Top 20 Stars You Forgot Were on Scrubs

#20: Tom Cavanagh

Various

Tom Cavanagh broke out as the titular character on “Ed.” To Arrowverse fans, Cavanagh is best known as Harrison Wells. On another Earth, Cavanagh was J.D.’s older brother, Dan Dorian. Of course, it often feels like J.D. is the older one, being embarrassed by Dan’s slacker attitude as he coasts through life. At the same time, Dan steps up as the big brother when he notices how much Dr. Cox means to J.D. Dan knows that he’s no role model for J.D., but Dr. Cox could be, telling him what will happen if he doesn’t look out for his brother. J.D. also gives Dan a much-needed push, putting him on the path to becoming a successful estate agent.

#19: William Daniels

“My Sacrificial Clam”

To millennials, this actor will always be Mr. Feeny from “Boy Meets World.” Daniels also won two Primetime Emmys for his performance as Dr. Mark Craig on “St. Elsewhere.” He’d play another doctor in a Season 1 episode of “Scrubs.” In fact, this episode included appearances from fellow “St. Elsewhere” actors Ed Begley Jr., Stephen Furst, and Eric Laneuville as well. All four play doctors being treated for Legionnaires' Pneumonia, seizing the opportunity to mess with newbies like J.D. Daniels stands out as Dr. Douglas, who doesn’t hesitate to let the interns treating him know that he’s more experienced than they are. That may be true, but when it comes to mentorship, Daniels could learn a thing or two from Mr. Feeny.

#18: Dave Foley

“My Five Stages” & “My House”

As far as NBC sitcoms go, Dave Foley is primarily associated with “NewsRadio.” He also popped up in two episodes of “Scrubs” as Dr. Lester Hedrick. Being Sacred Heart’s grief counselor, you might expect Hedrick to take a delicate approach to death. While Hedrick brings a calm demeanor and friendly smile into the room, he also has a blunt, at times morbid sense of humor that patients find oddly comforting. While not all of his fellow doctors take him seriously, grief isn’t the only emotion that Hedrick understands. In addition to bringing some patients comfort toward the end, he helps others recover by addressing their unresolved mental health issues. Hedrick strikes a balance between sarcastic and sincere, which Foley is well-suited for.

#17: Heather GrahamVarious

Elliot isn’t the only blonde doctor that J.D. ever had eyes for. Between appearing in franchises like “Austin Powers” and “The Hangover,” Heather Graham had a recurring role during the fourth season of “Scrubs.” Graham played Dr. Molly Clock, a perky psychiatrist who, despite not getting the warmest reception at first, eventually made friends at Sacred Heart. She even took Elliot under her wing as a mentee. While some may describe her as “spacey,” Molly is far from a dumb blonde stereotype. She has a way of getting inside other people’s heads, but she does so with an upbeat attitude. Whether or not things could’ve worked out between J.D. and Molly, nobody can rewind the clock to find out.

#16: Tara Reid

Various

From one blonde that J.D. was romantically involved with to another, Tara Reid appeared in ten Season 3 episodes and one from Season 4 as Danni Sullivan. That’s right, the younger sister of Jordan Sullivan. This makes things complicated for J.D. Not just because he slept with Jordan, but because Dr. Cox will do whatever it takes to keep J.D. out of his personal life. Danni and J.D. nonetheless have a fair deal in common, most notably their habit of inner monologuing. With J.D. carrying a torch for Elliot, he can never quite make it work with Danni. At least Danni has other options, including the Soup Nazi from “Seinfeld.” Hey, that’s another actor you forgot was on “Scrubs!”

#15: Christopher Meloni“My White Whale”

Thanks to his work as Detective Elliot Stabler in the “Law & Order” franchise, Christopher Meloni has become synonymous with hard-hitting characters who command authority. Meloni played against type in Season 3 of “Scrubs” as Dr. Dave Norris, a pediatrician who will greet you with a grin on his face and a puppet named Mr. Cookie Pants. Despite the silly props, Dr. Norris is almost as sarcastic and scathing as Dr. Cox. Trying to get his son in to see Norris, Cox is given a taste of his own medicine as his queries are met with rude remarks, some coming from dolls. Regardless, Norris cares about his parents and can even help put things into perspective for their parents, with or without puppets.

#14: Jason Bateman

“My Big Bird”

Zach Braff made a couple of guest appearances on “Arrested Development.” Jason Bateman returned the favor in Season 5 of “Scrubs” as Mr. Sutton, a garbage collector who J.D. treats. Instead of thanking J.D. for saving his life, Mr. Sutton responds in a very Jason Bateman-esque banner. J.D. goes to Sutton’s house in hopes of finally getting some gratitude, only to get ostracized. By that, we mean that Sutton has ostriches. As Sutton sees it, nobody thanks him for doing his job. J.D. was just doing his job too. Even if Sutton comes off as ungrateful, being a doctor isn’t about getting recognition for your hard work. As long as a patient leaves healthy, the hard work is enough.

#13: Julianna Margulies

“My Malpractice Decision” & “My Female Trouble”

Julianna Margulies’ most iconic roles are Nurse Manager Carol Hathaway on “ER” and attorney Alicia Florrick on “The Good Wife.” Between those two roles, Margulies ironically played a lawyer who seeks out clients at hospitals. Neena Broderick finds one in Harvey Corman, who pursues legal action against Turk. As Turk tries to get out of the lawsuit, J.D. attempts to squirm out of his relationship with Neena. He thus turns to the other most intimidating woman he ever slept with: Jordan. Neena leaves Sacred Heart peacefully, but not before taking out her pent-up sexual aggression on Todd. Although Margulies’ presence might’ve been a callback to Carol, it’s funny to think how her guest spot foreshadowed her role as Alicia.

#12: Sean Hayes

“My Super Ego”

Although Sean Hayes excels at playing eccentric characters like Jack from “Will & Grace,” we saw a more grounded side of the Emmy-winning actor during his Season 1 guest spot on “Scrubs.” Fellow intern Nick Murdoch seems to possess everything that J.D. wants. The senior staff see his potential, and even Elliot takes a liking to him. There’s one thing that J.D. has that Nick lacks: the ability to get through even the worst of days. As smooth and relaxed as Nick appears, he quits upon admitting that one of his young patients isn’t going to get better. We empathize with Nick, but it goes to show that if you’re going to work in this field, you must be able to cope with tragedy.

#11: Troy Kotsur“My Words of Wisdom”

Troy Kotsur only had a few TV credits under his belt when he played Mr. Frances in Season 6 of “Scrubs.” Like his character, Kotsur is deaf. Thankfully, the Janitor knows sign language. Frances visits the hospital with his deaf son, who’s offered an implant that’ll help him hear. Although Frances rejects the idea, the mother gives her consent. While the doctors believe they’ve done good, they do see things from Frances’ point of view, understanding that being deaf was one of the ways he connected with his son. Kotsur has since become one of the most prominent actors in the deaf community, breaking new ground with his Oscar-winning role in “CODA.” He was only the second deaf actor to win after co-star Marlee Matlin.

#10: Keri Russell

“My Turf War” & “My Cold Shower”

Russell’s recognizable from a plethora of movies and TV shows, including her Golden Globe Award-winning role in the drama series “Felicity. ” But on “Scrubs,” she played Elliot’s free-spirited former sorority sister Melody O’Harra. Melody swoops into town to surprise Elliot and inadvertently comes between her and J.D. She also happens to be present when Keith proposes. Despite coming across as a maverick unwilling to be tied down, her reaction to the engagement reveals a deep-seated truth. Her two episode-story arc brought a lot of action, entertainment, and even some plot-altering revelations. It’s just a shame we never saw Melody again as she was the perfect Yin to Elliot’s Yang.

#9: Heather Locklear

“My First Step” & “My Fruit Cups”

You’ll know Locklear from her countless notable TV appearances. These include her four-time Golden Globe-winning stint on “Melrose Place” and as Sammy Jo Carrington on “Dynasty.” In “Scrubs’” second season, she played the hot but unscrupulous pharmaceutical rep Julie Keaton. Julie shakes things up around Sacred Heart as she flirts with everyone while peddling her product. Of course, Dr. Cox proves to be a tougher customer, but she tries to convince him to look past her profession and go out with her. Ultimately, the pair embark on a relationship until Perry’s pregnant ex-wife shows up. While Locklear’s time on the show was very engaging, we were rooting for team Jordan.

#8: Brendan Fraser

Various

Speaking of Jordan, remember her brother Ben? He was the happy-go-lucky, life-affirming photographer responsible for one of the saddest moments of the entire series. Anyway, he was played by non-other than “The Mummy,” “Crash,” “Gods and Monsters,” and “Dogfight” actor Brendan Fraser. While featuring on Zach Braff and Donald Faison’s “Fake Doctors, Real Friends” podcast, the actor revealed that “Scrubs” creator Bill Lawrence had an interesting way to get him on board, involving a bunch of gym shorts. We’re glad Lawrence’s gesture was so enticing as Ben’s storyline captured the humor and gut-punching emotion that made “Scrubs” so special. And we couldn’t think of a more suitable actor to pull it off either.

#7: Mandy Moore

“My Half-Acre” & “Her Story II”

In Season Five, J.D’s patient Mrs. Nickels is so grateful to him that she offers to set him up with her grand-niece. The beautiful yet incredibly klutzy Julie Quinn’s played by actress and singer Mandy Moore, who incidentally was dating Zach Braff at the time. These days, Moore’s probably best known for playing Rebecca Pearson in “This Is Us” or Jamie Sullivan in “A Walk to Remember,” among other film roles. J.D. and Julie have a lot in common, and naturally, their chemistry’s on fire. But as always, J.D. messes up when he starts to nit-pick at her qualities. Even meeting Julie’s godfather, “Star Wars” actor Billy Dee Williams, couldn’t save this relationship.

#6: Michael J. Fox

“My Catalyst” & “My Porcelain God”

Season Three briefly introduced us to Dr. Kevin Casey, a brilliant doctor, and surgeon who struggles with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Despite his limited time on the series, Dr. Casey leaves a poignant message about how you shouldn't measure yourself up to others because everyone is carrying their own burdens. This was also one of Fox's first roles after his Parkinson's disease diagnosis. His storyline almost mirrored his real-life experiences of trying to make the best of a bad situation and not letting it define him. The "Back to the Future" actor's pivotal to these episodes, bringing plenty of comedy and numerous thought-provoking moments. His appearance is highly underrated and definitely worth a rewatch.

#5: Matthew Perry

“My Unicorn”

J.D. finds himself in an awkward situation when he tracks down a patient’s estranged son, played by “Friends” actor Matthew Perry. Murray, an air traffic controller, is all set to donate a kidney to his father until he discovers that they aren’t biologically related. This is even funnier when you know that the actor who played his father is actually Perry’s dad. Incidentally, Perry also directed this episode. Could his guest spot BE any more awesome? He wasn’t the only “Friends” alum to appear on the show either. In Season Eight, Courteney Cox had a three-episode stint as Sacred Heart’s awful, cruel. and deceitful new Chief of Medicine, Dr. Taylor Maddox.

#4: John Ritter

“My Old Man” & “My Lucky Day”

Some audiences might remember him best as Jack Tripper from “Three’s Company,” whereas to others, he’ll always be the overprotective Paul Hennessy from “8 Simple Rules.” While these barely scratch the surface of his impressive credits, you might’ve forgotten that he also played J.D.’s father and pencil salesman, Sam Dorian. J.D. and his dad didn’t always see eye-to-eye, but it was clear that there was a lot of love there and the makings of a dynamic father-son relationship. Sam was supposed to be a recurring character, but sadly, Ritter suddenly passed away in 2003. A Season Four episode focussing on the Dorian brothers dealing with their grief was written in his memory.

#3: Dick Van Dyke

“My Brother, My Keeper”

“Mary Poppins,” “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,” and “The Dick Van Dyke Show” are just some of the places you’ve seen this icon before. In “Scrubs,” he plays Dr. Doug Townshend, an old friend of Dr. Kelso’s who struggles to keep up with modern medicine. The character highlights the actor’s likeability, comedic prowess, and affable demeanor, making it even more gut-wrenching when Kelso has no choice but to let him go. Plus, his storyline prompted an interesting discourse about aging doctors. In a reddit AMA, Donald Faison divulged that Dick Van Dyke was one of the guest stars he was most excited about, and who could blame him? Van Dyke’s appearance was “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.”

#2: Colin Farrell

“My Lucky Charm”

This Irish heartthrob’s arguably better known for more dramatic films like “Tigerland,” “Minority Report” and “The Batman.” Not that he hasn’t delved into comedic roles as well. In this Season Four episode, he plays the charming Billy Callahan, who claims to be the brother of an unconscious patient. It’s later revealed that this was a lie, and he actually threw the punch that landed the guy in hospital and he just wanted to make sure he’s alright. Unsurprisingly, in a role that seems tailor-made for the actor, everyone’s enchanted by Billy’s charisma. In his brief time on the show, Billy teaches everyone a little something about living their best lives.

#1: Ryan Reynolds

“My Dream Job”

We know what you’re thinking, “Ryan Reynolds was on ‘Scrubs’?” Yes, if you cast your mind back to Season Two, the Hollywood A-Lister played Turk and J.D’s old college buddy, Spence. His appearance came shortly after the finale of his sitcom “Two Guys and a Girl” and his breakthrough movie role in “National Lampoon’s Van Wilder,” long before his “Deadpool” days. Although Spence’s in just the one episode, he makes serious waves among the series regulars, including spilling the tea on Jordan’s baby’s real father. Reynolds was a relatively known actor at this point, but nowhere near the acclaimed superstar he is today. Now excuse us while we go and dig up his episode.

Can you think of any other forgotten “Scrubs” guest stars? Let us know in the comments.