Fly on the Wall with Dana Carvey and David Spade - Zach Braff Is Back In SCRUBS

Episode Date: April 16, 2026

What can’t Zach Braff do? Seriously—he directs his own T-Mobile commercials, and today he joins Dana and David for a hilarious convo. They dive into Zach’s love of The Church Lady, what it was like having dinner with Spade and Howard Stern, and David drops an all-time story: which one of Zach’s close friends did he once have a threesome with??? Plus, Zach reflects on his journey—from making a pilot with Gwyneth Paltrow at just 14, to starring alongside Natalie Portman in Garden State, to what hosting SNL is really like. They also get into how Scrubs found new life without feeling like nostalgia bait, and why Zach and Donald Faison remain one of the great on-screen duos. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Download the BetmGM app today and enjoy the NHL like never before. Betmgmgm.com for terms and conditions. 19 plus to wager, Ontario only. Please play responsibly. If you have questions or concerns about your gambling or someone close to you, please contact Connects Ontario at 1866-5312,600 to speak to an advisor free of charge. BetmGM operates pursuant to an operating agreement with Eye Gaming Ontario. I saw the church lady and I honestly thought, I'm not just blowing smoke, I thought it was the funniest fucking thing I'd ever seen in my life.

That era, 86, 87, 88. That was my first exposure to it. And I just thought, oh my God, this is the funniest shit I've ever seen. In post, we put this big face ofamoa, like a bobblehead size and then move the mouth like South Park style. And so then they have a total proof of concept before they ever buy it. I got them all. And my producer at the time said, just so you know, that will never happen again. in your career and it never did.

And then I showed up and there was that meeting in Lauren's office where everyone goes around and they meeting and says an idea. And I really, I was sitting in a chair, but a lot of them were on the floor. Yeah, you get the King Tut chair. So we've got Zach Braff, who pretty much everyone knows Zach Braff. Zach Braff. Very likable guy, very funny guy. Always with Scrubs.

always with Donald Faison. We talk about the T-Mobile commercials, which she has a big hand in helping with writing. They really, yeah, they really, they shoot them ahead of time on their phones and show them to the ad agency and stuff. I was thrilled to hear the kind of control they have, but that's a very interesting.

That's why they really click. He's got, you know, Scrubs is back. Scrubs is back, which is, I think it's like a 15-year hiatus, and they're back. I like that. I like when they bring things back, sort of those comfort, relaxing comedies that people like to watch

and they don't look about the same, so why not? Sarah Chalk, who was in Wrong Mythy, who we really like. She's a lot of fun. She's, of course, a big part of Scrubs. And we had his S&L experience, hosting SNL, which is very interesting.

It's always, you get a little nervous when someone recants how nervous they were and the intensity of hosting that show. Tightens you up a little bit. It's like, oh, boy. It's kind of like, oh, my God. You know, it's a whoopty-do, man. So here he is.

You know him. Zach Barap. And love him. Oh, my God. Oh, SpaghettiOs. Oh, my God. Holy shit. We're not prepared for this.

Why I have to put it on earphones like this? Yeah. You have earphones. We got a podcast. They're on our podcast. Oh, that's right. Wow. I knew you'd get it.

You've got another skill set. We didn't research. No, I know. And I used to do a podcast, and people would come on and we'd spend, sorry, I'm doing the thing. I was so annoyed with other people. Exactly the same thing. Come on. Get it together.

Inside baseball. Martin Short took 45 minutes. And nothing to do with it. It just was. We love Martin Short, you know, but dumb as a rock, but a great guy. A genius in his field, technically is a different thing. I mean, I always, I'm not. Are you handy?

Can you build a chair? Me, no, I can't do shit like that. No. He knows already. I know about, look at your chair has plastic on. Well, I have to explain. I used to do this podcast with Donald Fais on my co-star. We rewatched 180 episodes of Scrubs.

and we would talk about, we would watch them. And then we talk about them and we had a nice fun time. And then we stopped doing it. And so this room that used to look nice just became a storage room. So that's why there's shit all over the place. This was your podcast room. Yeah. Yeah.

This is my room. Look how nice yours looks, David Spade. I looked up on Google. It says people also Googling Zach Googled Donald Faison and then literally no one else. was that really yeah because you're in everything with yeah we are comedy partners we uh we do everything together podcast team mobile right uh the scrubs the show yeah we just um we found each other literally 20 years ago at the table read for scrubs and uh we just had great chemistry we just crack each other up people really responded to it and uh he's an he's an upbeat dude too he's a great

guy he's uh he we're so different but at the same time we have the exact same sense of humor that matters it's good it's good yeah i like everything i'm hearing so far dana i don't think i've ever like david i've met before we had we had a dinner at howard stern's house once before which was really fun well that's its old podcast we got invited into the castle uh yeah but i don't but dana i don't think we've ever met and i'm such a massive fan of yours and it's it's an honor to same right back at you I was looking up I was looking up when you started doing the church lady because I got to host SNL once and it was a dream we know all about that I want to talk about because I obviously I wanted to share

my my story I'm such a fan of the show my whole life but I remember being a little kid and I wasn't supposed to be up that late and I was staying over my friend's house and we we were secretly staying up and we were secretly staying up and and we saw I saw the church lady and I honestly thought I'm not just blowing smoke I thought it was the funniest fucking thing I'd ever seen in my life For a 10 year old it was about at that level no, but I'm saying yeah, it was silly of course, but I knew they think it was a lady No, I knew what it was doing and we were Jewish so we we didn't we didn't know I we didn't we know I didn't have an experience with watching church shows Right, right, right, right but I just found the I I just thought what you were doing with that I I just thought what you were doing with that I I I just No, you know, people always say, you know, the first SNL cast you're exposed to is,

is one of your favorites, you know? Yeah, I'm sure you guys. For sure. More than Michael's. Yeah. And you were that era, 86, 87, 88. That was the, that was my first exposure to it. And I just thought, oh my God, this is the funniest shit I've ever seen.

And looking like the most fun thing you can do. They've got costumes on and they're doing characters and people laughing. It was definitely, it was definitely inspirational for me. Because I, you know, at that age, I didn't know I would go into comedy, but I was like, this is a job? These people are being paid to do this? It's a fever dream even now and away that I got on that show. I audition three times.

I bombed every time. Really? The church lay was a piece of my stand-up, but in those days I was doing an hour, hour, 10, and I'd do three or four minutes of that, but I had no idea. I'd never worn the dress, but, and I always say this, in the early days of that,

I had Phil Hartman and Jan Hooks come on several times. There was a lot of religious scandals that year. And so it was 86. So anyway, but thank you. That's and the dress and the wig. Everything about it had to be right. And then it all came together. I had to ask, like, just like, just as a fan of it, how did it, did it get on the first time you wrote it? It was my first show. It was your very first show. Very first show. Very first show. And Laura, Laura Michael's ex-wife was there, which I didn't know it was his ex-wife. And she was Rosie Schuster. And she would call Lauren D.E.

And I didn't know it was her ex, but she was assigned to me, a stand-up comedian, you know, and then I thought, well, let's do church lady. And she was actually, we said, we'll do a talk show. And I remember she goes, how about we call it church chat? And I go, perfect, you know, so. But I had no idea it would kill. It was the last thing in the show. I've told this story before. But after, you know, for the dress show, the practice show, it was the final sketch.

Rudy, it's not going to happen, you know, whatever, you know. I I'm Phil Hartman went to bat for it so then it killed and then moved up it was a complete fever dream when then there were there was like merch yes you were we don't do that here you know right now they have you know cone had oven mitts and the uh the store if that you know now they've merchandising you know but uh merchandise back then no no Kevin neal and I were offered a Nike commercial just do it was going to be Hans and Franz Just do it. It's the same era, right?

Hans and Frans because that was another one. 88, 88, 89. And then we were told really it's not what we do here. Cut to 10 years later, they have but like commercials inside the sketch. It's all about modernization. I love, and I want to ask you about this, I love the, when I see young comedians and they refer to himself as a brand, they're doing commercials, they're opening up banks. I love the businessman artist

because I think in the end of day, it's money is freedom. Whoops, hot take. Well, I went from like, you shouldn't do this. It's a sellout to... Cool. It's like overnight they go,

there's no sellouts anymore. It's like, oh, okay. So just anything. So what is your comment on that? Yeah, comment. You've had T-Mobile, the big, one of the biggest campaigns I've ever seen, the T-Mobile.

It's been pretty huge. I've got to say, the unique thing about the T-Mobile thing is we participate in making them. Not just, we don't just show up on shoot day. We, the big ones, the Super Bowl ones, we shot like spec versions of them in my backyard. And we would sort of workshop them. We would make them on an iPhone in my backyard.

Perfect. And as sort of- Show them and say, do you like this one? Do you like this one? Yeah, we would, there's a guy named Brian Klugman who's sort of the Don Draper of all the campaign. And he's the one who comes up with the idea. But then we kind of riff on it. Because we're shooting on iPhones,

doesn't matter. We just do it. And then we cut it together. We add the graphics. If we don't have a big star like we did when we did a spec one of Mamoa in post, we put this big face of Mamoa like a bobblehead size and then move the mouth like South Park style. And so then we think they have a total proof of concept before they ever buy it. Well that's, that's just music to my hair. That's the greatest thing I've heard in a long time on this podcast. Just the idea of taking those people out of it, smart these people you two guys already have the chemistry you know how to work together and you make it like i always tell people ask me i go make stuff with an iphone i tell them that don't don't go in and pitch make a lot of shit that and do it until you know it's great show it to your friends

how can people compete with we're doing it with the stars of the commercial we're we're sitting there we've shot 11 versions of the punch lines to to see which ones work best in the cut right right yeah um and then we have you know if you can use your imagination at all you can get that that's moa or that's travolta whatever and then uh and then we and then they watch it and now they're you're used to watching they're used to not having anything they're used to looking at storyboards and going I guess this right pitching bullshit do you say we would like this celebrity might be funny for this then they go we can go get them yeah we will we'll sometimes say we wrote this with Travolta in mind obviously and then and then they'll try and get them

and sometimes they can't get them and and then we just swap out the for a different celebrity. And you get Webster. That is so great. And that's why they pop. That's why they pop. Because, yeah, I mean, obviously the writing is good and the chemistry is good. But also, we participate.

It isn't like, hey, say this dumb line that you don't think is funny. That would never win. 99% of commercial. Of course. I had a friend who's doing one. And she sent me the spot. And she goes, we're shooting tomorrow. Can you help me?

And I looked at it. I was like, I don't know where to begin to help you. This is bad. Blow it up. It's hard to change shit. It's hard. I did one for Hans and Franz for a Super Bowl with Kevin Neeland, and we had a lot of stuff left over from the script. And so we sort of suggested some things. And at one point, we were water skiing and Aaron Rogers is in a kayak paddling really hard. We wanted him on a speedboat. But it's great to just use stuff. And then when they go for it, it's a really good feeling.

Exactly. All they want is they want their stuff in, their, their messaging. But as long as we get that in in a way that's funny, this particular company, I can't speak for others, is so collaborative and cool. And do they pay you for doing these commercials or just for the exposure? No, they know. I was like that you took that serious. So you go, actually, I think we do get paid. To be honest, to be blunt, as a comedic actor, you would do it for free because the exposure on the Super Bowl is true. There's one shit out there.

You know, I did one, Zach. I was almost in your family. We did a team, I think it was team mobile. Yeah, with Brent Gelman. I told her to this day. We shot it February 2020 and it was airing for the final four. And I think it was 90 seconds, which was even longer. It was fully written out.

It was really fun. Brett Galman is, of course, bananas. And we had a really, we thought it was pretty funny. And then it was COVID. And then they go, okay, hang on. People aren't doing comedy like right now. It's too sad in the world. okay. And then the final four was canceled. And then, anyway, long story short, it got whittled down to a 15-second

Instagram ad about nine months later because they just said, and then it took place in an unemployment office. And then that was the latest thing we couldn't air. Like, whoa, wait, we forgot. Everyone's unemployed right now. And I'm like, no one's even thinking. I don't know. So it was just tough because, but I really liked it. We had a great director. We had a great time. Team mobile was great. It's just COVID. I mean, there were some downsides to COVID if you look back. Yeah. There was some negatives. The world shut down.

I don't know. Yeah, that was one. So. Hey, Ontario. Come on down to BetmGM Casino and see what our newest exclusive, the Price is Right Fortune pick, has to offer. Don't miss out. Play exciting casino games based on the iconic game show only at BetMGM. Check out how we've reimagined three of the show's iconic games.

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Please play responsibly. If you have questions or concerns about your gambling or someone close to you, Please contact Connects Ontario at 1866-531-2600 to speak to an advisor free of charge. BetMGM operates pursuant to an operating agreement with Eye Gaming Ontario. Hi, my name is Lloyd Lockridge, and I'm the host of a new podcast from Odyssey called Family Lour. In this podcast, I'm going to have people on to tell unusual and sometimes far-fetched stories about their families. I've heard my whole life that she invented the margarita. And then we're going to investigate those stories and find out.

out how much of it is true. He gets a patent one month before the Wright brothers. Oh my God. Please follow and listen to Family Lore, an Odyssey podcast, available now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your shows. Zach, where would you like to go in this interview? No, I have a question. I have a statement for Zach.

I have a lot of questions. Okay. Zach, yes, go ahead. Zach, I had a threesome with a friend of yours. Go on. That's a good one, right? That's a good start. What are we trying to trend now?

No. No, Sarah Chalk, I don't know if you know her from the show. You didn't have a reason with Sarah Chalk. There's no way. We did in the wrong, Missy. Whoa. Oh, it's part of a comedy film. It was.

Oh, it played a. My brain was scanning. I know. Isn't that great? You're like, who, who. And then you said Sarah Chalk the least likely answer. I know. Like on planet Earth.

It sort of stopped when the camera stopped rolling. And I was sort of going, oh, oh, is everyone just pretending? And they were like, yeah. And I go, you tell me where you got to go. I'll set the stage a little bit. I'll be researching you. And I have a jack of all, I mean, you do a lot. You do theater.

You've directed Harrison Ford and shrinking. You directed Ted Lassow and got a lot of award nominations for that. Get off my plane. You're a director. And then you're doing the half hour show and you're directing those. And then you're doing Garden State. You're doing movies. you're in you're in London with a play you wrote I mean it's how do how are we supposed to make sense

of that I just been very driven I guess and I've always I've always believed early on that you can't just sit and wait for your number to come up you have to be so proactive in this field you know true yeah I'm always I'm always shocked by people that are just sitting there waiting for their for their lottery number to be picked you know so I've such a tough business that's hard and so and I and I see actors that come in and how hard it is to get picked. And so I just from a very young age, I was, I was acting a bit as a kid and I saw how hard it was.

And I was just like, I'm going to do all the things. I'm going to write. I'm going to produce. I'm going to direct when I'm lucky enough to be cast. I'm going to, I'm not going to go to my trailer and do nothing. I'm going to sit on set and ask the director questions. I'm going to ask the fucking grips questions. I wanted to like learn, you know.

Wow, that's great. So what was the first thing that sorry you go? I guess I'm going to, I'm show business this is what i'm going to do well the first thing he landed i got a pilot at 14 years old do you remember bruce paltrow he created saint elsewhere yeah that was granite's father and she was 17 i believe and she was cast as in the show as like a uh the pretty senior in the high school and i was the nerdy leukemia no she was just a babe that was a doctor we got three son we got leukemia these are two bangers oh no to st elsewhere was his um

was the show that made him famous. And then he created this pilot of about a high school. It was the same year, 902 and O came out. And where there were the Beverly Hills show, we were like a rough, you know, New Jersey. Yeah. And that was my first thing. And I didn't know that pilots didn't get picked up.

I was 14 years old. I got a gift basket that said, welcome to the CBS family. And I was like, I'm in the CBS family. What are you talking about? I didn't get picked up. What does that mean? And you are orphaned. How do you get into show business at 14?

You know, Christ Sinks. We got a Mickey Rooney here or something? No, I've gone to, I love, my dad did community theater. My dad would take us into the city to see plays, and they saw that I really liked it. And so they found this theater camp in New York. It's called Stage Door Manor. And if you're serious about acting and you're a kid, it's a great summer camp. And up there, I had gotten scouted.

Someone saw me and said, hey, I'd love to represent you and send you some audition. Oh, there you go. That's how it happened. And I used to for a lot of movies at the time, like Big and Parenthood and Oliver Stone's movie. Wow. A couple of Oliver Stone movies. And so, yeah, and then I didn't get any of that. And then this was the first thing I got.

Is it second when you audition and then you sometimes I wouldn't hear and then the movie would actually come out? And I go, oh, I guess I should have given up on that one. But I thought I was probably doing callbacks. And then I saw, I think Dead Poets Society was one of my first, first auditions. And I'm like, oh, these assholes got it. I was pretty cool about it. Yeah, it was hard, you know, especially because my family didn't really understand. They'd be like, what do you mean?

You had an audition for it. Why didn't you get it? And I was like, oh. What did they do? They would just be, you know, they would just be bummed. No, they said, what did you do wrong? Oh, yeah. My dad couldn't hide his disappointment.

He would be like, oh. Oh, really? Yeah. I love it. He would try, but he'd be like, what's going wrong? Like, why aren't you getting more part? Should you be doing this? Should you?

They believed in me, but they were like, how do we? It's such an uphill battle. It's so tough to talk them into believing in you when you're like, when like, I'm in Arizona. There's like no one doing stand up. They're like, what's going on? I'm like, I think this might be the best pick for me. Are you sure? It seems like such a moonshot.

Like I had a girlfriend at maybe 19 or something. And I was like, let's go to San Francisco and watch comedy. Or maybe I was going to do a set at a little tiny club. And she kind of very seriously go, are you really trying to do this? And I met other parents. Well, it's great you're doing stand-up, but this will help you with whatever you really end up doing. You know, it just seems so. Lake Bell was the thing that was bugging my brain because she's exactly.

like you directing creating projects proactive i don't know if you know her but she was on recently and that was just bugging me who else is just like zach yeah i i advise you know when people when younger folks ask me advice i always say that i say you can't just sit there and hope your number comes up now more than ever it's crazy like that's well you can also point to garden state you can say like this was i'm sure you get asked about this too much was it garden state or which was the one where you did the crowd sourcing oh that was um wish i was here which is a film i put a lot of I love into but didn't do nearly as well as Garden State. Garden State was the first movie I made. I had written the screenplay and then when I got scrubs, I thought, oh gosh, this is, that was that

hustler brain of mine. I was like, oh my God, this, even if this show doesn't work, it's going to help me get my movie made. And so I sort of use the momentum of getting scrubs to at least get my script higher in the pile, you know, because I was the new guy on the show. And all about heat. It's all about like, yeah. Someone can get your part a week. later they just they just their tic-tok blew up and they're like we're going to get that person instead like it's so fleeting i see that and you and garden state was a bit was that natalie portman that was natalie portman and peter saris guard and ian home yeah it was a big deal for me love natalie portman so how exciting for you to be able to work with someone is such a monster professional great

actress she's extraordinary and you know when you make casting lists uh for anyone casting something you often put like, well, I can't see very much. What I do is you make, you put sort of an archetype, and then you put a line, and then you put under the line, people that you think are like them. And I had written, and I had written Natalie Portman, Peter Sarsgaard, Ian Holm, and I got them all. And my, my producer at the time said, just so you know, that will never happen again in your career. And it never did. It's so hard. I mean, but they like those sort of gritty, small. If you can get someone that's already made it, you can get someone that's already made it. You can get

someone that's like, give me something a little off, the beat and bat. Natalie, Portman sounds like. But that's a big cast. Particularly they want some, you know, big actors, if they're going to be no money, doing it for nothing in, in, in, in 25 days, they're looking for something that's different than what they've done and that will challenge them.

I mean, I feel that way as an actor. I just did me. Yeah, yeah, for sure. I went to, did an indie for 19 days in Atlanta and it was something no one that would ever normally cast me as. And I was like, well, that I'm drawn to. I'll go do that for no money for 19 days. Yeah.

Mm-hmm. Nice. I hope those get some attention somewhere somehow. If nothing else, at least you get to flex some different muscle where you go. Exactly. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's great. Before we get to the Scrubs part two, or reboot, or whatever you want to call it.

Revival. Revival. Good. Okay. Just tell us your S&L story for a second and then let's go to that. I got to go to SNL because it's always been a dream of mine. I'm truly a lifelong watcher. and I just always been on my bucket list.

And I got the call. I think it was 2005. I had a movie coming out called The Last Kiss. And Scrubs was on the air. And my stock, you know you only get the S&L invite if your stock is pretty darn high. It's a great barometer. And NBC, Scrobs at that point was on NBC, right? Yes.

Helps a little bit. It's part of our tribe. You're in the family. He seems to be, he's got a like. touch on the show and I think it'll do well here. And that's in front of you. He's talking to a pitcher of you and you're in the office. Oh, sorry. I didn't see you, Zach. So go ahead. So you're blown away. You get the call. I get the call that I'm going to host the finale of the season, which was Maroon 5 was the musical guests.

They were also super on fire. Yep. And I couldn't believe it. I showed up. I was very nervous, very nervous because I didn't know how to be I didn't know how this all worked I even though they don't tell you they don't tell you no one tells you anything how I know I know we hear that a lot you know and then I showed up and there was that meeting in Lauren's office where everyone goes around in a meeting and says an idea yeah and I really I was sitting in a chair but a lot of them were on the floor yeah you get the king touch chair like I know what is oh go ahead and then trigger ideas like some of the I was like, I thought I didn't know that these were just like everyone is supposed to say something. Fake ideas.

And they were just like, they were all over the place. I was like, what? I didn't even. But then someone told me later that like you have to say something and no one's really thought about anything yet. And also you do not want to mention ideas so you can catch them by surprise at the readthrough on Wednesday. Oh. You don't want to say, yeah. Big laugh at Monday meeting, bomb and read through.

Oh, I know that. Everyone already knows the joke. Zach is dressed as a donut on a sidewalk and, you know, hitchhiking with a tomato. Christian wig, you know, like all that stuff. Yeah, it sounds like a funny idea and then you go, where was that one? Does Lauren ever go? Does Lauren ever go? Like, where was your Monday morning idea?

That was good or no. Not really. He knows we're all playing a game, you know, keeping our powder dry. You could mention, you know, maybe we'll do a massive head wound hairy, but you don't say what it is, you know. There's all the games, but it's hard. Did anyone stand out for you? Like, you were there because I, that cast.

Yeah, who's your cast? That cast was arguably all, maybe the best cast. Let's just say it's in the conversation. Oh, yeah. Forte, Kristen, Forte, Fred Armisen, Sadecas. Maya was still there.

Maya Keenan, Amy Poehler. Yeah. That's some home run hitter. Darrell Hammond was still there or no. Andy Sandberg. Andy's, yeah. Yeah, it's like a murderers row. It's a murderers row.

And then there's, it's going to be your fault if it's bad. Right. So what, who, how did you feel the day of the show? I got it. Before we get there, I got to say I was really nervous because then they, then there's the Tuesday night you write all night long. Yeah. Well, I didn't know what to do because I didn't know, you know, I'm not a,

No one knows what to do. Did you have the whole day off, by the way? They don't even start anything to like, why don't they tell the host what's going on? They didn't tell me anything. The only thing I knew, by the way, this is a funny story, is that I had done Conan to promote it. And I and I went and I leaned over to Conan.

I think it was during commercial break or something. Yeah. Do you have any advice at all for me? Because this is my, been my dream come true. I don't want to fuck it up. I'll take any advice he got. And he said, the only thing I can say is you're, you're going to not believe that they're going to put a show on on Saturday night.

By the time, he goes, by the time you get to Friday, you're going to still be shocked at how little is ready. Disarray. And it feels like a morgue on the Sunday age. He said, just go with the flow. He goes, every Saturday night, the show goes on. He goes, don't panic. Just go with the flow.

And that actually really helped me. because Friday morning my monologue hadn't even been written. And I was like, wait, what? Most people cry on Friday. Honestly, host cry. They go, what's wrong? The host is sort of having a breakdown. And you go, oh, that's about that time because they're looking around going,

all it says of my itinerary is like Tuesday report at 6 p.m. for dinner at Orso. And you go, what about the show? I'm going to Orso. I mean, what am I going to Orso? Marcy Klein had said that she had said that she, had to go in i don't know was she was still there was she there was she there was really helpful to me to she helped calm me down there were hosts that were in a curled up in a ball crying like 10 minutes before air you know i was i definitely felt

the beginnings of a panic attack coming about um when like there was no monologue on friday and i knew that i was singing i knew it was going to be a song that's horrible but you're very light and carefree and i'm sure loren is like he's got this but even i'm sort of like that too, but down deep, I really want to know what the fuck is going. I really want to be ready to be light and carefree and know it. But you can't plan ahead and memorize and not even memorize, but just get a feel for it. You have 13 characters you got to do. It's so complicated.

So little by little, the monologue came out and it was a song and it was very funny. It was a spoof of New York state of mind, but it was New Jersey state of mine. Okay. And that would start, which was really funny. I got to sing. I like to sing. to sing new jersey uh new jersey state of mind and uh it was fun and then and then and then one thing i really remember and i don't know if i assume he does this for every host but the last thing that

happened before i left my dressing room to be walked behind the door was loren came to my dressing room and he said and i was like oh my god is this part of the ritual what's happening and it was the only time i'd been alone with him the whole week right yeah and he said are you're gonna i can't do the impression like you but he said you're just you're just you're just you're just going to want to talk very fast, a model law, you're going to be nervous. So take your time and really just don't, don't speed through it. And I was like, okay. And he just kind of smiled and nodded his head. It's kind of true, though. You get you get amped up. He like so. It was great advice because that was the last thing that was said to me. And I, and I, it helped me slow down and not

come out there to speed through it. Yeah. Lorne Michaels, I told him his last time I was hanging out with I said, you've downloaded the show. You're like an AI because in his subconscious is like 5,000 sketches and 5,000 hosts. You know, so it's like, oh, this one's going to try to be speedy. I could tell them Monday. I'm going to go in right before the show and tell them to breathe and slow down. Pull the range. So you come out, you're not in the cold opening.

You come out for the monologue. Did it score the way you hoped it did? Oh, yeah. It went great. I mean, I was singing, I mean, to me, just singing on a stage with a band in a bar would be fun. Well, could you sing one line of that song for us? Some folks like to get away, take a holiday from the neighborhood. All right, you can sing.

I'm outside to Miami Beach, oh, to Hollywood. Yeah. Well, for me, even doing that in a bar with my friends would be fun. I never, who gets to sing with a whole fucking amazing band? So I really, I loved it. And then I felt like once I got that down, yeah. As a theater actor,

I feel like the most nervous thing I have in my brain is going up and forgetting my lines. So once I was into the sketch world and my lines are everywhere, I felt like, oh, I can do this. Yes. That's the hardest thing about a movie is like you have to memorize. And then when you get out there and it's just there, you just don't want to be a crutch. But it's almost impossible to go,

I'm going to drink up that cue card. and just say it right here because there's no room for error. If you fuck up, you almost just kind of read it because you go, I can't screw up their line now. If I say the wrong end word, they don't say their line. The thing I didn't know, and also, again, I don't think I was briefed on this until, like, Saturday, was that they're going to live cut lines for time.

Yep. So if you don't look at the call, there were, like, lines that were in the scene. And they were like, just, you know, we're about to go. three of your lines are cut, look at the cards. And so you look at the cards and they're crossed out like things they were cutting for time live. That was insane. Yeah, there was one host we had who really understood this and it was William Shatner.

So William Shatner is so relaxed and so loose the whole week and on the air show. And he thought it was just such a silly exercise with no real rehearsal and lines live. He goes, why would you take it serious? you know i won't do it but and that is the way to go with it but you must have the crowd loved you in the monologue so that you must erode that yeah i felt the rest of the show i felt really high on on the adrenaline of that and then i just felt and then my scene i was doing scenes with christian wig and all you know these legends and my yeah brilliant people yeah so i just knew like i'm i'm in i'm in good hands and fred i had a skit with fred armison this is a funniest thing and uh

it was he's great oh i love him It was a sketch about how like an uncomfortable, you go into a meeting at a studio and the assistant person at the desk doesn't have anything to do but ask you if you want some water. Which if you've never, if you've listening to this and you've never been to a meeting in Hollywood, that that's kind of what happens. There's a person sitting in a desk and you're sitting awkwardly on a couch waiting and they're like, would you like some water? And you're like, no, I'm good. Thank you. And then they're like, are you sure you don't want water? And room tamper cold.

Sparkling. And little by little, it becomes clear that the assistant is obsessed with me. And Fred went crazy. And it culminates with him kissing me. And perfect. Like forcibly. And in the rehearsal,

he just did, we just did like a fake open mouth kiss. And then live, he jammed his tongue in my mouth. No way. Where's the intimacy core? That is a trick that they all learn is save something for air. Save it for the love.

The crowd goes crazy. Oh, the crowd loved it. And to this day, if you had to pick one sketch to remember from that years later, is that your one that kind of jumps out at you? Oh, gosh. I don't know. There was so many. I think that one was really good.

I did, remember the thing Maya would do with the, like, the Jersey women talking about the sweater weather? Oh, yeah. I was on that. You're gorgeous. Yeah, you're gorgeous. Look at it. He's so cute.

Look at him. He's so cute. Yeah, they're great in that. Yeah, that one was fun. I haven't thought about it in a second, but it was all very surreal. So the crowd war, after Fred Armisen put his tongue in your mouth, you did that. There's a roar, right? Because it's a surprise.

And the roar in the 8-H on something like that. So that must have helped you also lifted. I just didn't want to be over. It goes by so fast And then And then you're like Do I get to do it next week? They're like no, never again

Also you're like Now I know how to do it Let's do it again One more time and we'll nail it Yeah I'm going to make a prediction When you're The new scrubs is out

And whatever You know I think Zach Brath You know he was a pro I think it's about time I hope so I would be my dream To go back

And do it one more time I, I I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I remember, I'm going to me, you could have been a, you could have been a, you could have been a, you could have been a, you could have been a, you can't you do. No, I don't, I don't know if that's true. But even her saying, it made me feel really, really good. No, it's nice to hear. Because it's pretty close to being true, because you fit the bill. you could be a Sudakis in there, you know? Just throw you in. Well, do you do accents and characters or impressions?

Not so much. I mean, if I auditioned, I wouldn't really know how to audition with impressions. But do you throw your voice? You can play a New York guy, whatever, all those kinds. I can do that kind of sketch comedy voices. Yeah, but I can't do impersonations like you can. But it is the most fun thing when it's working that I've ever done in show business is so you're killing on S&L and you got a hold of a great sketcher with great people around.

you and it's it's air and it's really working it's finally really popping and this is going out live you know it's like it's the highest high yeah it's the highest hike i mean it's one of the highlights of my life to be honest it was so fun and and uh my whole family was there and uh you know it was very very surreal bring your whole family you get two tickets it's uh and it's still there you get two tickets can't stop doing Lauren it's too Do you guys go these days and just watch the show? I was there last fall doing Biden. And I did a church chat.

So I revisited it. And it's trippy. It's, you know, you have to kind of get back in the saddle. Of course, I was part of a foursome. It was Gaffigan and Andy Sandberg and Maya. And we were just sort of the four candidates or whatever. So. But it was fun.

I mean, the cast and everything. It was cool. Chloe Feynman I went back 50th just to play Hunter Biden with Dana for one thing Oh you're the church lady

He wasn't even Biden No I did They wanted me to do a church chat And David came on as Hunter Biden And that was fun And then we did And in the 50th anniversary It was fun

Yeah The 50th anniversary Yeah that was And that's where you see everybody Right And you go there And you walk in And it's more fun

doing the show isn't even as fun as just being there because you're like I'm back here and every person was a host or a cast member. That must be so crazy. So crazy. Or a music guest. Is everyone doing bits around each other or is everyone actually actually funny on their feet? Kind of just

bullshitting and then everyone's just naturally funny on their feet and sitting in the audience. There's like eight people in the crowd. I remember we were just saying the other day like sat in the crowd. Then Paul McCartney came up and sat like four in front of me. He's just watching just nothing. And then Kevin Kosser

standing in the corner, he's not even a host or anything. He's just, hey, what's going on over here? Well, everywhere you look is a famous person. That's so fun. You could look up, down, left. Star-juiced. Yeah. It's like a little bit.

And you see people from your era of cast, but of course, you know the other ones. Like, I would, it's the only place where I'd feel at home and have to walk up to almost anyone that was on the show in the past and say hi to him. Yeah, that's a pretty easy camaraderie. There's a spree decor for anyone who we know, We know what you did.

You were in the slats and the makeup and the wig's not fitting. Yeah, you're part of it. And the writers are hovering around and going, your exit is earlier. You know, so we did it. I don't know if she's still there, but the woman who runs the host around all over the place, she was incredible. Who would have been yours? They run you from sketch to sketch. Yeah, because she tells you, don't, she goes, don't go anywhere.

Just wait until I pull you somewhere because you have no idea where you're going. Right. Right. You're just at the end of a sketch standing there with a camera fades the commercial. Everyone sprints away and you're like, someone ripped my Velcro suit off. You're right. Cast for the monkey man. Cast for the monkey man. 90 seconds.

Cast for the monkey man, 90 seconds. You're getting laid around. You're being let around. Amy. Darrell. Yes. Lorne cameo. For those listening, they start with the host.

It's a blasting intercom. Cast for Gap girls. David. Chris, Dana, Adam, Rob. It's so fun. So fucking fun. All right. Let's get to this show.

Yes. Let's. We're doing an old-fashioned revival of Scrubs. Yeah. We got the whole team back together. And it's been very, really, really surprising because we thought, we always talked for years. We would do something, maybe like a little mini series or a movie. And now it's back.

actually in prime time on on on on ABC Wednesdays at eight o'clock and then it'll be on Hulu the next day and and they really they really believe in it so they're they're giving it a big push I read two reviews very very very very positive you know I'm used to so much snark and it's like they were kind of like oh this is Zach Bratt he picks it up right where they left off and the timing of of you and Donald because you've done all the your friends so go ahead they've been very fine and uh and and really the thing was how do you get back to it without doing nostalgia all the time you know we wanted to create the vibe of the show but we didn't want to make a thing that was like remember this and remember this remember this and remember that

so how do you make the show current in 2026 but all but have the same tone which was a mix of comedy drama and fantasy uh which is tricky to nail you know the same vibe but we we i think we have And you have Bill Lawrence, right? And so were you, they obviously you're the lynchpin or, you know, the star. It's a cast, but did he talk with you early on a little bit about tone and what we're going to try to do? Yeah, we said like, you know, Scrubs was on for basically eight and a half years. And throughout the course of it, it got broader and broader and broader until things that would have been in a fantasy sequence and early on ended up kind of in the real world of the show. I mean, some crazy, trippy things.

And some people love that stuff. It was more stoner comedy-esque. But we really wanted to reground it and say, let's bring this back to reality. Let's have our comedy set in a realistic, you know, urban hospital that doesn't have a lot of money. It's about community. It's about a group of friends who, in order to get through this insane life of trying to save lives and losing people. And they are there for each other. They are friends.

They, you know, the theme song is, I can't do this all on my own. It's about community. And then within that, you have drama and you have comedy. And then JD, my character, has these insane, funny fantasy sequences. And so that was what Bill and I talked about was like, now you're the teachers, basically, because I'm 50. And when I started the show, it was 25. You look 40. Thank you.

It's the great. 38. You look 38. I didn't have this gray beard. I might look 36. But, you know, it's funny. There's two kids that are playing. our interns in the show that were born the year it came out.

They were born in. Oh, boy. Oh, passage of time. Ooh. So fast forward. So right now in the ether, I was going to ask you, St. Dennis, what is it, D-N-I-S? How do you pronounce that?

Dennis or Dinnie? I assume Dennis. Deni medical. That's on, and that's obviously, I haven't seen it, but it's probably influenced by scrubs maybe or just sort of happen circumstance. I think it's literally because it's a mockumentary. So I think it's literally someone. More like the office.

What if you did the office and scrubs combined, basically. Okay. And then the pit, which is very different than what you guys are doing. The pit's amazing, but it's drama and it's real time and is shot again like a documentary. Do you have a lot of deaths on the new scrubs? There is death. That's something we don't shy away from because, again, like I said, it's a dromedy. It's a mix of comedy and drama.

We don't want to sugarcoat what happens in a hospital. I like a fun hospital. Well, you're going to laugh a lot, but we don't shy away from. No, I know. I guess stuff does happen in hospitals, but Scrubs doesn't is never a downer. It's a great thing. It's moments, but it's overall. I think if you look at Ted Lassow as a comp,

just because it's Bill's show that sort of, broke so huge. Right. It was, it was such a hug, you know, it was, it's funny and I'm enjoying it,

but it also feels very heartwarming. And I think that that's his, you know, I direct shrinking and I direct his new, he has a new show called Rooster with Steve Correll. I direct that as well. And so that's sort of his, his uvra is you're going to laugh,

but also your eyes probably will well before the end of the show. Obviously, all in the family, obviously, and of Ancedens to this. That is a great. Yeah. MASH is a perfect comp.

Bill would say it was sort of when he wrote it. It was MASH. All wonder years. Yeah. A little bit of Allie McBeal because they were the first people to do these weird fantasy stuff, you know. Yeah. Wow. How satisfying to be to be back.

I don't know. Is any show had a 16-year break and come back? I don't know. Recently, Roseanne. I don't know how long they were off, but they've had a lot of success going back. That was sort of a different. You've got exactly, you've got all your people, which is the hardest probably part to do. Right.

We got all our people. We're all friends. We all love each other. Two of the original writers are on the show. It's really, it's really, this is another funny thing. We used to shoot in an abandoned hospital. And they knocked it down and made condos out of it in a year since. So we rebuilt.

So you shoot in condos? now? No, we rebuilt the entire hospital on the stage. Oh, okay. So it's the actual sound stage. And you have our friend Vanessa Bayer. Oh, my God. Is she funny? You know, Vanessa's so funny. I turned to my friend and I said, you know, Family Matters wasn't originally about Urkel, you know, our family matters is about a family. And I said, Vanessa Bayer's going to fucking irkle me because every single thing she says is funny. You're Ron Howard and she's the Fonz or something? I don't know. I'm think of other yeah yeah yeah yeah no Michael j fox Michael she is so family ties yeah family ties stole it uh and also sarah chak who i was joking earlier very funny great to work with super fun uh i had a

i had a great time with her and it was only two months but it just looks like a good squad and and that people already like already proven people remember it's not that long ago so it's not like a whole different it's something really it's really like it um and by the way we just Did you guys get, let's see if you guessed right, how many single camera comedies are on broadcast TV? How many, the audience, for the audience who doesn't get that non-sidcom, sitcom being in front of a live audience, how many single camera? Single cameras. It's shot like a movie. So say, just say three major networks doing half hour shows.

I'll give you four, four broadcast networks. Four, I'm going to say. I'm going to say it's a surprising amount on the upside. Oh, on the high side? Go for it. I'm going to say 24. Why did you say 24? Because it sounded fun to say.

He's trying to outdo your fucking real answer. I was trying to make my story good. Thank you. You're a good host, Dana, because you're trying to help my- No, it's three. Oh, it is three? Three. Like, that was my second choice.

I was going to say shitcom was three. No, my point is, it's all moved to streaming. So there are only three on broadcast TV anymore. Do those work on streaming or not? They do, yeah. I mean, look at last one. Last was an extreme example, but shrinking is doing extraordinarily well. I think your buddy Maya Rudolph show did really well.

Oh, loot. Yeah. I can't keep tracking them all. But that's where they're being made, you know. Right. And what is the cost? between the two. The single camera versus the three camera stage with the audience.

Oh, it's much more expensive. Because a sitcom is very cheap to make. You're not bringing in the crew. Well, you're on one stage, and you don't bring in the crew until the last two days, because you rehearse it without any crew. You have a lot of your sets already. You kind of rotate a few extra new ones per week. Yeah.

And then you're, and then you're, you know, weather delays. Yeah. And you're, and then you really do, you really film it one night. And then we shoot 13 hours a day for five days. Are you going to direct any of these? Oh my God. I directed the pilot. Yeah.

I directed the pilot. I'm sorry. I didn't hear that. Okay. How did you find your performance in the editing bay? When you watched Zach? It was good. I was so nervous, to be honest, because it was a lot of pressure.

So when I, when I cut it together and it works so well, I was so relieved because- Does anyone say it's a little Zach heavy? I mean, are you going to hold that shot that long, Zach? As your friend Bill Lawrence, I'm just asking questions. You know, it's funny. You do find yourself sometimes when you're editing going, I like that the editor chose to end the act on me, but I have to be honest,

it's better to end on John C. McGinley, so I'm going to do that. Oh, good job. Oh, okay. So the conflict of it. He just doesn't want to get fired. We're just kidding. We started and end it on you, sir.

You're like, okay. All right. Well, Zach, yes. I was just going to say thank you for taking time. with us because it's always fun and uh yeah we're our dinner we didn't get to chat much i know i haven't seen you we had a fun dinner we got invited into the castle uh not a lot of people have been invited to uh oh cool saw inside the inner workings i love the inner workings and uh that was cool but yeah thank you guys for having me and and i really appreciate it's good to see you bud

scrubs uh it's out and i'll just give my uh the specifics it's wednesday's at eight on abc and then hulu the next day. Wednesday is 8 on ABC and Hulu the next day. Scrubs the all-time famous revival show, an all-time great show, and now it's back. And Zach Braff,

I'm going to give you with lighting 32. Thank you. I appreciate that. I'll give him with just this random lighting, 35 and a half. Thank you. I appreciate it. With bad lighting and a tight raking shot.

I'm going to give you 57. I hate those fucking bad angles. Push in ECU. Hey guys, if you're loving this podcast, which you are, be sure to click follow on your favorite podcast app. Give us a review, five-star rating, and maybe you can share an episode that you've loved with a friend. If you're watching this episode on YouTube, please subscribe.

We're on video now. Fly on the Wall is presented by Odyssey, and executive produced by Danny Carvey and David Spade, Heather Santoro, and Greg Holtzman, Mattie Sprung, Kaiser and Leah Reese Dennis of Odyssey. Our senior producer is Greg Holtzman, and the show is produced and edited by Phil Sweet Tech.

Booking by Cultivated Entertainment. Special thanks to Patrick Fogarty, Evan Cox, Mora Curran, Melissa Wester, Hillary Schuff, Eric Donnelly, Colin Gaynor, Sean Cherry, Kirk Courtney, and Lauren Vieira. Reach out with us any questions to be asked and answer on the show. we can email us at fly on the wall at odyssey.com. That's A-U-D-A-C-Y-I-I-com.