Scott Foley is returning to Scrubs as Sean Kelly, Elliot Reid’s former boyfriend, in the revival’s second season. His comeback is presented as more than nostalgia: it may help restore Elliot’s anxious, chaotic personality after the first season made her seem overly mature and composed. Zach Braff acknowledged that the show had “overcorrected”, while Sarah Chalke said Elliot would regain some of her old neurotic nature.

The revival is also focusing on the original characters’ emotional lives as they grow older. Turk and Carla are dealing with the pressures of raising four children, while J.D. and Elliot are coping with the aftermath of their marriage breakdown; Turk has also acknowledged loneliness and depression when J.D. worked away from Sacred Heart. Foley’s return is therefore positioned as a way to explore Elliot’s unresolved history while giving Season 2 more room to examine the characters beyond their hospital roles.