Judy Reyes to Reprise Role in ‘Scrubs’ Series Reboot

Dominican-American actress Judy Reyes is set to reprise her iconic role as Carla Espinosa in a special recurring guest star role in the upcoming ABC reboot of beloved comedy series, Scrubs, Deadline reported. Reyes, who won two ALMA Awards for her performance on the series, starred in the original sitcom for eight seasons. Carla is a head nurse at Sacred Heart Hospital known for being strong-willed and opinionated while also having a loving side, ready to be protective of her loved ones. The 57-year-old actress will join the 30-minute series alongside fellow leads Zach Braff, Donald Faison, and Sarah Chalke who are also reprising their roles. Throughout its nine season-run, Scrubs was up for 17 Emmy Awards and won two. The show originally aired on NBC for its first seven seasons from 2001-2008, followed by two seasons on ABC.

“So thrilled to get back together with my Scrubs family!!” Reyes wrote in a caption on Instagram sharing the news.

Born in the Dominican Republic, Carla was an important part of Latina representation on television at the time, being unapologetic about her Latinidad and her culture. She was open about how often she was incorrectly identified as Puerto Rican or Mexican and how she had to speak up for herself and proudly showcased her Spanish fluency. In an interview with TV Insider, Reyes revealed her excitement at the idea of returning to play Carla again:

“I would love to know what Carla’s doing 25 years later. Are she and Turk still married? Did JD steal him from Carla? Are their kids grown? Do they have more kids? All that kind of stuff. I’m interested in knowing. The possibilities are endless.”

The original Scrubs series followed medical interns J.D. (Braff), Turk (Faison), and Elliot Reid (Chalke), and the personnel of Sacred Heart Hospital. The reboot continues to follow leads JD and Turk as they scrub in together for the first time in a while and navigate Sacred Heart Hospital with old and new faces along the way. For Carla’s role in the reboot, arrangements were made to accommodate Reyes while she is a series regular on the ABC series, High Potential.

Since her leading role on Scrubs, Reyes has added to resume with various roles on TV shows. She is known for playing Zoila Diaz in the Lifetime comedy-drama series Devious Maids as well as Quiet Ann in TNT’s Claws. She currently stars as Lieutenant Selena Soto, the head of LAPD’s Major Crimes Division, on the hit crime drama High Potential. Other acting television credits include One Day at a Time, Jane the Virgin, Succession,The Sopranos, and Fresh Off The Boat. The New York native has also made appearances in film including the recent young adult drama Turtles All the Way Down alongside Isabela Merced and the horror film Birth/Rebirth. For her performances in the latter film, Reyes was nominated for Best Lead Performance at the Independent Spirit Awards.

The Scrubs reboot will premiere on Tuesday, September 16, on ABC.