The fifth season of the American

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

television series ''

Scrubs Scrub(s) may refer to: * Scrub, low shrub and grass characteristic of scrubland * Scrubs (clothing), worn by medical staff * ''Scrubs'' (TV series), an American television program * Scrubs (occupation), also called "scrub tech," "scrub nurse," o ...

'' premiered on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

on January 3, 2006 and concluded on May 16, 2006 and consists of 24 episodes. For the first twelve episodes, two new episodes were broadcast back-to-back every Tuesday at 9:00 p.m. ET. Then NBC returned to broadcasting one new episode every week (at 9:00 p.m. ET), followed by a rerun. For the first three weeks of this, the rerun episode was a cast favorite episode, with available audio commentary tracks on NBC's website to accompany the episodes. Guest stars in the fifth included

Jason Bateman Jason Kent Bateman (born January 14, 1969) is an American actor, director and producer known for his roles of Michael Bluth in the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox/Netflix sitcom ''Arrested Development (TV series), Arrested Development'' and of Mart ...

and

Mandy Moore Amanda Leigh Moore (born April 10, 1984) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. She rose to fame with her debut single, "Candy", which peaked at number 41 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Her debut studio album, '' So Real'' (1999), recei ...

, as well the introduction of new recurring characters played by

Elizabeth Banks Elizabeth Banks (born Elizabeth Irene Mitchell; February 10, 1974) is an American actress and filmmaker. She is known for playing Effie Trinket in ''The Hunger Games'' film series (2012–2015) and Gail Abernathy-McKadden in the ''Pitch Perfe ...

and

Travis Schuldt Travis Schuldt (born September 18, 1974)"Catching up with....Travis Schuldt." ''Soap Opera Digest''. August 12, 2013. p. 63. is an American actor. He originated the role of Ethan Winthrop on ''Passions'', and played the recurring roles of Keith D ...

. This season was nominated for the

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series is an annual award given to the best television comedy series of the year. From 1960 to 1964, this category was combined with the Comedy Specials (one time programs) category so that both type ...

. Season 5 begins with J.D. living in a hotel. He has become an

attending physician In the United States and Canada, an attending physician (also known as a staff physician or supervising physician) is a physician (usually an M.D. or D.O.) who has completed residency and practices medicine in a clinic or hospital, in the speci ...

now on the same level as Dr. Cox. In the season premiere, Elliot has taken a new fellowship in another hospital, only to be fired in the next episode. Elliot then returns to Sacred Heart and becomes an attending. Turk and Carla are trying to have a baby, despite Turk still having doubts. Finally, some new interns have arrived to Sacred Heart, chief among them being Keith Dudemeister. Season 5 also focuses on the relationship between J.D. and Dr. Cox, who now find themselves equals.

Cast and characters

Main cast

Zach Braff Zachary Israel Braff'Scrubs' Star Zach Braff Wows ...

as Dr. John "J.D." Dorian *

Sarah Chalke Sarah Louise Christine Chalke (; born August 27, 1976) is a Canadian actress and model. She is known for portraying Elliot Reid on the NBC/ABC comedy series '' Scrubs'', the second Becky Conner on the ABC sitcom ''Roseanne'', Stella Zinman on ...

as Dr. Elliot Reid *

Donald Faison Donald Adeosun Faison (; born June 22, 1974) is an American actor and comedian, best known for his leading role as Dr. Chris Turk in the ABC/NBC comedy-drama ''Scrubs'' (2001–2010), and a supporting role as Murray in both the film ''Clueless'' ...

as Dr. Chris Turk *

Neil Flynn Neil Richard Flynn (born November 13, 1960) is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his roles as Janitor on '' Scrubs'' and Mike Heck in the ABC comedy series '' The Middle''. He has had notable appearances in television series, ...

The Janitor The Janitor is a fictional character, played by Neil Flynn in the American comedy-drama ''Scrubs''. Though he is a janitor at Sacred Heart, he is rarely referred to as ''the'' janitor, but rather just called Janitor. Neil Flynn was originally bil ...

Ken Jenkins Ken Jenkins (born August 28, 1940) is an American actor, best known for his role as Dr. Bob Kelso, the chief of medicine on the American comedy series '' Scrubs'' (2001–2009). He has also had notable appearances in many popular TV shows. Ea ...

as Dr. Bob Kelso *

John C. McGinley John Christopher McGinley (born August 3, 1959) is an American actor. His best known roles include Perry Cox in '' Scrubs'', Bob Slydell in ''Office Space'', Captain Hendrix in '' The Rock'', Sergeant Red O'Neill in Oliver Stone's ''Platoon,'' ...

as Dr. Perry Cox *

Judy Reyes Judy Reyes (born November 5, 1967) is an American actress, model and producer, best known for her roles as Carla Espinosa on the NBC/ABC medical comedy series '' Scrubs'' (2001–2009), and as Zoila Diaz in the Lifetime comedy-drama ''Devious M ...

as Nurse Carla Espinosa

Recurring roles

Keith Dudemeister Keith may refer to: People and fictional characters * Keith (given name), includes a list of people and fictional characters * Keith (surname) * Keith (singer), American singer James Keefer (born 1949) * Baron Keith, a line of Scottish barons ...

Robert Maschio Robert Maschio (born August 25, 1966) is an American actor. He is known for playing Dr. Todd 'The Todd' Quinlan in the American comedy drama '' Scrubs''. Early life He graduated from Columbia University in 1988 with a bachelor's degree in Amer ...

as Dr. Todd Quinlan *

Christa Miller Christa Beatrice Miller is an American actress and model who has achieved success in television comedy. Her foremost roles include Kate O'Brien on ''The Drew Carey Show'' and Jordan Sullivan on ''Scrubs''. She has also appeared in ''Seinfeld'', ...

Jordan Sullivan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan River ...

Sam Lloyd Sam Lloyd (November 12, 1963 – April 30, 2020) was an American actor and singer, best known for his portrayal of lawyer Ted Buckland on the comedy-drama series ''Scrubs'' and the sitcom ''Cougar Town''. Early life Lloyd was born in Spri ...

Ted Buckland TED may refer to: Economics and finance * TED spread between U.S. Treasuries and Eurodollar Education * ''Türk Eğitim Derneği'', the Turkish Education Association ** TED Ankara College Foundation Schools, Turkey ** Transvaal Education Dep ...

Aloma Wright Aloma Wright (born March 10, 1950) is an American actress, widely known for her roles as Laverne Roberts on the NBC/ABC comedy series '' Scrubs'' (2001–2009), Maxine Landis on the NBC daytime drama series ''Days of Our Lives'' (2008–2 ...

as Nurse Laverne Roberts *

Johnny Kastl Johnny Kastl is an American actor, best known for his role as Dr. Doug Murphy on the medical comedy ''Scrubs''. He has since made cameo appearances in several Hollywood productions and played other parts on television including the role of Todd ...

as Dr. Doug Murphy *

Michael Learned Michael Learned (born April 9, 1939) is a distinguished American actor, known for her role as Olivia Walton in the long-running CBS drama series ''The Waltons'' (1972–1981). She has won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in ...

as Patricia Wilk

Guest stars

as Dr. Kim Briggs *

Jay Kenneth Johnson Jay Kenneth Johnson (born February 24, 1977) is an American actor from Springfield, Missouri. He began his career in 1999 when he was cast as Philip Kiriakis on the NBC soap opera ''Days of Our Lives''. Early life Johnson was born to parents J ...

as Dr. Matthews *

as Julie Quinn *

Paul Adelstein Paul Adelstein (born April 29, 1969) is an American actor and writer, known for the role of Agent Paul Kellerman in the Fox television series ''Prison Break'' and his role as pediatrician Cooper Freedman in the ABC medical drama ''Private Practic ...

as Dr. Stone *

as Mr. Sutton *

Tom Cavanagh Thomas Cavanagh (born October 26, 1963) is a Canadian actor. He is known for a variety of roles on American television, including starring roles in '' Ed'' (2000–2004), ''Love Monkey'' (2006) and '' Trust Me'' (2009), and recurring roles on ...

as Dan Dorian *

Alexander Chaplin Alexander Chaplin (né Gaberman; born March 20, 1971) is an American actor. Chaplin's most prominent role was that of speechwriter James Hobert on the sitcom ''Spin City''. As with the rest of the ''Spin City'' main cast, Chaplin has featured ...

as Sam Thompson *

Dave Foley David Scott Foley (born January 4, 1963) is a Canadian actor, stand-up comedian, director, producer and writer. He is known as a co-founder of the comedy group The Kids in the Hall, who have appeared together in a number of television, stage and ...

as Dr. Lester Hedrick *

Cheryl Hines Cheryl Ruth Hines (born September 21, 1965) is an American actress and director, best known for playing the role of Larry David's wife, Cheryl, on HBO's ''Curb Your Enthusiasm'', for which she has been nominated for two Emmy Awards. She also sta ...

as Paige Cox *

Josh Randall Joshua Reeve Randall (born January 27, 1972) is an American television actor. He is best known for his role as Dr. Mike Burton in the 2000–2004 NBC sitcom '' Ed'' and the recurring, later main role of Fire Captain Sean Beckett from 2021-2 ...

as Jake *

Nicole Sullivan Nicole Sullivan (born April 21, 1970) is an American actress and comedian best known for her six seasons (1995–2001) on the sketch comedy series ''MADtv''. She also played Holly Shumpert in five seasons (2001–2005, 2007) of the CBS sitcom '' ...

Jill Tracy Jill Tracy is a composer, singer, pianist, storyteller and "musical evocateur" based in San Francisco. Known for her dark, evocative, cinematic style, Jill Tracy states that some of her biggest childhood influences were film score composers su ...

The Blanks The Blanks are an American a cappella group. They were recurring guests on the TV series ''Scrubs'' under various names such as Ted's Band and The Worthless Peons. They have released two albums: '' Riding the Wave'' and ''Worth The Weight.'' M ...

as the Worthless Peons

Production

Both Gabrielle Allan and Matt Tarses, two writers since the first season, left at the end of season 4.

Eric Weinberg Eric Weinberg (born 1959/1960) is an American television producer and screenwriter best known for his work on the television series '' Scrubs''. Biography Weinberg is a graduate of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. After ...

left in the middle of season 5 to work on a pilot. Tim Hobert and Tad Quill were promoted to executive producers in mid season. The staff writer of season 4 did not return for season 5.

Kevin Biegel Kevin Biegel is a television writer/producer, the co-creator of ''Cougar Town'' and creator of '' Enlisted''.Kevin Biegel

and Aseem Batra were hired as staff writers for this season.

Writing staff

* Bill Lawrence – executive producer/head writer *Tim Hobert – co-executive producer (episodes 1–12) / executive producer/assistant head writer (episodes 13–24) *Tad Quill – co-executive producer (episodes 1–12) / executive producer/assistant head writer (episodes 13–24) *

Neil Goldman and Garrett Donovan Neil Goldman and Garrett Donovan are a television writing team who have worked on television comedies ''Family Guy'', '' Scrubs'', and ''Community''. Another project was the television pilot '' Nobody's Watching'', which they created and wrote wi ...

– co-executive producers * Bill Callahan – co-executive producer *

– co-executive producer (episodes 1–12) *

Mike Schwartz Mike Schwartz is an American screenwriter and actor, best known for his work on '' Scrubs'' (2001-2009). Life and career Schwartz was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and was raised in Santa Barbara, California. A graduate of the improv group ...

– supervising producer *

Debra Fordham Debra Fordham is an American television producer and writer. She is best known for her work on the sitcom '' Scrubs''. Early life Fordham is a graduate of Valdosta State University in Valdosta, Georgia, where she studied theatre under the directi ...

– producer *Mark Stegemann – producer *

Janae Bakken Janae Bakken is an American television producer and screenwriter best known for her work on the television series ''Scrubs''. The Minneapolis, Minnesota-born Bakken has worked on ''Scrubs'' since 2001, as a writer, and in 2002 served as a story e ...

– producer *

Angela Nissel Angela R. Nissel (born December 5, 1978) is an American author and television writer best known for her first book ''The Broke Diaries: The Completely True and Hilarious Misadventures of a Good Girl Gone Broke''. She was a writer and executive ...

– consulting producer *

Kevin Biegel Kevin Biegel is a television writer/producer, the co-creator of ''Cougar Town'' and creator of '' Enlisted''.Kevin Biegel

– staff writer *Aseem Batra – staff writer

Production staff

*Bill Lawrence – executive producer/showrunner *

Randall Winston Randall Keenan Winston is a television producer and director best known for his work on ''Spin City'' and '' Scrubs''. Career He has been an associate producer on such shows as '' Champs'', '' Day By Day'', '' Brooklyn Bridge'' and ''Spin City''. ...

– producer *Liz Newman – co-producer (episodes 1–12) / producer (episodes 13–24) *Danny Rose – associate producer (episodes 1–12) / co-producer (episodes 13–24)

Directors

''Includes directors who directed 2 or more episodes, or directors who are part of the cast and crew'' * Bill Lawrence (4 episodes) *

Michael Spiller Michael Alan Spiller (born August 1, 1961) is an American cinematographer and television director.Linda Mendoza Linda Mendoza Kahle is an American film director and television director. Mendoza's directorial career began in 1992, directing promotional segments for Fox and MTV. She then went on to direct/produce segments for ''Kidsongs'' and the Nickelode ...

(2 episodes) *John Inwood (2 episodes) *

Victor Nelli, Jr. Victor Nelli Jr. is an American television director and television producer, producer. He began his professional career at Viacom (2005–present), Viacom, Inc. working as a cinematographer on the MTV and Comedy Central series ''The Real World ...

(2 episodes) *

Zach Braff Zachary Israel Braff'Scrubs' Star Zach Braff Wows ...

(1 episode) *

(producer) (1 episode) *Rick Blue (editor) (1 episode) *John Michel (editor) (1 episode) *Richard Alexander Wells (assistant director) (1 episode)