Scrubs: Season 1

John Dorian, "J.D." to friends, is a boyishly handsome, self-deprecatingly funny, likeable guy who would be confident if he only realized his assets. Four years of medical school have prepared J.D. for his first day as an intern at Sacred Heart Hospital - but he has his doubts.

J.D. tries to get to know Dr. Cox, but is rebuffed. Turk actively pursues Carla and succeeds through candor where swagger and machismo have failed. Elliot gets on Carla's wrong side. J.D. tries to convince his patient (John Ducey) to quit smoking.

Elliot takes issue with the terms of endearment Dr. Kelso uses for her, but naïvely follows Dr. Cox's advice and confronts him about it. J.D. misses Turk's company because they are both too busy to hang out, and he worries that a patient's post-op reaction is Turk's fault. Elliot and J.D. are getting close, but an interrupted kiss might make the difference between being friends and something more.

The three interns have to face death for the first time: J.D.'s patient is a headstrong but kindly old woman, Turk's is a young man who just needs some company, and Elliot's is a Hispanic woman who does not speak English. The episode's writer, Matt Tarses, won the 2003 Humanitas Prize in the 30 Minute Category for this episode.

J.D. has to decide between Dr. Cox or Dr. Kelso as a mentor. The decision is not made any easier when all three, along with Dr. Kelso's lapdog Dr. Steadman, play a game of golf together. Elliot believes her breasts to have healing powers. In order to make up to Carla, Turk gives her a pen that, unbeknownst to him, was previously removed from a patient's rectum. Dr. Cox's actions to help an uninsured patient earn him a suspension. Louie Anderson has a cameo appearance.

Dr. Cox's suspension puts his future at the hospital in doubt. Elliot discovers her patient, Dr. Greenberg, is a psychiatrist, and begins to act like his patient. J.D. has a beautiful but self-absorbed board member as a patient, and he winds up having sex with her after standing up to her. Unfortunately, he finds out that she is Dr. Cox's ex-wife, Jordan (Christa Miller, in her first appearance in the series). J.D. tries to convince Jordan to help Dr. Cox. Jimmie Walker has a cameo appearance.

J.D. has finally earned the spot as brightest student, but he's got competition: Nick Murdoch, who seems to be nicer, friendlier and has a better butt than him. But even J.D. can't hate the guy, for he is so nice. But he is surprised when he finds Nick sitting in a corner crying because he can't take the pressure of medical internship. Meanwhile, Turk is having problems at the operation table and doesn't tell Carla, who keeps bothering Dr. Cox about it. And Dr. Cox gives Turk a very unique sugge

J.D. and Turk save the life of a TV cameraman, which makes them celebrities. Dr. Kelso decides to take advantage of this by using Turk in advertisements for the hospital aimed at the African-American community, with slogans such as "Our MD's have Mad Skills" and "Time to Get an EKG, G". Cox is supposed to write J.D.'s intern evaluation but tells J.D. to do it himself. When J.D. refuses, Dr. Cox reveals that he wanted J.D. to do it so that he could discover his own shortcomings and judge himself.

J.D. gets to see the hospital through the eyes of a patient when he's admitted for appendicitis. Elliot examines him and he tells everyone how cold and rough she is, which drives her crazy. J.D. doesn't want Turk to operate on him, which hurts Turk's feelings. Meanwhile, Dr. Cox is trying to show off to his mentor, Dr. Benson, the ex-chief of medicine, who is also a patient at the hospital. The only thing in his way is Dr. Kelso, who almost dismissed Dr. Benson prematurely.

J.D. begins a new relationship with Carla. J.D. gains a new nickname - "Scooter" - and his relationship with Nurse Carla evolves as he begins to out-distance her medical knowledge, while Turk trembles, when he learns that his secret lunch spot was claimed years ago by the territorial Dr. Kelso. Elsewhere, Dr. Cox gives Elliot the evil eye when she won't discharge a troublesome patient.

Turk loses his faith in a just God after spending a night on call on Christmas Eve, but regains it after finding the missing pregnant girl Elliot has been searching for. Dr. Cox assigns J.D. to videotape the childbirth of one of Dr. Cox's friends.

J.D. must look after a social worker, Alex Hanson (Elizabeth Bogush), who slipped in the hospital and winds up stuck in an MRI machine. They flirt, but J.D. is reluctant to ask her out without knowing what she looks like. Elliot tries to gain Dr. Cox's favor the way J.D. has. Turk is angry at Carla and she cannot figure out why. Dr. Cox is trying for a zero deaths "perfect game" on his 24-hour ICU shift. Jimmie Walker has a cameo appearance.

J.D. is frustrated when his budding romance with an ex-patient wilts as their dates are constantly interrupted by emergency calls, while the beastly Dr. Kelso becomes less fearsome to the wide-eyed interns, when Dr. Cox informs them how to avoid the blowhard's bite. In addition, a perplexed Carla and Turk deal with their first sexual intimacy complication.

When drugs go missing, Elliot suspects a patient who is a former drug addict, but Alex defends him. Elliot tells J.D. that she thinks Alex will hurt him and J.D. accuses her of being jealous. He later tries to confront her about her accusation of the patient. Alex turns out to be the one who took the drugs. She and J.D. part on uncertain terms, and J.D. apologizes to Elliot. They end up in bed. Carla gets a ride from Dr. Kelso. Dr. Cox realizes he has feelings for Carla.

The episode switches between Elliot and J.D. spending a sex-filled day in bed and the ensuing weeks, where their new relationship breaks down. The hospital staff reveals their feelings to a psychologist.

J.D. and Elliot are not talking to each other after breaking up, but with Turk's help they resolve some of their issues and get back to better terms. Dr. Cox goes on a destructive rampage and Carla enlists Ted's help on fulfilling a coma patient's wishes. The death of someone close to J.D. prompts even more personal distress amidst the bad breakup with Elliot, and he attempts to play the death off as though it has not hurt him.

J.D., Elliot and Turk are receiving their first medical students, and now they finally get a chance to see what it feels like to be on the other side. Turk's student is a very attractive young woman, to whom Dr. Cox is immediately attracted. But he doesn't know his way around women and needs Turk to give him a little help. J.D. doesn't know how to handle his student and Elliot's turns out to the be son of an important CEO.

J.D. has a patient who's rude to him and the nurses and eventually dies from cancer. J.D. feels awful for not giving him his full attention and worries maybe he could have saved the guy if he was nicer to him. Meanwhile, Elliot is convinced that Dr. Kelso is the one singing a song called "Tuscaloosa Heart" on a tape given to her by a patient who claims he went to college with Bob. And Dr. Cox finds himself trapped in a love square: He's falling in love with Kristen Murphy, his intern, just as h

An assortment of moms and dads descend on their offspring at home and in the workplace. J.D.'s father is a gregarious yet lonely divorcee who's desperately trying to be just one of the guys. Elliot's folks, on the other hand, are a snooty couple whose pompous behavior dismays their daughter. Similarly rattled is Turk, unnerved by the bonding of his girlfriend, Carla, and his brassy mother. But the most vexatious parent by far is the janitor's dad.

Turk's competitiveness is starting to annoy J.D., especially when it crosses the line of personal jokes and comes to patient's matters. Meanwhile, Dr. Cox finally has a taste of good coffee, but thanks to his feud with Dr. Kelso, the only nurse who was able to make it gets fired. Elliot meets a very attractive patient, whom she instantly identifies, but has a really hard time getting him to ask her out.

J.D. is struck by a needle full of blood contaminated with Hepatitis B. Cleared from infection, he becomes scared of getting sick. Elliot chooses the hospital over her new boyfriend Sean. St. Elsewhere cast members William Daniels, Eric Laneuville, Stephen Furst, and Ed Begley Jr. guest star.

Jordan's brother and Dr. Cox's best friend Ben (Brendan Fraser) comes into the hospital after piercing his hand with a nail gun; however, Dr. Cox and J.D. later become worried when his hand will not stop bleeding, with J.D. going into denial about the results of Ben's tests. A series of paperwork bungles nearly has Turk operate on the wrong patient, and has Elliot incorrectly informs Jill (Nicole Sullivan) that she is pregnant.

Ben begins treatment for leukemia, but Dr. Cox has a hard time being supportive because he cares about Ben too much. Turk's ego takes a hit from the attending surgeon Dr. Wen, and Carla and Elliot scathe Dr. Kelso in a personal review. J.D. is very spooked to discover that the Janitor knows far too much about him. The episode guest stars Lela Lee as Bonnie.

It's J.D.'s last day as an intern, and soon he will become a resident. Carla and Turk are arguing about dating other people. Elliot finally rebels against being everyone's doormat, and J.D. is just trying to stay out of people's way. Jordan has returned to get a physical and a new patient, Mr. Bober, has been admitted, because he needs his gall bladder removed. He really needs the surgery, but doesn't have the insurance to pay for it. They enlist the help of Dr. Cox, Dr. Wen and Jordan.