History Trivia / Scrubs

* ChannelHop: Moved to ABC in the 8th Season. This was unusual as the show was ABC produced anyway but aired on NBC a common practice was for networks to buy shows from each other's production companies (though usually only after the network that technically produced it passed, this is true in the case of ''Scrubs''), because the only way to profit off a show was through the network charging for commercial time and an eventual UsefulNotes/{{syndication}} deal (both based on ratings and demographics) and sharing profits. By the mid-00's, broadcast ratings were down across the board (meaning networks couldn't charge as much for ads), but the DVD and online markets were rising and only production companies made money from the DVD and online download sales. This was the tipping point at which networks started to prefer airing their own shows, because a strong cult audience would buy the DVD's and the network would profit anyway. As NBC lost interest in ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'' due to [[UsefulNotes/TVStrikes a Writers Strike]] in it's intended FinaleSeason (shortening it's episode count significantly), ABC gladly took over for a true FinaleSeason and, eventually, a PostScriptSeason.

** After Masi Oka joined the cast of ''Series/{{Heroes}}'', and ''Scrubs'' moved to ABC, Oka was point-blank told by NBC execs that if he continued to make guest appearances on the show, [[DisproportionateRetribution he would be fired from ''Heroes''.]] Despite the fact that they allowed many of their other actors to continue making guest appearances on other shows, even on other competing networks. Obviously, this was NBC just being petty over the show [[ChannelHop switching to ABC]], despite NBC's own [[ScrewedByTheNetwork treatment of the series.]]

* RealLifeRelative: Ted has a picture of his mother in his office. The picture is of Sam Lloyd's mother in real life.

** Season 7 would have been the last season if it weren't for the 2007-2008 writers' strike.
** The show's GrandFinale which wrapped up pretty much every main characters' arc occurred at the end of its eighth season. It was then picked up for a ninth where it was {{retool}}ed to focus on [[AndNowForSomeoneCompletelyDifferent a completely different group of characters]] in a setting only tangentially related to Sacred Heart.

** In "My Coffee", after a FinishDialogueInUnison, Elliott yells, "STOP FINISHING MY AWESOME JOKES!!!" and afterward, J.D. covers his ears and says, "Oh, my God!" This was not in the script, as the cast did not expect Chalke's voice to get that high when yelling.

** Geoff Stevenson played a patient of Dr. Townshend's before beimg cast as Dr Beardfacè

* CreatorCouple: Series creator Bill Lawrence and actress Creator/ChristaMiller (Jordan Sullivan); the wedding video Dr. Cox watches in ''My Bad'' (Jordan's first appearance) is actually Bill and Christa's, which is why only Christa can be seen.

* CastTheRunnerUp: Neil Flynn auditioned for Dr. Cox originally.

** Laverne was KilledOffForReal in Season 6 because the writers thought that would be the final season. Once it was renewed, they brought Aloma Wright back as [[BackUpTwin Laverne's twin sister]] [[Series/LaverneAndShirley Shirley]].

** Sarah Chalke's mother is German and she's fluent in the language, which is incorporated into Elliot's character in several episodes.

* CreatorCouple: Series creator Bill Lawrence and actress Christa Miller (Jordan Sullivan); the wedding video Dr. Cox watches in ''My Bad'' (Jordan's first appearance) is actually Bill and Christa's, which is why only Christa can be seen.

* ActorAllusion:
** Dr. Maddox, played by Creator/CourteneyCox, makes fun of Dr. Perry Cox's last name.
** It is revealed that The Janitor was in ''Film/TheFugitive''. Neil Flynn, who plays The Janitor, really did play that role.
** A very dark one - you know that episode where Hooch threatens to run somebody over? Guess which [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phill_Lewis actor]] actually had fatally run someone over in the early nineties. Go on. Guess.
** In "My Last Chance", JD is watching ''Film/SixteenCandles'' (starring Creator/MollyRingwald) with Dr. Molly Clock and internally exclaims "God bless Mollys everywhere!". That particular episode featured an EMT played by Molly Shannon.
** In "My Last Words", Turk tells a patient about how he used to be a football safety in college. Guess where the character played by Donald Faison, who played Turk, ends up playing in the movie ''Film/RememberTheTitans''? He starts out on offence but is moved to safety.
** In "My Unicorn" JD finds a patient's son that has a problem with his name that "makes him sound like a old man." Did I mention he's played by Mathew Perry who also played [[Series/{{Friends}} a character with a name that "makes him sound like a girl"]]
** In Season 9, Lucy mentions that Dr. Cox used to be roommates with Music/MichaelBolton. Dr. Cox shoots back that he [[Film/OfficeSpace hates Michael Bolton]].
** In "My Cold Shower", during Dr. Cox's imagine spot, he holds a knife the same way as John C. [=McGinley=] character Edgar Vess from Creator/DeanKoontz's ''Intensity'' miniseries.
** Cox also says "what do you say there, Bob?" sometimes - something John C [=McGinley=] also said in ''{{Film/Platoon}}''.
** Bill Lawrence cameos as the officiant at Janitor and Lady's wedding - with a line about joining them together "as only the creator can..."
* ActorInspiredElement: Zach Braff found the song "Superman" by Lazlo Bane and suggested using it as the show's theme.

* PlayingGertrude: Keith is meant to be Elliot's boy toy. His actor Travis Schuldt is a year older than Sarah Chalke.

* RealLifeWritesThePlot: JD's lack of knowledge about sports came from Zach Braff incorporating an aspect of his own personality into the character ([[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness despite JD having sports memorabilia in his room in early episodes]]).

** Cox's habit of calling JD girls' names is something John C [=McGinley=] does to his friend John Cusack in real life.
** John Ritter ad-libbed the line "I pooed a little" during the pull my finger scene. Zach Braff had to bite his tongue to stop {{Corpsing}}.

* {{Tuckerization}}: JD and Turk are named after the show's medical consultants - Dr Jonathan Doris and Dr Jon Turk. Molly is partially named after the other one - Dr Dolly Klock.

** [[Series/VeronicaMars Don Lamb]] could have ended up as JD.
** Neil Flynn auditioned for Dr. Cox originally.
** Had the series been cancelled at the end of Season 1, the Janitor was going to be revealed as a figment of JD's imagination. (This was foreshadowed by the Janitor only interacting directly with JD and being seen by him... barring a few rare moments.) This intention was continued early into Season 2, but Neil Flynn's insistence that he get to act with the other cast members (and consequentially be given more to do) reversed it.

** During one of the later seasons, there were conversations had about bringing ''Series/ArrestedDevelopment'' Tobias Funke on as Sacred Heart's in-house shrink. It ended up being too complicated to work out a deal with all the parties involved.

* RetroactiveRecognition: After [[Creator/AzizAnsari Ed]] got fired, he moved to Pawnee to became an administrative assistant in the ''Series/ParksAndRecreation'' department.

* ChannelHop: Moved to ABC in the 8th Season. This was unusual as the show was ABC produced anyway but aired on NBC a common practice was for networks to buy shows from each other's production companies (though usually only after the network that technically produced it passed, this is true in the case of ''Scrubs''), because the only way to profit off a show was through the network charging for commercial time and an eventual {{syndication}} deal (both based on ratings and demographics) and sharing profits. By the mid-00's, broadcast ratings were down across the board (meaning networks couldn't charge as much for ads), but the DVD and online markets were rising and only production companies made money from the DVD and online download sales. This was the tipping point at which networks started to prefer airing their own shows, because a strong cult audience would buy the DVD's and the network would profit anyway. As NBC lost interest in ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'' due to [[UsefulNotes/TVStrikes a Writers Strike]] in it's intended FinaleSeason (shortening it's episode count significantly), ABC gladly took over for a true FinaleSeason and, eventually, a PostScriptSeason.

* ChannelHop: Moved to ABC in the 8th Season. This was unusual as the show was ABC produced anyway but aired on NBC a common practice was for networks to buy shows from each other's production companies (though usually only after the network that technically produced it passed, this is true in the case of ''Scrubs''), because the only way to profit off a show was through the network charging for commercial time and an eventual syndication deal (both based on ratings and demographics), through which the production company and the broadcast network would split the profits. By the mid-00's, broadcast ratings were down across the board (meaning networks couldn't charge as much for ads), but the DVD and online markets were rising and only production companies made money from the DVD and online download sales. This was the tipping point at which networks started to prefer airing their own shows, because a strong cult audience would buy the DVD's and the parent company of both the network and the production company would still profit. As NBC lost interest in ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'' due to [[UsefulNotes/TVStrikes a Writers Strike]] in it's intended FinaleSeason (shortening it's episode count significantly), ABC gladly took over for a true FinaleSeason and, eventually, a PostScriptSeason.

* ChannelHop: Moved to ABC in the 8th Season. Interestingly enough, the show was ABC produced anyway but aired on NBC. This was because the show pre-dated a change in what incentives each network looked for in a show. In 2001, it was more common for networks to buy shows from each other's production companies (though usually only after the network that technically produced it passed. This is true in the case of ''Scrubs'': ABC originally declined to air the show), because the only way to profit off a show was through the network charging for commercial time (how much they charged was based on ratings), and an eventual syndication deal, through which the production company and the broadcast network would split the profits. By the mid-00's, broadcast ratings were down across the board (meaning networks couldn't charge as much for ads), but the DVD and online markets were rising. Only production companies made money from the DVD and online download sales. This was the tipping point at which networks started to ''only'' broadcast shows made by their own production companies, because then if the show didn't have great ratings but had a strong cult audience who would buy the DVD's, the parent company of both the network and the production company would still profit.

* TheCastShowoff: Several of the actors are actually good singers. Sam Lloyd (Ted) in particular is the leader of an A Capella band, and they get to sing a lot on the show. A MusicalEpisode has most of the cast members sing as well.

** Shortly into production on the eighth season the decision was made to have Courtney Cox in the first three episodes as Dr. Maddox, the new Chief of Medicine replacing Dr. Cox. This caused a bit of a hassle to keep continuity as "My ABC's," the fifth episode, was intended to be the season opener and was filmed first. As a result the first few episodes of the season feature elements that are [[RecycledScript recycled]] in "My ABC's" without comment or irony, such as the discovery that Katie is a manipulative twerp and J.D. giving Denise the nickname "Joe" for the first time, again. They did film a new scene for "My ABC's" where Elliot mentioned her and J.D. getting back together, as it now happened in the immediate previous episode "My Happy Place."

* OutOfOrder: Shortly into production on the eighth season the decision was made to have Courtney Cox in the first three episodes as Dr. Maddox, the new Chief of Medicine replacing Dr. Cox. This caused a bit of a hassle to keep continuity as "My ABC's," the fifth episode, was intended to be the season opener and was filmed first. As a result the first few episodes of the season feature elements that are [[RecycledScript recycled]] in "My ABC's" without comment or irony, such as the discovery that Katie is a manipulative twerp and J.D. giving Denise the nickname "Joe" for the first time, again. They did film a new scene for "My ABC's" where Elliot mentioned her and J.D. getting back together, as it now happened in the immediate previous episode "My Happy Place."

* FakeAmerican: Sarah Chalke (Elliot) is Canadian, so is Creator/TomCavanaugh (Dan Dorian)

* FakeAmerican: Creator/SarahChalke (Elliot) is Canadian.

* PlayingGertrude: Keith is meant to be Elliot's boy toy. His actor Travis Schultz is a year older than Sarah Chalke.

** Sarah Chalke is half German and is fluent in the language, which is incorporated into Elliot's character in several episodes.