In Scrubs Season 2, J.D., Turk and Elliot have levelled up from interns to icons at Sacred Heart. Now, the respected doctors inspire the next generation while balancing the ups and downs of working in a hospital. Together with characters new and old, they are navigating this next chapter with laughter, heart and some surprises along the way.
When Scrubs returned for its first season in more than a decade, Ava Bunn had the unenviable task of joining one of television's most beloved comedies while introducing a brand-new character to an extremely passionate fanbase.
Thankfully, Dr. Tosh quickly found her place at Sacred Heart, with Bunn's performance earning her a warm reception from viewers and a promotion to a series regular in Season 2.
That new season gives Bunn even more room to explore Tosh, including her relationship with Asher, her increasingly fascinating dynamic with Elliot, and potentially even her life beyond the hospital. There's also plenty of the classic Scrubs humour fans have come to expect, with Bunn revealing how improvisation has become a bigger part of her performance and sharing a hilarious story from the Season 1 finale.
Ahead of the Season 2 premiere, we caught up with Bunn to discuss becoming a series regular, working alongside Zach Braff, Sarah Chalke and Donald Faison, learning from John C. McGinley, Tosh's journey this season, the passionate Scrubs fanbase, and why filming the show's iconic opening credits left her emotional.
In our Scrubs Season 2 review, we wrote, "Scrubs is back and better than ever with a Season 2 that’s just what the doctor ordered. Ava Bunn rises to the occasion, and Zach Braff, Sarah Chalke, and Donald Faison are all on top form in this must-see revival."
You can check out our full interview with Ava in the player below.
How did it feel getting the call to return as a series regular for Season 2? What did that vote of confidence from Zach, Sarah, Donald and the team mean to you?
It means the absolute world. I look up to them a lot, and I feel insanely lucky to be able to take on this role and bring it into season two. Yeah, for sure.
In the Season 2 premiere, Tosh wants to move on from her "TikTok Doc" persona. What are you most excited for fans to see from her this season?
I’m excited. I really love that, you know, of course, those are her roots. I love that we’re steering away from that and really focusing on just everything happening inside the hospital. And you’ll get to see her relationship with Asher blossom and what it’s like for her to be in a relationship—kind of that soft, awkward side when you’re in a new relationship. And I think you’ll get to see a lot of new layers in her relationship with Elliot. Especially, we really dive into that, and I’m excited about that.
The Asher relationship was a big surprise in season one and worked really well. How much fun has it been exploring that further — both the romance and how they work together in the hospital?
It’s been so much fun diving into that. Every time me and Jacob—Jacob plays Asher, Jacob Dudman, amazing—when we have a full day of scenes together on set, it’s always like the best day ever because he’s one of my best friends. And so getting to play these characters and explore that together has been a really lovely, beautiful thing.
I’ve been a Scrubs fan since I was 14 in 2004, so I know how passionate the fanbase is. How much has their response to Tosh meant to you over the past year?
It has meant the absolute world because right before season 1 premiered, I was extremely scared. It’s a scary fan base to come into. And that’s what I really love about Scrubs. And I think, what’s a fan base without being insanely intimidating and scary? Like, that’s a mighty force. And so I feel so lucky that after it premiered, I was very quickly welcomed into the Scrubs fan base, and I feel very accepted by them. I get so many sweet messages every day from people that really inspire me to keep, you know, cracking into Tosh and hopefully giving the fans what they want to see from her this season and still surprising them. And yeah, it’s been really fun. And I just love how Scrubs is so connected with their audience. I just think that’s been really fun, with how much I feel like I even know about what fans want and stuff. I’ve learned a lot from the fans.
You’re working with actors who’ve lived with these characters for decades. What have you learned from Zach, Sarah and Donald across Seasons 1 and 2?
I’ve learned so much from them about acting, the industry, Zach’s directing. That’s been really fun, too. They’ve even—Scrubs is so great because Zach specifically has led the charge on this one of letting me really come in and shadow people on set, and I’ll get to come in, shadow different crew members, and just learn every part of the industry. So, I’ve learned a million things from them. And then specifically John C. McGinley. When I watch him on the monitor, it’s like an acting masterclass. It’s been the best thing ever watching him, and every time he gets out there, I could never predict where he’s going with it, and it is always amazing. So, I’ve learned so much from them. And they’ve just taught me a lot.
You and John C. McGinley share a scene in the sSeason 2 premiere. What did it mean to work with him and experience that Dr. Cox energy firsthand?
That meant the world to me, especially as the first scene that I filmed for Scrubs season 1 was with him, of him going "TikTok Doc." And so it felt very full circle to come back and jump right into another scene with Cox. And also just like yeah to always be so in awe of him acting and then have the opportunity to stand opposite him and act alongside him. Like that’s the craziest thing ever. It’s so cool.
Tosh and Elliot are developing an interesting mentor-mentee dynamic this season, with room for clashes and for Tosh to teach Elliot a few things. How would you describe their relationship, and what’s been fun about working with Sarah on that?
Their dynamic is so fun to me. It feels like a slightly mother-daughter, maybe like a cool aunt and niece kind of vibe. And we teach each other a lot, especially in this season. And I feel like even Tosh is starting to inspire Elliot to, you know, do her own thing and empower her to be the powerful woman that she is, as she’s doing the same for Tosh. And that definitely mirrors me and Sarah’s real-life relationship, which is why it’s so special to me. And that’s like doing scenes with Sarah’s the best because it’s just like we really, I feel like, have started to morph. We keep saying that. We keep going, "We’re morphing." We’re both super clumsy, so we’ll kind of enter the scene and go, "So, did you fall on your face today, too?" "Great. Okay, me too. Now, let’s do the scene." So, yeah, I’m excited for fans to watch our dynamic be explored more, and I’m excited to keep making memories with her on set. She’s the best.
Now that you’re a series regular, do you feel you have more room to improvise as you get more comfortable with Tosh? That's always been such a big part of the show's humour, right?
Oh, for sure. I’ve definitely started, especially halfway through season one, I started to gain more confidence in, you know, getting to improvise a little bit. And then this season, with John Higgins coming in, who I’m already such a big fan of comedically, we've gotten to have some really fun moments that you’ll see this season of Tosh and Grant, the character he plays, doing some bits that were not written. And I’m excited for people to see our improv on screen.
Without spoilers, are you hoping we’ll learn more about Tosh outside the hospital; maybe her past or personal life? Is that something you’re excited to explore?
I’m so excited to dive into that and get to learn more about why she is the way she is. And yeah, you’ll definitely see that bleed into her relationship, work, everything. And like personally, I selfishly just like want more outside the hospital outfits. I want to see more outfits. So I’m excited for that.
How is it spending so much time in scrubs? These seasons are pretty hospital-heavy — is the costume comfortable?
It’s actually the comfiest costume ever. Like we’re literally wearing shoes that are designed for people to wear on their feet for hours on end. So it’s like the comfiest costume ever. It’s very chill. And even like hair and makeup we don’t spend that much time in because it’s, you know, we’re all just working in a hospital. So very, very chill vibes. It’s great.
Going back a bit, what do you remember about shooting the opening credits? And how much did it mean for Tosh to be part of that iconic sequence?
That was the coolest thing ever. That’s like no one’s ever brought that up in an interview and it’s… that was really crazy. It’s also—I don’t know if you’ve heard this before, but it takes like 8 to 10 hours to make the opening credits because it’s super choreographed in the way that it’s edited. So, it’s like we had I don’t know how many different setups of like, okay, this time it’s going to be this combo of people, then we’re going to do this, and we all had to like it was like a rehearsed dance. We’re like, and pass the clipboard, take the blood. Like, it was like a full dance, and if we messed up, we had to start over. And it was a really, really fun day filming that. And then watching it for the first time. I remember being in a pool with David Gridley, who plays Blake, and we were on the verge of tears, being like, "We’re in the theme song of a TV show, and it’s Scrubs." Like, it’s just like, it’s crazy to see something that it’s been so beloved for so many years, and now I’m seeing my face in that universe, and it’s the most like crazy thing to watch.
This is such a funny show. Have there been any scenes this season (or last) that you really struggled to get through without laughing? I remember my old Scrubs DVDs being full of outtakes.
Oh, yeah. There was, you know, the wedding scene. I’m already laughing thinking about it. The wedding scene at the end of season one where the bride has to get married in the hospital. And we’re all supposed to be standing. Oh my god. We’re standing there and David’s standing behind me. And David and I like to play little pranks with each other on set. And this part of your elbow, do you know what it’s called?
No, I don’t.
So it’s called your wenus. And basically David kept squeezing the flap of skin, my wenus, and was like—because no one can see his arm. So I’m there, and he’s squeezing it while we’re filming it. And there are so many background actors—like, such a big day that you cannot mess up. And I have tears welling up in my eyes. I’m shaking. And then Zach had to yell cut so that I could run to the bathroom before I peed my pants because I was laughing so hard. And it was the stupidest thing ever. But yeah, David makes me laugh really hard on set.
Watch the 2-episode season premiere of Scrubs on September 30 on ABC. Stream on Hulu.