Scrubs, the medical comedy created by Bill Lawrence for NBC, lasted nine seasons and is considered one of the best sitcoms of the 2000s. While some parts of it haven't aged well, its characters, relationships and emotional beats still resonate with audiences. This is particularly the case when talking about the friendship between two particular doctors who are said to have the ultimate bromance.
Set at the teaching hospital Sacred Heart, the series follows intern and narrator John Dorian aka J.D., played by Zach Braff. He constantly daydreams, having surreal fantasies filled with slapstick humor, costumes and dance numbers as he and his friends try to survive their stressful work environment. From Dr. Cox and Carla to J.D. and the Janitor, Scrubs has some of the more interesting character pairings that aren't all romantic. However, the friendship that the series is most celebrated for is that between J.D. and Turk (played by Donald Faison). These two best friends have been together since their college days. They are very close, and while their shenanigans are a staple of the series, it is in their more intimate moments where they really shine. Their relationship has been likened to that of Troy and Abed's on Community, but J.D. and Turk share a deep connection formed over many years, which allows it to stand apart from other bromances.
Embracing Male Friendships
When J.D. and Turk are on-screen together, there is an expectation for wackiness to ensue. This mischief can take the form of their yearly steak night tradition, which includes eating as much steak as possible followed by a dance, to forming Multi-Ethnic Siamese Doctor. However, when either of them is having a bad day they are always there for each other and talk about their feelings without judgment. This allows then to delve deep into topics of death, regret and what it means to be a doctor. This level of communication and emotional intimacy is normally reserved for couples, but for Turk and J.D. this is just a normal part of their relationship.
J.D. is also very sensitive and affectionate and likes to show this through hugs and their famous Eagle pose, which Turk enthusiastically takes part in. Their relationship has even been put into a song, “Guy Love,” where they sing about matching bracelets and how much they love each other in Season 6, Episode 6, "My Musical." They ultimately work together as friends not only because they share a lot of the same interests, ranging from robots to their stuffed dog Rowdy, but because they aren't afraid to be vulnerable with each other.
Moving Past Toxic Masculinity
At the time in which this was filmed, male friendships that feature physical affection and openness were rare to see on television. This type of intimacy, where they're referring to each other fondly as Vanilla Bear and Chocolate Bear, would generate homophobic responses embedded in toxic masculinity. While Scrubs did feature some gay jokes that were often made at their expense, J.D. and Turk never let this pressure them into changing the dynamics of their friendship.
Toxic masculinity dictates that men shouldn't express their emotions and to do so would make them vulnerable to ridicule. At the time, other shows were rife with characters and jokes that embodied these traits, from How I Met Your Mother to Veronica Mars. Scrubs moved past this and countered it by putting this friendship above the judgments and remarks, thereby allowing it to subvert expected sitcom tropes. Ultimately, J.D. and Turk's relationship demonstrated that men can connect on an emotional level and be affectionate with each other while being comfortable in their sexuality.
Scrubs is currently streaming on Disney+.