Scott Foley Returns to Scrubs Revival as Sean Kelly for Season 2
Scott Foley is heading back to Sacred Heart. The actor will reprise his role as marine biologist Sean Kelly in season 2 of ABC's Scrubs revival, according to an exclusive report from Deadline.
The announcement came at D23's "Scrubs: Scrubbing Back" panel, moderated by Foley himself and featuring Zach Braff, Donald Faison, Sarah Chalke, and showrunner Aseem Batra. Foley will recur in the new season, with Sean dating Elliot Reid (Chalke) once again — a callback to one of the original series' most tangled romantic storylines.
The timing works out. Foley's Prime Video series It's Not Like That was cancelled after one season, and his two-season arc on Will Trent ended in May. That cleared his schedule for the return to Scrubs, a booking he had been trying to make since the revival's first season. In a January interview, Foley revealed that Braff had asked him to appear in season 1 and he was even scheduled for an episode, but the dates could not be worked out Deadline.
Back in March, Foley joked to PEOPLE that "nobody cares" about his character. He explained why he would not be featured in the revival, which returned in February 2026. Series creator Bill Lawrence, speaking at PaleyFest in April, said he wanted Foley back specifically so Braff could deliver the line "Nobody cares, Sean" — a recurring gag from the original run Deadline.
Foley first appeared at the end of Scrubs season 1 as Sean, a marine biologist and animal trainer at SeaWorld who was admitted to Sacred Heart with Elliot as his doctor. Sean and Elliot reconnected in season 3 and dated long-distance when Sean moved to New Zealand, but Elliot broke things off when her romance with J.D. (Braff) heated up. Sean eventually moved on with J.D.'s baby mama Kim Briggs, played by Elizabeth Banks, in the original series. Foley appeared in seasons 1, 3, and 8 Deadline.
In the revival's second season, Sean's rekindled romance with Elliot arrives as J.D. begins a relationship with Charlie (Rachel Bilson), a character introduced in the season 1 finale. The new season sees J.D., Turk, and Elliot having "levelled up from interns to icons" at Sacred Heart, inspiring a new generation of doctors.
The season 2 series regular cast includes Braff, Faison, Chalke, and Ava Bunn as intern Sam Tosh. The revival is executive produced by Lawrence via Doozier Productions alongside Jeff Ingold, Liza Katzer, showrunner Aseem Batra, and stars Braff, Faison, and Chalke. It is produced by 20th Television, a part of Disney Deadline.
Executive producer Aseem Batra had already signalled in April that season 2 would bring back original characters, including Foley's Sean Kelly Deadline. For fans of the original love-triangle chaos, the pieces are back in place.
