The arrival of Rachel Bilson as J.D.’s new Scrubs revival love interest, Charlie, can redeem a forgotten romantic drama that she starred in with Zach Braff two decades earlier. By and large, season 1 of 2026’s Scrubs revival went well. Embraced by fans and critically well-received, the hospital-set sitcom’s comeback benefitted from the return of many original cast members. Donald Faison’s Turk, Sarah Chalke’s Elliot, Judy Reyes’ Carla, and John C. McGinley’s Dr. Cox were all present, allowing the show to successfully recapture its predecessor’s tone.
However, the arrival of The O.C.’s Rachel Bilson as Charlie in the revival’s season 1 finale could make things even better. The latest love interest of Zach Braff’s protagonist J.D., Charlie meets J.D in the hospital’s gift shop as she visits her grandmother. The two hit it off, and it is clear that they may have a future together, meaning the Scrubs revival’s much-discussed J.D./Elliot reunion will have to wait a while longer. This pairing also promises to redeem 2006’s underrated romantic dramedy, The Last Kiss.
Released in September 2006, The Last Kiss was directed by Tony Goldwyn and based on the Italian movie of the same name from five years earlier. With a screenplay by two-time Oscar winner Paul Haggis, The Last Kiss seemed like a guaranteed hit. The movie starred Zach Braff as Michael, a conflicted man having second thoughts about his upcoming wedding, and Bilson as Kim, a charming, effervescent student whom he falls for. Their tangled love lives only grow more complicated as the movie’s story continues.
With an impressive supporting cast that included Casey Affleck, Harold Ramis, and Eric Christian Olsen, The Last Kiss had all the ingredients of a commercial and critical hit. However, Bilson and Braff’s collaboration was a failure on both fronts, earning only $16 million at the box office on a budget of $20 million while gaining a risible Rotten Tomatoes critical rating of only 45%. Thus, J.D. having a romance with Bilson’s character in the second season of the Scrubs revival could redeem their potential chemistry.
To be fair to Bilson and Braff, The Last Kiss wasn’t quite as bad as some of its detractors claimed. The movie’s unconventional ending was a genuine surprise, and its ambitious blend of comedy and drama was undeniably daring. However, the fact that Bilson and Braff’s protagonists didn’t end up together was a disappointment, meaning their Scrubs reunion is great news for anyone who felt that this earlier flop didn’t make the most of them.
Unlike Scrubs and The O.C., The Last Kiss took itself very seriously, meaning the movie struggled to justify the presence of two great comic actors in its lead roles. Braff’s breakout role in Scrubs illustrated his comedy chops while Bilson’s Summer was the most consistently hilarious character in The O.C., so it was frustrating to see the duo caught up in such a dull, self-serious story in The Last Kiss. Luckily, Scrubs can right this wrong two decades later when the revival returns for its second season.
