season 8, since they have gone from arch enemies to friends.
* ZeroApprovalGambit: In one episode, he lets himself be hated because it rallies the staff together AGAINST him, letting them focus on caring for their patients instead of arguing with each other.

* AffectionateNickname: Carla calls him "Bambi" from time to time because he tends to look a deer in the headlights, when his thoughts are interrupted and when he's brought back to earth after he gets lost in his own imagination. He was initially embarrassed by the name but he warmed up to it. The name was embarrassing on two levels, mainly because of the Disney origin but the name also meant "young girl".

%%* NaiveNewcomer: On first coming to Sacred Heart.

* OnlyKnownByInitials: "J.D". He accidentally introduces himself as "Johnny" to Molly once and then when it sticks he berates himself because he ''hates'' Johnny.

* LastNameBasis: Even with his wife. But then, that's nobody's business but the Turks'.

* HollywoodDateless: It's hard to believe a cute looking guy with a genuinely nice personality finds it so hard to get a date. The show's writers say that Sacred Heart is in southern California and someone like J.D. makes up about half the male population so most likely the women of the surrounding town are just used to men like him.

* InnocentBigot: Whenever J.D. attempts to PrettyFlyForAWhiteGuy, or does a black guy impression, it inadvertently, and often, just comes off as really racist.

* KarmaHoudiniWarranty: He gets his comeuppance in "My Own Personal Hell" and "My Perspective", probably the only episodes where the Janitor's pranks on J.D. backfire and J.D. finally gets the last laugh on him. Similarly, in "My Cake" he tries to gaslight Kelso into thinking he has Alzheimer's [[ItMakesSenseInContext with a crane]], and ends up stuck on [[HoistByHisPwnPetard a bench suspended in the air]] for a weekend.

* KarmaHoudiniWarranty: He gets his comeuppance in "My Own Personal Hell" and "My Perspective", probably the only episodes where the Janitor's pranks on J.D. backfire and J.D. finally gets the last laugh on him. Similarly, in "My Cake" he tries to gaslight Kelso into thinking he has Alzthimers[[ItMakesSenseInContext with a crane]], and ends up stuck on the roof for the weekend.