BLawrence, who is ill, is in tears. This is the man who gave us Ted Lasso and the Shrinking, and who is just days away from launching Rooster, the Steve Carell sitcom that HBO is already looking to anchor its comedy oeuvre. At this stage in his career, if Lawrence blows his nose, what’s in his tissue could become a beloved heartwarming comedy series.

So it’s interesting that out of all the options available, Lawrence decided to bring back Scrubs instead. This was a show that left a huge mark, and while you could argue that it was the biggest sitcom on the planet when Friends ended, it still felt quite dated. This medical comedy not only drew many of its laughs from Family Guy-esque cutaway skits, but also featured multiple characters who specialized in baroque cruelty, but that no longer seems particularly on-brand for Lawrence. Ted Lasso would never do that.

Add to this a cast that seems to go to great lengths to distance itself from its ridiculousness the moment the show ends (Zach Braff becomes an indie director, with Donald Faison and Sarah Chalke most prominently featured on the drama), and you’re left with a frightening sense that the magic may have disappeared over the past 15 years.

Luckily, Scrubs Resurrection is as Scrub-ish as it gets, so this feeling disappears in about 15 seconds. Obviously, your enjoyment of this new run will depend on how much you liked Scrubs to begin with. But if you’re a fan, this new series will feel like the safest pairing imaginable.

We chatted over tea as the bluff JD delved into his new career as a concierge doctor, delicately handing prescriptions for erection pills to the wealthy and settled. But during a chance visit to Sacred Heart Hospital, he remembers what he left behind. Within 20 minutes, he was back there as a senior staff member.

Other older characters are dealt with quickly as well. Chalk’s Elliot brushes off old grudges in just over an hour, and – I’ll leave it vague to avoid spoilers – Faison’s Turk begins its first episode with a set of new character traits so serious that any other show could build its entire premise around, but manages to get out of there in less time than it takes to make a Pot Noodle.

However, since Scrubs is a show about a teaching hospital, there needs to be a huge influx of new people to teach in a traditional hospital. Here, the show is slightly less successful. Of course, you’ll remember that this is the direction the original Scrubs tried with the ill-fated Med School series.

But let’s stay positive. As of the first four episodes, Scrubs’ new young doctors are a bunch of quirky characters, which is perhaps to be expected given the lack of screen time they’re given. There’s a good chance they’ll evolve as the show progresses. Even more exciting, Vanessa Bayer plays Sibby, a sort of human resources manager tasked with reining in the more 1990s aspects of the show. In the best of ways, her character often feels like it was airdropped from another, stranger show. My guess is that she will eventually run away with everything.

It must also be said that one of the ways that scrubs have changed over time is in their vibe. The original show had an air of resentment towards the American healthcare system. Now this often escalates into outright anger. A recurring theme in the opening episodes is that the characters are exposed to danger and often death due to a lack of affordable coverage. Doctors either rush to help them and bend the rules, or they play by the rules and ignore them. Neither approach will work.

There’s even a new British doctor, whose purpose is to remind American viewers that prescription drugs cost just 10 cents. And yet, somehow the two poles of intentionally silly comedy and volcanic fury manage to blend into a show that’s as rewarding to watch as Scrubs ever was. I hope you can run and run.