The Friends Legend Whose Only Directing Credit Is A Scrubs Episode
Upon its 1994 debut, NBC's "Friends" almost instantly became one of the biggest primetime hits the network has ever seen. And almost two decades after the iconic sitcom ended its 10-season run, "Friends" remains one of the best-loved shows in the history of television. The series, which followed the various, and hilarious misadventures of a close-knit group of New York 20-somethings, of course, also made overnight superstars of its primary cast members, played by Jennifer Aniston, Courtney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Perry, David Schwimmer, and Matt LeBlanc.
As has been well documented over the years, those stars have all seen dramatic ups and downs in their careers since their days on "Friends" ended. And while they've all had some level of success on the acting front in their post-"Friends" endeavors, some have indeed sought gigs behind the camera as well. But not all of the "Friends" stars who've tried their hand at directing have stuck with it. And for one "Friends" legend who called the shots on a memorable episode of "Scrubs," directing has so far turned out to be a one-and-done affair.
Matthew Perry earned his lone directing credit for a Season 4 episode of Scrubs
The small screen legend whose lone directing credit came on "Scrubs" is Matthew Perry, who portrayed the ever-anxious Chandler Bing in every season of "Friends." The "Scrubs" episode that Perry directed came during its fourth season on the air, and found Perry at work in front of the camera as well.
Titled "My Unicorn," that episode found Dr. J.D. Dorian (Zach Braff) intervening on behalf of an older patient (John Bennett Perry) in need of a kidney transplant. After J.D. tracked down the man's estranged son Murray (Perry), things turned unexpectedly when Murray proved less than eager to donate the organ. As Dr. Dorian helped Murray work through some clear resentment issues, the requisite hilarity and drama ensued — all of which was bolstered by a secondary storyline which found Sarah Chalke's Dr. Reid using her feminine wiles to get her way in the halls of Sacred Heart Hospital.
In the end, Perry perfectly captured the series' often complicated mix of character-driven drama and absurdist comedy. And as it happens, "My Unicorn" was very much a family affair for Perry as the man who portrayed his estranged "Scrubs" father was indeed his real life dad, whose IMDb credits are impressive in their own right. Heck, Perry even gave a cameo to his uncle Tony Perry, who portrayed a quippy elder Murray in one of the episode's funnier scenes. All in, Perry's "Scrubs" episode is solid enough to leave one wondering why the "Friends" legend hasn't directed anything else.