Why TV Revivals Like Scrubs Are Starting Over With Season 1
Why do some TV revivals, like Scrubs, start over with Seasons 1, 2, and so forth, while others continue the original series' numbering? TVLine investigates.
When the television series Scrubs returned to ABC on September 30, it did so for Season 2, not Season 11. The revival brought back original stars Zach Braff, Donald Faison, Sarah Chalke, and others from Sacred Heart. Instead of continuing the original show's season numbering, ABC decided to start fresh with Season 1. This decision was discussed internally, with ABC Entertainment SVP of Content Strategy and Scheduling Ari Goldman recalling similar debates surrounding Will & Grace's 2017 revival.
Goldman explained that starting over would make Scrubs more accessible to new viewers who wouldn't have to watch nine seasons to catch up. While there is no industry-wide standard for numbering TV revivals, recent shows have taken varied approaches. Twin Peaks' 2017 revival was dubbed "Twin Peaks: The Return," while its DVD release was labeled "Twin Peaks: A Limited Event Series."
Some revivals, like ABC's Roseanne revival, were initially announced as Season 2 only to be relabeled as Season 10 later on. Hulu's 2019 Veronica Mars revival is listed as Season 4, but its DVD release is branded as Season 1 of the revival. Even within the same network, approaches can differ; NBC's 2022 Law & Order revival picked up where the original left off with Season 21, while its 2017 Will & Grace revival consisted of new Seasons 1-3.
For networks and streaming platforms, the debate extends beyond semantics, as conflicting metadata can complicate merchandise and personalized recommendations.
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