Scrubs: 10 Best Characters In Just One Episode
Sometimes Scrubs only needed 22 minutes to make a character great.
Over eight good seasons of Scrubs, and one final season that we won't mention again, there were many, many incredible characters introduced. Against the backdrop of some pretty heavy storylines, these characters had to be strong in order for the show to work at all.
Bill Lawrence took inspiration from The Simpsons, in that he built something of a character hierarchy, giving himself and the writers a group of primary, secondary, and even tertiary characters to choose from. Some however, only needed one episode to make an impact on the show.
Whether they were patients in the hospital for a short stretch, old college buddies of the main cast, or lived in a foreign country, there were a handful of times Scrubs was able to introduce an amazing character, with depth and an emotional connection, in just one episode.
There are some who would have ranked near the top of this list, like JD's father and Patti from My Musical, but despite only having a major role in one episode, the former returned in a flashback, and the latter made a non-speaking appearance in the show's finale. Luckily, there are still plenty of memorable characters who did appear in just one episode, and have been loved ever since.
10. Van
Scrubs creator Bill Lawrence inserted himself into three episodes of his show in total, all coming in season eight. He was in the background of a conversation between Jordan and Elliott, and he said good night to JD as he left Sacred Heart for the last time, but his only main role came in the Bahamas, as a completely different character.
When the Janitor and Lady got married, they went to the tropical island and enlisted Van to perform the ceremony. To say that he was unfit for the job would be the understatement of the century, and perhaps if the bride and groom had actually planned on having a ceremony from the first, they could have found someone better.
The officiant started his speech by detailing why he doesn't believe in marriage, and reeling off all the cons of being in a long, committed relationship. He then began inappropriately stroking the bride's face before the Janitor showed him the door, and frankly, it's amazing he was allowed to go on for that long.
Maybe he should have just stuck to being the guy the island's med students practiced their rectal exams on.