John Dorian
Encyclopedia
John Michael "J.D." Dorian, M.D.
is a fictional character
on the American comedy-drama
Scrubs
, played by Zach Braff
. He is the narrator
and main character of the series. He provides voice-over to the series which fills the roles of his internal thoughts and an overall narration in the show, often linking the story arc
s in each episode thematically.
J.D. has appeared in every episode during the first eight seasons except two season 8 episodes, "My Absence," in which he is only heard through a cellphone, and "My Full Moon".
Braff was a regular cast member for the first eight seasons, and appeared in six episodes of season nine to help transition the series into its new format. For his portrayal of the character, Braff was nominated for a 2005 Emmy Award
and received three consecutive Golden Globe nominations in 2004, 2005 and 2006.
. Doris serves as medical advisor on the show. According to Zach Braff, he feels that after seven years, there is not much of J.D.'s personality left to be explored, except for his relationship with Turk, while Lawrence has stated that the seventh season was to show J.D. finally growing up, in order to satisfy many fans who did not want to see him stay the same. However, Braff also says that J.D. has gradually evolved over the series, but at the same time cannot evolve too much, as they need to "[give] the fans what they want, which is to see the characters be themselves."
scenarios and situations that have just been mentioned or wondered about, often in an exaggerated manner. Many of these are followed by a comment from him which, although in keeping with his daydream, sounds strange and is often highly unrelated to the initial topic, very often earning him odd looks from nearby characters in the scene.
Despite his numerous flaws, quirks and personal insecurities, J.D. is shown throughout the series to be a very skilled doctor. He is described as having compassion for his patients, and a lot of determination and enthusiasm for his job.
) and Barbara Hobbs Dorian. He has an older brother, Dan (Tom Cavanaugh), with whom he has a love/hate relationship.
, then an attending physician
in internal medicine
, and eventually residency director.
J.D. begins work at Sacred Heart under Attending Physician Dr. Perry Cox (John C. McGinley
), who generally refers to J.D. as "Newbie" or by a series of girls' names. J.D. thinks of Cox as his mentor, which Cox adamantly denies. As much as he hates to admit it, however, Cox respects J.D. as a doctor and even cares about him as a person, even offering him personal advice on a few occasions.
J.D. is also engaged in a constant battle with the Janitor
(Neil Flynn
) from the very first episode. The Janitor is trying to open a jammed door when J.D. suggests there may be a penny stuck in it. When it turns out that there is a penny stuck in the door, the Janitor vows revenge. Throughout the series, the Janitor is constantly playing tricks and pranks on J.D. In "My Finale", it is revealed that J.D. did accidentally put the penny in the door. The Janitor saw him drop the penny, but because he never admitted it, decided that J.D. had failed a "test of character", thus igniting their feud.
In season 9, he becomes a professor at Winston University, a medical school built on the old site of Sacred Heart, which has been torn down. At first, he has trouble engaging his students, but eventually forms a bond with the series' new main character, Lucy Bennett (Kerry Bishé
), who he counsels through the rigors of life as a doctor. In "Our Histories", however, he tells her that he eventually plans to move on, and that she must find a new mentor before he leaves. Finally, in "Our Mysteries", he leaves his teaching position and steps back from mentoring Lucy, determined that she must learn to function on her own. He last appears in "Our Stuff Gets Real".
), his best friend and surrogate brother, whom he first met when they were roommates at the College of William and Mary
in Williamsburg, Virginia
. The pair continued to be roommates even as they progressed to become interns and residents.
J.D. is often shown to have a codependent relationship with Turk, regularly going through some stages of depression whenever he can't be with him. Fans and commentators have described the relationship as a "bromance
"
On his first day, he also meets Carla Espinosa
(Judy Reyes
), a nurse who looks out for him and affectionately nicknames him "Bambi
". In "My Finale", she reveals that she calls him this because he needed to learn how to walk (meaning to become a doctor).
(Sarah Chalke
) in the pilot episode and finds himself attracted to her. In seasons 1 to 3, a running joke in the series was that J.D. would sleep with Elliot at least once in each season, although the show's producers have indicated that this ended to prevent the characters' development being constrained by clichés. The two form a romantic relationship in "My Drug Buddy," which falls apart in the following episode when they realize that they do not work as a couple.
He has had romantic and sexual liaisons with various women besides Elliot, including Kim Briggs (Elizabeth Banks
), the mother of his child, Sam Perry Gilligan Dorian, as well as Jordan Sullivan (Christa Miller
), Dr. Cox's ex-wife, and Jordan's younger sister, Danni Sullivan (Tara Reid
).
It is not until the conclusion of season 6 that J.D. relationship with Eliot appears to rekindle; the episode "My Point of No Return
" ends with J.D. and Elliot lying on a bed in the on-call room, leaning in for a kiss. The action remains unresolved until season 7, where Elliot backs out. They both then say that the almost-kiss had nothing to do with their feelings for each other. In season 8, it appears that their relationship has been rekindled; in the episode "My Happy Place", J.D and Elliot speak about their past relations, and after Dr. Kelso tells them to do whatever it is that makes them happy, they leave the hospital holding hands.
In the next episode, "My ABC's
," they acknowledge having started dating again. During the filming for season 8, Sarah Chalke said in an interview that she couldn't imagine J.D. and Eliot not being together romantically. In the season 8 finale, it is suggested through a flash forward in the style of a home movie that J.D and Elliot will marry and have a child.
In season 9, it is revealed that J.D. and Elliot are in fact married and expecting a child. This is punctuated by an extremely awkward morning ritual in front of Elliot's class where J.D. kisses her stomach for every month she is pregnant and says "and thank you for making mommy's boobs bigger"; Elliot then puts her breasts on his head. In their final appearance together, "Our Stuff Gets Real", they go on a "babymoon
", a romantic getaway for expecting parents.
, trying to reanimate Miss Piggy
. However, Piggy and the Scrubs cast finally breaks the fourth wall
, with the actors portraying themselves.
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
is a fictional character
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
on the American comedy-drama
Comedy-drama
Comedy-drama is a genre of theatre, film and television programs which combines humorous and serious content.-Theatre:Traditional western theatre, beginning with the ancient Greeks, was divided into comedy and tragedy...
Scrubs
Scrubs (TV series)
Scrubs is an American medical comedy-drama television series created in 2001 by Bill Lawrence and produced by ABC Studios. The show follows the lives of several employees of the fictional Sacred Heart, a teaching hospital. It features fast-paced screenplay, slapstick, and surreal vignettes...
, played by Zach Braff
Zach Braff
Zachary Israel "Zach" Braff is an American actor, screenwriter, producer, comedian, and director. Braff first became known in 2001 for his role as Dr. John Dorian on the television series Scrubs, for which he was nominated for an Emmy Award and three Golden Globe Awards.In 2004, Braff made his...
. He is the narrator
Narrator
A narrator is, within any story , the fictional or non-fictional, personal or impersonal entity who tells the story to the audience. When the narrator is also a character within the story, he or she is sometimes known as the viewpoint character. The narrator is one of three entities responsible for...
and main character of the series. He provides voice-over to the series which fills the roles of his internal thoughts and an overall narration in the show, often linking the story arc
Story arc
A story arc is an extended or continuing storyline in episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strips, boardgames, video games, and in some cases, films. On a television program, for example, the story would unfold over many episodes. In television, the use of the story...
s in each episode thematically.
J.D. has appeared in every episode during the first eight seasons except two season 8 episodes, "My Absence," in which he is only heard through a cellphone, and "My Full Moon".
Braff was a regular cast member for the first eight seasons, and appeared in six episodes of season nine to help transition the series into its new format. For his portrayal of the character, Braff was nominated for a 2005 Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
and received three consecutive Golden Globe nominations in 2004, 2005 and 2006.
Character background
J.D.'s name is based on that of Dr. Jonathan Doris, a college friend of series creator Bill LawrenceBill Lawrence (producer)
William Van Duzer Lawrence IV is an American screenwriter, producer, and director best known as the creator of Scrubs and co-creator of Cougar Town. Lawrence is married to the actress Christa Miller whom he cast in both television series; they have three children together...
. Doris serves as medical advisor on the show. According to Zach Braff, he feels that after seven years, there is not much of J.D.'s personality left to be explored, except for his relationship with Turk, while Lawrence has stated that the seventh season was to show J.D. finally growing up, in order to satisfy many fans who did not want to see him stay the same. However, Braff also says that J.D. has gradually evolved over the series, but at the same time cannot evolve too much, as they need to "[give] the fans what they want, which is to see the characters be themselves."
Personality
J.D.'s most prominently featured quirk is his habit of daydreaming. When this happens, he tilts his head back and to the left, blankly looking upwards. The sequences played out in his daydreams are of surrealSurreal humour
Surreal humour is a form of humour based on violations of causal reasoning with events and behaviours that are logically incongruent. Constructions of surreal humour involve bizarre juxtapositions, non-sequiturs, irrational situations, and/or expressions of nonsense.The humour arises from a...
scenarios and situations that have just been mentioned or wondered about, often in an exaggerated manner. Many of these are followed by a comment from him which, although in keeping with his daydream, sounds strange and is often highly unrelated to the initial topic, very often earning him odd looks from nearby characters in the scene.
Despite his numerous flaws, quirks and personal insecurities, J.D. is shown throughout the series to be a very skilled doctor. He is described as having compassion for his patients, and a lot of determination and enthusiasm for his job.
Family Life
He grew up in Trotwood, Ohio. He was born sometime around 1976, given he is currently in his mid-thirties. However, his birthday is not specified at any point in the series. His parents are Sam (played by John RitterJohn Ritter
Jonathan Southworth "John" Ritter was an American actor, voice over artist and comedian perhaps best known for having played Jack Tripper and Paul Hennessy in the ABC sitcoms Three's Company and 8 Simple Rules, respectively...
) and Barbara Hobbs Dorian. He has an older brother, Dan (Tom Cavanaugh), with whom he has a love/hate relationship.
Work
He begins the show as an intern; after a year, he becomes a residentResidency (medicine)
Residency is a stage of graduate medical training. A resident physician or resident is a person who has received a medical degree , Podiatric degree , Dental Degree and who practices...
, then an attending physician
Attending physician
In the United States, an attending physician is a physician who has completed residency and practices medicine in a clinic or hospital, in the specialty learned during residency. An attending physician can supervise fellows, residents, and medical students...
in internal medicine
Internal medicine
Internal medicine is the medical specialty dealing with the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of adult diseases. Physicians specializing in internal medicine are called internists. They are especially skilled in the management of patients who have undifferentiated or multi-system disease processes...
, and eventually residency director.
J.D. begins work at Sacred Heart under Attending Physician Dr. Perry Cox (John C. McGinley
John C. McGinley
John Christopher McGinley is an American actor, most notable for his roles as Perry Cox in Scrubs, Bob Slydell in Office Space, Sergeant Red O'Neill in Oliver Stone's Platoon and Marv in Stone's Wall Street. He has also written and produced for television and film...
), who generally refers to J.D. as "Newbie" or by a series of girls' names. J.D. thinks of Cox as his mentor, which Cox adamantly denies. As much as he hates to admit it, however, Cox respects J.D. as a doctor and even cares about him as a person, even offering him personal advice on a few occasions.
J.D. is also engaged in a constant battle with the Janitor
Janitor (Scrubs)
The Janitor is a fictional character, played by actor Neil Flynn in the American comedy-drama Scrubs.Neil Flynn was originally billed as a recurring guest star throughout Season 1, although he appeared in all 24 episodes of that season. He was promoted to a series regular beginning with Season 2...
(Neil Flynn
Neil Flynn
Neil Richard Flynn is an American actor and comedian, known for his role as Janitor in the medical comedy-drama Scrubs. He currently portrays Mike Heck in the ABC sitcom The Middle.-Early life:...
) from the very first episode. The Janitor is trying to open a jammed door when J.D. suggests there may be a penny stuck in it. When it turns out that there is a penny stuck in the door, the Janitor vows revenge. Throughout the series, the Janitor is constantly playing tricks and pranks on J.D. In "My Finale", it is revealed that J.D. did accidentally put the penny in the door. The Janitor saw him drop the penny, but because he never admitted it, decided that J.D. had failed a "test of character", thus igniting their feud.
In season 9, he becomes a professor at Winston University, a medical school built on the old site of Sacred Heart, which has been torn down. At first, he has trouble engaging his students, but eventually forms a bond with the series' new main character, Lucy Bennett (Kerry Bishé
Kerry Bishé
Kerry Bishé , is an American actress, best known for playing Lucy Bennett, the main character in season nine of medical comedy Scrubs...
), who he counsels through the rigors of life as a doctor. In "Our Histories", however, he tells her that he eventually plans to move on, and that she must find a new mentor before he leaves. Finally, in "Our Mysteries", he leaves his teaching position and steps back from mentoring Lucy, determined that she must learn to function on her own. He last appears in "Our Stuff Gets Real".
Friends
He often spends time with Chris Turk (Donald FaisonDonald Faison
Donald Adeosun Faison is an American actor, comedian, and voice actor best known for his role as Dr. Chris Turk in the ABC comedy-drama Scrubs and as Murray in the film Clueless and the subsequent television series of the same name.Faison has also co-starred in the films Remember the Titans ,...
), his best friend and surrogate brother, whom he first met when they were roommates at the College of William and Mary
College of William and Mary
The College of William & Mary in Virginia is a public research university located in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States...
in Williamsburg, Virginia
Williamsburg, Virginia
Williamsburg is an independent city located on the Virginia Peninsula in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia, USA. As of the 2010 Census, the city had an estimated population of 14,068. It is bordered by James City County and York County, and is an independent city...
. The pair continued to be roommates even as they progressed to become interns and residents.
J.D. is often shown to have a codependent relationship with Turk, regularly going through some stages of depression whenever he can't be with him. Fans and commentators have described the relationship as a "bromance
Bromance
A bromance is a close but non-sexual relationship between two men, a form of homosocial intimacy.-Etymology:Bromance is a portmanteau of the words bro or brother and romance...
"
On his first day, he also meets Carla Espinosa
Carla Espinosa
Carla Espinosa, RN is a fictional character in the American comedy-drama Scrubs, portrayed by Judy Reyes.Carla has appeared in every episode during the first eight seasons except three Season 8 episodes, "My Happy Place", "My Cookie Pants" and "My Full Moon"...
(Judy Reyes
Judy Reyes
Judy Reyes is an American actress of Dominican heritage. She is best known for her portrayal of nurse Carla Espinosa on the TV comedy Scrubs.-Early life:...
), a nurse who looks out for him and affectionately nicknames him "Bambi
Bambi
Bambi is a 1942 American animated film directed by David Hand , produced by Walt Disney and based on the book Bambi, A Life in the Woods by Austrian author Felix Salten...
". In "My Finale", she reveals that she calls him this because he needed to learn how to walk (meaning to become a doctor).
Romantic history
He meets and forms a connection with Elliot ReidElliot Reid
Dr. Elliot Reid is a fictional character played by Sarah Chalke in the American comedy-drama Scrubs. She has appeared in every episode during the first eight seasons except two Season 8 episodes, "My Last Words" and "My Lawyer's in Love"....
(Sarah Chalke
Sarah Chalke
Sarah Chalke is a Canadian-American actress known for portraying Dr. Elliot Reid on the NBC/ABC comedy Scrubs, "Second Becky" Conner Healy on Roseanne, and Stella Zinman in the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother...
) in the pilot episode and finds himself attracted to her. In seasons 1 to 3, a running joke in the series was that J.D. would sleep with Elliot at least once in each season, although the show's producers have indicated that this ended to prevent the characters' development being constrained by clichés. The two form a romantic relationship in "My Drug Buddy," which falls apart in the following episode when they realize that they do not work as a couple.
He has had romantic and sexual liaisons with various women besides Elliot, including Kim Briggs (Elizabeth Banks
Elizabeth Banks
Elizabeth Maresal Mitchell , known professionally as Elizabeth Banks, is an American actress. Banks had her film debut in the low-budget independent film Surrender Dorothy...
), the mother of his child, Sam Perry Gilligan Dorian, as well as Jordan Sullivan (Christa Miller
Christa Miller
Christa Miller is an American actress 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 on Seinfeld and CSI: Miami...
), Dr. Cox's ex-wife, and Jordan's younger sister, Danni Sullivan (Tara Reid
Tara Reid
Tara Donna Reid is an American actress. Reid has acted on television shows such as Saved By The Bell: The New Class, Days of our Lives, California Dreams, and Scrubs....
).
It is not until the conclusion of season 6 that J.D. relationship with Eliot appears to rekindle; the episode "My Point of No Return
My Point of No Return
"My Point of No Return" is the 22nd and final episode of season six and the 139th episode of the American sitcom Scrubs. It aired on May 17, 2007 on NBC. It is part two of the two-part season finale, preceded by "My Rabbit".-Plot:...
" ends with J.D. and Elliot lying on a bed in the on-call room, leaning in for a kiss. The action remains unresolved until season 7, where Elliot backs out. They both then say that the almost-kiss had nothing to do with their feelings for each other. In season 8, it appears that their relationship has been rekindled; in the episode "My Happy Place", J.D and Elliot speak about their past relations, and after Dr. Kelso tells them to do whatever it is that makes them happy, they leave the hospital holding hands.
In the next episode, "My ABC's
My ABC's
"My ABC's" is the 155th episode of ABC Studios television series Scrubs, and the fifth episode of the series' eighth season. It was broadcast on January 27, 2009-Plot:...
," they acknowledge having started dating again. During the filming for season 8, Sarah Chalke said in an interview that she couldn't imagine J.D. and Eliot not being together romantically. In the season 8 finale, it is suggested through a flash forward in the style of a home movie that J.D and Elliot will marry and have a child.
In season 9, it is revealed that J.D. and Elliot are in fact married and expecting a child. This is punctuated by an extremely awkward morning ritual in front of Elliot's class where J.D. kisses her stomach for every month she is pregnant and says "and thank you for making mommy's boobs bigger"; Elliot then puts her breasts on his head. In their final appearance together, "Our Stuff Gets Real", they go on a "babymoon
Babymoon
Babymoon has several meanings. The original meaning is a period of time that parents spend bonding with a recently-born baby.More recently the term has come to be used to describe a vacation taken by a couple that is expecting a baby in order to allow the couple to enjoy a final trip together...
", a romantic getaway for expecting parents.
Cameo
Like Elliot, Carla, Cox and the Janitor, the J.D. character makes a cameo appareance in It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas MovieIt's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie
It's A Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie is a 2002 television film that aired on NBC on November 29, 2002. The film is directed by Kirk Thatcher, written by Tom Martin and Jim Lewis and stars the Muppets and was filmed at Lionsgate Studios. The film revolves a plot similar to "It's A Wonderful...
, trying to reanimate Miss Piggy
Miss Piggy
Miss Piggy is a Muppet character who was primarily played by Frank Oz on The Muppet Show. In 2001, Eric Jacobson began performing the role, although Oz did not officially retire until 2002....
. However, Piggy and the Scrubs cast finally breaks the fourth wall
Fourth wall
The fourth wall is the imaginary "wall" at the front of the stage in a traditional three-walled box set in a proscenium theatre, through which the audience sees the action in the world of the play...
, with the actors portraying themselves.