Scrubs Revival: Are J.D. And Elliot Still Together?

Contains spoilers for "Scrubs" Season 10 Episodes 1 & 2 — "My Return" and "My 2nd First Day"

Something funny happened with the Bill Lawrence sitcom "Scrubs" back in the day. In the eighth season of the series — which stars Zach Braff as Dr. John "J.D." Dorian — the series moved from its original home network of NBC to ABC and got slightly overhauled in the process; then, Season 9 closed out the series by introducing new characters in a strange attempt at a spin-off titled "Med School." The show was ultimately canceled, and now, it's back for Season 10 in 2026. So what's the status of J.D. and his on-again, off-again love and fellow physician Dr. Elliot Reid, played by the incredibly funny Sarah Chalke?

As J.D. returns to his professional home, Sacred Heart Hospital, to see a patient — even though he's now a "concierge doctor" — we learn that his marriage to Elliot "didn't make it," as he tells us. In fact, they went to couples' counseling, and the results are ... not great, based on their interactions in the Season 10 premiere! Still, there's obviously some sort of spark between them, and even though this is unconfirmed, they might have a kid together.

This whole thing is wildly complicated, though, because Season 9 of "Scrubs," according to an interview with Faison in The Hollywood Reporter a day before the premiere, won't be much of a consideration. Still, that's also the season where J.D. and Elliot are married and expecting a baby, so how is all of this going to work? 

First, let's talk about the entire relationship history between J.D. and Elliot, because it's pretty extensive ... and then we can talk about where the revival might take the relationship between these two crazy kids next on "Scrubs."

Right from the very beginning of "Scrubs," Elliot and J.D. seem basically destined to be together; as soon as they start their internships at Sacred Heart Hospital, sparks fly. More to the point. J.D. has a huge crush on Elliot right out of the gate, but nothing happens until the 14th episode of Season 1, titled "My Drug Buddy." Elliot and J.D. give in to their feelings and strike up a friends-with-benefits relationship in the very next episode, "My Bed Banter & Beyond," but they split up when they realize they're not necessarily looking for anything serious.

Then, in Season 3 of "Scrubs," Elliot is happily dating SeaWorld trainer Sean Kelly (Scott Foley) until J.D. impulsively declares his love for her; in one of the later episodes of Season 3, Elliot proudly tells J.D. that he finally "has her" only for J.D.'s reliable internal monologue to yell, "I don't want her!" When J.D. finally admits he doesn't love Elliot, the two immediately split ... and their friendship fractures too. Though they eventually do rebuild said friendship, their romantic fate isn't decided until Season 8, when the two finally get back together. Though their future is uncertain at the end of that season, J.D. imagines a future (that we suppose is now canon) where he and Elliot get married and have a child; their marital status in Season 9 is now, apparently, irrelevant.

The truth here is that Elliot and J.D. were almost never a functional couple — frankly, a running theme on "Scrubs" is that J.D. wasn't necessarily someone who could hold down a relationship — but Sarah Chalke and Zach Braff's chemistry in the reboot is as great as ever. So where do we find them in Season 10?

The Season 10 return of "Scrubs" — which also sees other core cast members like John C. McGinley, Judy Reyes, and Donald Faison coming back into the fray as their respective characters Dr. Perry Cox, nurse Carla Espinosa, and Dr. Christopher Turk — gives us a classic hallway "Scrubs" moment when J.D. and Elliot collide in the Sacred Heart hallway. As they duck into a supply closet to argue about their shared resentments — with Elliot saying she lit a candle while sitting by a pond for every resentment she feels towards J.D. but then almost got a fine for scaring the ducks, and it was also really cold outside — we immediately learn that the two are not on particularly good terms. (Hilariously, Dr. Cox was betting on the outcome of Elliot and J.D.'s marriage ... and apparently, he won big.)

Not only that, but Dr. Cox reveals — during a chat with Carla and Elliot — that Elliot is the one who ended their marriage. Still, at the end of the season premiere, we learn something big: J.D. is replacing Dr. Cox as the new chief of medicine at Sacred Heart, which means he'll be in Elliot's life quite often after the two spent considerable time apart. As for the "kid" J.D. offhandedly mentions in the opening of the season premiere, we don't see them during the two-part premiere ... so we'll potentially get to meet them down the line, and we can safely assume that it's Elliot and J.D.'s kid.

It definitely feels like the dynamic between Elliot and J.D. will transform as Season 10 continues, but we'll have to wait and see exactly how