Aahana Swrup
The ‘Scrubs’ revival brings the audience back into the world of the Sacred Heart Hospital, where ailments are fixed along with bad attitudes and bad days. After years away from the establishment, a twist of fate finds Dr. John Dorian, aka J.D., back to the place where he learned to be the doctor he is today. The impromptu visit brings a pleasant reunion with his long-time best friend, Dr. Christopher Turk, who is now the Chief of Surgery, as well as an awkward one with his ex-wife, Dr. Elliot Reid. Soon enough, he realizes that staying away from the place has been harder than imagined, and, when a spot opens up specifically for him to take over as the Chief of Medicine, he’s eager to step back into familiar waters. Thus, with the proverbial band back together, the healthcare professionals at Sacred Heart Hospital brace themselves to face new and exciting adventures.
Sacred Heart Hospital is a Fictional Establishment With Realistic Influences
The medical comedy-drama show ‘Scrubs’ originated as a real-life-inspired concept created by Bill Lawrence and his collaborators. Notably, the show’s creator mined inspiration for the project from the real-life medical school anecdotes of his friend, Jonathan Doris, the off-screen counterpart to J.D. During the early days of his career, Doris completed his internal medicine residency at Brown Medical School before following it up with a radiology fellowship at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center. Currently, he’s the assistant director at Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology of the Los Angeles Medical Center.
Doris’ real-life experiences have partially shaped the narratives surrounding the Sacred Heart Hospital. In fact, the real-life doctor served as a medical advisor on the set during its original run. Consequently, the establishments from his past retain a level of connection to the depiction of the workplace at Sacred Heart Hospital. This connection remains a prominent influence that allows the fictitious establishment to maintain a sense of realism despite the show’s comedy-driven genre. Alternatively, fans may be able to find a number of institutions bearing the same name as the on-screen medical establishment.
This includes the Sacred Heart Hospital located at Kandasamy Puram, Thoothukudi in Tamil Nadu, India. Despite their similar names, the real-life hospital, or any other locations with similar names, have no direct connection to the establishment in ‘Scrubs.’ Notably, for most of the show’s run, North Hollywood’s decommissioned hospital, North Hollywood Medical Center, located at 12629 Riverside Drive, served as the primary filming location for Sacred Heart. Additionally, sets at the Paramount Pictures Studio Lot in Hollywood also became the backdrop for many scenes.
In the revival, the primary filming location has been moved to the Vancouver area in Canada. As per reports, the new set for the signature location in the medical show was recreated in regard to the original Sacred Heart Hospital. As a result, despite the change in filming locations, the show’s revival season feels connected to the older seasons. Furthermore, the sense of realism surrounding the hospital, through the depiction of the medical cases and the characters’ professional lives, also remains the same. Ultimately, though a fictional location, the Sacred Heart Hospital grounds the narrative of the show in a familiar and realistic setting.
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