You dig out an old box in your home and find your beloved childhood toy. It’s a bit dusty, but the instant you touch it, your brain goes, “Ohhh… I remember this!” That’s the exact same feeling that TV nostalgia gives you. And in 2026, it’s winning again because Scrubs is scrubbing back in.
But is Scrubs really making a comeback?
Yes. ABC’s Scrubs revival will premiere on February 25, 2026, and will also be available to stream shortly after (including on Hulu, with release details varying by region and platform rollouts).
This isn’t just a small reunion special where everyone says hi and goodbye. This is a real comeback with real episodes, and the biggest familiar faces are back too, including Zach Braff (J.D.), Donald Faison (Turk) and Sarah Chalke (Elliot).
Why are people rooting for the “old” show in the “new” year?
Because life in 2026 is just plain loud and chaotic. News is breaking left and right. Social media never shuts down. Even your phone is updating itself when you didn’t ask it to.
So when a show like Scrubs comes back, it’s like someone brought back a “comfort blanket” you forgot you still needed. You already get the world. You already get the vibe. You already get that the jokes are ridiculous, but the feelings might just get you right in the heart.
Psychologists have a simple explanation for this: “Familiar stories feel good because we know what kind of emotions we’re going to get, and that predictability can be calming.”
Streaming made nostalgia a superpower
The key difference is this: it’s not just that the studios love nostalgia. It’s that streaming made it super easy to watch.
Think about streaming like a massive cafeteria. You don’t have to wait for a specific time. You don’t have to “catch up” at the right time. You just pick what you want to watch right now.
And streaming is a massive thing right now. Nielsen reported that streaming accounted for 47.5% of total TV viewing in December 2025, which is basically “almost half of all TV time.”
But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Nielsen also reported that people spent about 16.7 trillion minutes streaming in 2025, a whopping 19% increase from 2024. That’s a staggering amount of screen time.
When people are watching that much, they tend to pick something that’s safe, easy, and familiar, because, let’s face it, after a long day, most people don’t want homework. They want comfort food.
The “familiar show effect”: why old favorites keep on top
Another underhanded reason why nostalgia wins is this: old shows have a lot of episodes.
A new show has 8 episodes. But an old show has 100, 150, 200 episodes. That’s important because streaming favors shows that can be left playing in the background while you eat, study, fold laundry, or scroll through your phone.
That’s why people keep noticing that, even as streaming continues to rise, the most popular shows are still the same old familiar faces that keep popping up over and over again.
Which is why when a revival happens, it’s not like it’s starting from scratch. It’s like it’s getting on a moving train that already has a fanbase, memes, clips, and people rewatching old seasons.
Why studios keep doing this (and why it’s not just “lazy”)
Let’s be real: studios also use nostalgia because it’s less risky.
When a studio creates a brand-new series, it’s like planting a seed and waiting for it to grow. When they revive a show like Scrubs, it’s like watering a plant that already has roots. You already know the name, and that’s worth millions in marketing.
That’s why you see 2026 television lineups filled with known brands.
Why Scrubs is the perfect nostalgia show
Not all shows can be revived. Some shows feel like they’re stuck in time. Some jokes don’t age well. Some characters don’t belong in the modern world.
But Scrubs has the perfect combination: it’s silly and quirky, but it also deals with real issues: fear, pressure, mistakes, and growing up. That makes it easier to thrive in a world where people are thinking more about burnout, mental health, and how tough life can be.
Early reviews indicate that the revival is still all about the chemistry that made the original series so great, especially the crazy, lovable friendship.
The problem: nostalgia can be “forced.”
Okay, now we get to the hard part.
Nostalgia is a powerful tool, but it can also go wrong. If a revival is just “remember this? Remember that?” it can feel like an adult wearing their old school uniform and acting like nothing has changed.
Some critics have already complained that the new series can be too much about millennial nostalgia or familiar elements.
So what’s the point of a revival? It’s not “do the past exactly like that.” The point is: revive the feeling, but keep the characters in the modern world.
How the new Scrubs is trying to win in 2026
One thing that the revival seems to be doing right is having a slightly more realistic tone, still ridiculous, still emotional, but not trying to be a cartoon. Zach Braff has said that he wants to capture the essence of the show while also not going too crazy.
This is important because the world of medicine is a different place now, and the audience is a different place too. People have lived through major shifts in healthcare, work culture, and how we talk about stress. If Scrubs is going to feel real again, it can’t act like it’s 2004.
And that’s why nostalgia TV is so successful: it gives us something we know, but the best nostalgia TV also helps us understand the “now.”
What Scrubs coming back says about TV in 2026
TV isn’t just for learning new things. TV is for feeling something.
In 2026, a lot of people are looking for something that makes them feel safe, warm, and understood, so they’re turning to shows that already feel like old friends. Streaming services make it easy. The studios follow the audience. And when a revival is done right, it’s not just rehashing the old stuff, it’s taking the old stuff and making it into a new comfort food.
So yeah: Scrubs is back, and it’s not just a cool piece of news. It’s also a sign that nostalgia isn’t going anywhere. In 2026, it’s a part of how TV stays alive and how people take a breath. Want more trending news about entertainment and technology, explained in a fun, storytelling way? Keep reading the latest news on our site.
