Zach Braff Is Back In SCRUBS

Summary

Fly on the Wall with Dana Carvey and David Spade

Episode: Zach Braff Is Back In SCRUBS
Release Date: April 16, 2026
Guest: Zach Braff

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Episode Overview

In this lively episode, Dana Carvey and David Spade catch up with actor, writer, and director Zach Braff, whose beloved sitcom "Scrubs" is finally returning after a 15-year hiatus. The conversation runs the gamut from Braff’s experiences working on "Scrubs," directing and acting, his unique partnership with Donald Faison, behind-the-scenes tales from hosting SNL, and the creative process behind those hit T-Mobile commercials. True to the show’s style, the episode is a breezy blend of showbiz war stories, genuine admiration, and plenty of classic banter.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Zach & Donald Faison: Comedy Partners for Life

• Origins of Their Partnership:
  • Zach recounts meeting Donald Faison at the "Scrubs" table read 20 years ago and instantly hitting it off due to their shared comedic sensibility.

    "We just had great chemistry. We just crack each other up. People really responded to it." —Zach Braff (07:06)

• Their Dynamic:
  • The pair are now inseparable in the public imagination, be it TV, commercials, or podcasts.

Behind the T-Mobile Super Bowl Commercials

• Hands-on Collaboration:
  • Zach and Donald don’t just act—they workshop, script, and film spec versions of their ads on iPhones in Zach’s backyard before involving ad agencies or big stars.

    "The unique thing about the T-Mobile thing is we participate in making them. We don't just show up on shoot day." —Zach Braff (12:13)

  • This process grants them rare creative control, testing punchlines and concepts in advance.
• Proof-of-Concept:
  • They use stand-in graphics and even mimic celebrity involvement (e.g., using a bobblehead of Jason Momoa), showcasing how tech enables creative pitching.

    "We put this big face of Momoa, like a bobblehead size and then move the mouth like South Park style..." —Zach Braff (13:01)

The Business of Comedy and Artistic Hustle

• On Being Proactive:
  • Zach credits his multifaceted career to never waiting for opportunities—he writes, produces, and directs to stay in the game.

    "You can’t just sit and wait for your number to come up. You have to be so proactive in this field." —Zach Braff (20:50)

• On Garden State & Casting:
  • Landing a dream cast (Natalie Portman, Peter Sarsgaard, Ian Holm) was a lucky break, unlikely to be repeated.

    "My producer at the time said, 'Just so you know, that will never happen again in your career.' And it never did." —Zach Braff (26:56)

• Advice for Young Creators:
  • Zach advocates DIY—write, shoot your material, make it great before pitching.

SNL: From Lifelong Fan to Host

• The Pressure of Hosting:
  • Zach hosted the season finale in 2005, thrilled but overwhelmed by the legendary SNL chaos.

    "Very nervous because I didn’t know how this all worked. No one tells you anything." —Zach Braff (28:58)

• Behind-the-Scenes Rituals:
  • Classic SNL traditions: the Monday ideas meeting ("everyone says an idea that’s not real"), writing all night Tuesday, and the famous “Lorne moment” before showtime.

    "Lauren came to my dressing room...he said, ‘You're gonna want to talk very fast in the monologue. You’re going to be nervous, so take your time and really just don’t speed through it.’” —Zach Braff (34:29)

• Memorable SNL Sketch:
  • Fred Armisen surprises Zach with an on-air kiss, earning a huge live audience reaction.

    "He jammed his tongue in my mouth." —Zach Braff (38:54)

• Reflections on the SNL Experience:
  • The show is as exhilarating as it is daunting; even after it's over, you want to do it again because “now I know how to do it.”

The "Scrubs" Revival

• Prime Time Comeback:
  • After years of speculation, “Scrubs” is back on ABC and Hulu, with the entire team reuniting.

    "We got the whole team back together...now it's back actually in prime time on ABC Wednesdays at 8:00 and then it’ll be on Hulu the next day." —Zach Braff (47:09)

• New Approach, Old Spirit:
  • Restores the balance of comedy, drama, and fantasy, but avoids being purely nostalgic.
• Aging Into New Roles:
  • The cast, including Braff, are now the teachers/mentors on the show; many young cast members were born the year "Scrubs" first aired!
• Production Tidbits:
  • The original hospital set was demolished—so they meticulously rebuilt it on a soundstage.
  • Vanessa Bayer joins the cast, and Zach suspects she'll be the breakout star, “Urkeling” him as Steve Urkel did Jaleel White.

    "I said Vanessa Bayer is going to fucking Urkel me!" —Zach Braff (52:56)

On TV, Streaming, and the Changing Industry

• Fewer Broadcast Single Cams:
  • There are now only three single-camera comedies on network TV; most comedy has migrated to streaming.

    "There are only three...broadcast TV anymore." —Zach Braff (54:44)

• Shift in Production:
  • Comparisons of cost and logistics between single cam (like "Scrubs") and traditional sitcoms.

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Notable Quotes & Moments with Timestamps

• On SNL Inspiration as a Kid:

  “I saw the Church Lady, and I honestly thought...it was the funniest thing I’d ever seen in my life.” —Zach Braff (08:09)

• On Proactive Career Building:

  “From a very young age...I’m going to do all the things. I’m going to write, I’m going to produce, I’m going to direct.” —Zach Braff (21:00)

• On working with Natalie Portman:

  “I had written Natalie Portman, Peter Sarsgaard, Ian Holm, and I got them all...that will never happen again in your career.” —Zach Braff (26:45)

• On the Scrubs Revival’s Freshness:

  "We wanted to create the vibe of the show, but we didn’t want to make a thing that was like, ‘remember this, remember that’...how do you make the Show Current in 2026 but have the same tone?" —Zach Braff (47:53)

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Important Segments & Timestamps

• Zach reflects on his career and partnership with Donald Faison: 06:22–07:32
• Creating and owning the T-Mobile commercials: 12:08–14:34
• Garden State and casting stories: 25:35–27:18
• SNL hosting experience & rituals: 27:45–37:03
• SNL monologue advice and Lauren’s pep talk: 34:29–34:58
• SNL’s live surprises and crowd reactions: 38:32–39:53
• Starting out in showbiz and Brad’s early family doubts: 21:45–24:17
• The making and launch of the Scrubs revival: 47:06–54:44
• Single-camera comedies vs. sitcoms & production talk: 54:06–55:41

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Memorable Banter

• Threesome Joke about Sarah Chalke:
  • Dana teases a “threesome” with Sarah Chalk, only to reveal it was a filmed comedy bit on "The Wrong Missy," prompting confusion and big laughs (19:34–20:08).
• Classic SNL “host panics on Friday” anecdote:

  “Most people cry on Friday. Honestly, hosts cry.” —Dana Carvey (32:38)

• On Vanessa Bayer’s star turn:

  “I said Vanessa Bayer is going to fucking Urkel me!” —Zach Braff (52:56)

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Episode Tone & Style

The conversation is a seamless blend of reverent showbiz insight and lighthearted ribbing—characteristic of Carvey and Spade’s dynamic. Zach matches their energy, offering honest looks at the highs and lows of his career and embracing the absurdity of the entertainment business. The mood is warm, self-deprecating, and encouraging for aspiring performers.

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Summary Takeaway

This episode is a must-listen for fans of "Scrubs," SNL aficionados, and anyone fascinated by the nuts and bolts of modern comedy and television. Zach Braff’s journey is as instructive as it is entertaining, with plenty of behind-the-scenes details, practical advice, and memorable war stories from one of TV’s most affable multi-hyphenates.

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Watch the full episode on YouTube (@flyonthewallpod) or listen on your favorite podcast platform.

For questions and comments, email the hosts: [e-mail]

Transcript

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[Zach Braff]

Quince.comFly I saw the church lady and I honestly thought I'm not just blowing smoke. I thought it was the funniest thing I'd ever seen in my life. 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 in post. We put this big face of Momoa like a bobblehead size and then move the mouth like south park style. And. And so then we think they have a total proof of concept before they ever buy it. 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. And then I showed up and there was that meeting in Lauren's office where everyone goes around and says an idea.

[David Spade]

Yeah.

[Zach Braff]

And I really did. I was sitting in a chair, but a lot of them were on the floor.

[Maury Povich]

Yeah.

[Dana Carvey]

You get the King Tut chair. So we've got Zach Braff, who pretty much everyone knows Zach Braff.

[David Spade]

Zach.

[Dana Carvey]

Likable guy, very funny guy. Always with. Always with Donald Faison. We talk about the T mobile commercials which she has a big hand in helping with writing.

[David Spade]

They. They really. Yeah, they really re. They shoot them ahead of time on their phones and show them to the ad agency. And Stu was thrilled to hear that. The kind of control they have. But that's a very interesting. That's why they really.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah. He's got, you know, Scrubs. His back.

[David Spade]

Scrubs is back. Which is, I think it's like a 15 year hiatus. And they're back.

[Dana Carvey]

I like that. I like when they bring things back. Sort of those comfort relaxing comedies that people like to watch. And they all look about the same, so why not Sarah Chalk, who was in wrong Missy, who we really like. She's a lot of fun. Yeah. She's of course a big part of Scrubs.

[David Spade]

And we had his SNL experience hosting snl.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah.

[David Spade]

Which is very interesting. It's always. It's always. You get a little nervous when, when someone recants how nervous they were and the intensity of hosting that show up a little bit.

[Dana Carvey]

It's like, oh, boy.

[David Spade]

It's kind of like, oh, my God. You know, it's. That's. It's a whoop dee doo.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah.

[David Spade]

So.

[Dana Carvey]

So here he is. You know him, Zach Barrap.

[David Spade]

And. And loving.

[Zach Braff]

Oh, my God.

[David Spade]

Oh, SpaghettiOs.

[Zach Braff]

Oh, my God.

[David Spade]

Holy. We're not prepared for this.

[Zach Braff]

Put on earphones like this.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah.

[David Spade]

You have earphones? We got a podcaster on our podcast.

[Dana Carvey]

Oh, that's right.

[David Spade]

Wow.

[Dana Carvey]

I need get it.

[David Spade]

You've got another skill set we didn't research.

[Zach Braff]

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 would do. I'd be like, come on, get it together.

[David Spade]

Inside baseball, Martin Short took 45 minutes and nothing to do with it. It just. Just was. We love Martin Short, you know, but

[Dana Carvey]

dumb as a rock, but a great guy.

[David Spade]

A genius in his field. No, technically is a different thing. I mean, I always. I'm not. Are you handy? Can you build a chair?

[Zach Braff]

Me? No, I can't do like that. No.

[Dana Carvey]

He knows already. Look at your chair has plastic on it.

[Zach Braff]

Well, I have to explain. I used to do this podcast with Donald Faison, my co star. We rewatched 180 episodes of so Scrubs, and we would talk about. We would watch.

[David Spade]

Okay.

[Zach Braff]

And then we talk about them, and we had a. 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 all over the place.

[Dana Carvey]

This was your podcast room? Yeah.

[Zach Braff]

Yeah, this is my. This is my room. Look how nice yours looks, David Spade.

[Dana Carvey]

I looked up on Google. It says people. Also Googling. Zach Googled Donald Faison, and then literally no one else.

[Zach Braff]

Was that really?

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah, because you're in everything with them.

[Zach Braff]

Yeah. We are comedy partners. We.

[David Spade]

We do everything T. Mobile.

[Zach Braff]

Right, Scrubs. Yeah, we just. We. We found each other literally 20 years ago at the table read for Scrubs, and we just had great chemistry. We. We just crack each other up. People really responded to it, and we.

[Dana Carvey]

He's an upbeat dude, too.

[Zach Braff]

He's a great guy. He's. He. We're so different, but at the same time, we have the exact same sense of humor.

[Dana Carvey]

That matters.

[David Spade]

It's good. It's good.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah.

[David Spade]

I like everything I'm hearing so far.

[Zach Braff]

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.

[David Spade]

Well, that's his own podcast.

[Zach Braff]

We got invited into the castle. 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 meet you.

[David Spade]

Same right back at you.

[Zach Braff]

I was looking up, I was looking up when you started doing the Church lady, because I truly, I got to host SNL once and it was a dream.

[David Spade]

We know all about that. I want to talk about it because

[Zach Braff]

I obviously, I wanted to share 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 were secretly staying up and we saw. I saw the Church lady and I honestly thought, I'm not just blowing smoke. I thought it was the funniest thing I'd ever seen in my life.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah.

[David Spade]

For a 10 year old. It was about. At that level.

[Zach Braff]

No, but I'm saying. Yeah, it was silly, of course, but

[David Spade]

I, you know, they think it was a lady.

[Zach Braff]

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. You know, I didn't have an experience with watching church shows.

[Dana Carvey]

Right, right, right.

[Zach Braff]

But I just found the, the ca. I just thought what you were doing with that. I just know, you know, people always say, you know, the first SNL cast you're exposed to is, Is one of your favorites. You know, I'm sure you.

[David Spade]

Definitely, for sure. Lorne Michaels.

[Zach Braff]

Yeah. And you were that. 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.

[David Spade]

And looking like the most fun thing you can do. They've got costumes on and they're. And they're doing characters and people laughing.

[Zach Braff]

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, people. These people are.

[Dana Carvey]

I know the truth.

[David Spade]

I. It's a fever dream even now in a way that I got on that show. I auditioned three times. I bombed every time. Really. The Church. Church lady was a piece of my stand up. But in those days, I was doing an hour, hour 10, and I do three or four minutes of that, but I had no idea. I'D never worn the dress. But, 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.

[Dana Carvey]

And the dress and the wig, everything about it had to be right. And then it all came together.

[Zach Braff]

As a fan of it, how did it get on the first time you wrote it?

[David Spade]

It was my first show.

[Zach Braff]

It was your very first show.

[David Spade]

Very first show and sketch. 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 dear. 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, really. It's not going to happen. You know, whatever, you know, I, Phil Hartman went to bat for it. So then it killed and then moved up. It was a complete fever dream.

[Zach Braff]

There was like merch.

[David Spade]

Yes. You were. We don't do that here. You know, right now they have, you know, conehead oven mitts in the, the store, if that, you know, now they've merchandising, you know, merchandise.

[Zach Braff]

Back then.

[David Spade]

No, no. Kevin Neal and I were offered a Nike commercial. Just do it. Was going to be Hans and Franz. Yeah, do it.

[Zach Braff]

It's the same era, right? Hans and Franz.

[David Spade]

Because that was 88, 88, 89. And then we were told really it's not what we do here. Cut to 10 years later, they have Bud Light commercials inside the sketch.

[Dana Carvey]

It's all about monetization.

[David Spade]

I love, and I want to ask you about this, I love the. When I see young comedians and they refer to themselves as a brand, they're doing commercials, they're, they're opening up banks. I love the businessman artist because I think in the end of the day it's money is freedom. Whoops. Hot take.

[Dana Carvey]

Well, it 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.

[David Spade]

So what is your Comment on that, because.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah, comment.

[David Spade]

You've had T Mobile, the big. One of the biggest campaigns I've ever seen, the T Mobile.

[Zach Braff]

It's been pretty huge, I gotta say. The unique thing about the T Mobile thing is we participate in. In making them not just. We don't just show up on shoot day. We. The big ones, the super bowl ones. We. We shot like spec versions of them in my backyard and we would sort of workshop them. We would make like, we would make them on an iPhone in my backyard and perfect. And. And as sort of show them and

[Dana Carvey]

say, do you like this one? Do you like this one?

[Zach Braff]

Yeah, we would. There's a guy named Brian Klugman who's sort of the Don Draper of the. Of all the campaign, and he's the one who comes up with the idea. But then we kind of riff on it. We. Because we're shooting on iPhones, it 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 momoa in post, we put this big face of momoa, like a bobblehead size and then move the mouth like south park style. And. And so then we. They have a total proof of concept before they ever buy it.

[David Spade]

Well, that's. That's just music to my. 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, 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.

[Zach Braff]

Don't.

[David Spade]

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.

[Zach Braff]

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 punchlines to see which ones work best in the cut.

[Dana Carvey]

Right? Right.

[David Spade]

Yeah.

[Zach Braff]

And then we have, you know, if you can use your imagination at all, you can get that that's Mamoa or that's Travolta or whatever.

[David Spade]

And. And then.

[Zach Braff]

And then we. And then they watch it. And now they're used to watching. They're used to not having anything. They're used to looking at storyboards and

[Dana Carvey]

going, I guess this is funny pitching bullshit. Do you say, we would like this celebrity might be funny for this? And then they go we can go get them.

[Zach Braff]

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 then we just swap out the head for a different celebrity.

[Dana Carvey]

And you get Webster.

[David Spade]

That is so great. And that's why they pop. That's why they popped.

[Zach Braff]

Because, yeah. I mean, obviously the writing's good and the chemistry is good, but also we participate. It isn't like, yeah, hey, say this dumb line that you don't think is funny. That. That would never.

[Dana Carvey]

99 of.

[Zach Braff]

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.

[Dana Carvey]

This is. Blow it up. It's hard to change.

[David Spade]

It's hard. I did one for Hans and Franz for a Super bowl with Kevin Nealon. 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 Rodgers is in a kayak paddling really hard. We wanted him. Him on a speedboat. But it's great to just use stuff. And then when they go for it, it's a. It's a really good feeling.

[Zach Braff]

You know, what they want is their. Their. They want their. Their stuff in their. They want 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.

[David Spade]

And do they. Do they pay you for doing these commercials or just for the exposure?

[Zach Braff]

No, they. They know how it works.

[Dana Carvey]

I like that you took that seriously. You go, actually, I think we do get paid.

[David Spade]

Well, to be honest.

[Zach Braff]

To be honest, as. I mean, to be blunt, as a comedic actor, you would do it for free because the exposure on the Super Bowl.

[David Spade]

Well, that's true.

[Dana Carvey]

There's one out there. You know, I did one. Zach. I was almost in your family. We did a team. I think it was T Mobile. Yeah. With Brent Gelman. I told you this day. Brent Gill shot it in 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 Gelman 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. We're like, okay. And then the final four was canc. And then. Anyway, long story short, it got whittled down to a 15 second Instagram ad 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. Like, 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. T mobile was great. It just Covid. I mean, there were some downsides to Covid. If you look back.

[David Spade]

Yeah, there's some negatives. The world shut down. I don't know.

[Dana Carvey]

That was one.

[David Spade]

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[David Spade]

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[David Spade]

Wow.

[Dana Carvey]

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[David Spade]

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[Dana Carvey]

Yep.

[David Spade]

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[Dana Carvey]

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[David Spade]

Zach, where would you like to go in this interview? Because I have a question.

[Dana Carvey]

I have an allotment for Zach. I have a lot of questions.

[David Spade]

Okay.

[Zach Braff]

Zach. Yes, go ahead, Zach.

[Dana Carvey]

I had a threesome with a friend of yours.

[Zach Braff]

Go on.

[Dana Carvey]

That's a good one, right? That's a good.

[David Spade]

What are we trying to trend now?

[Dana Carvey]

No, no. Sarah Chalk. I don't know if you know her from the show.

[Zach Braff]

You didn't have a threesome with Sarah Chalk.

[Dana Carvey]

There's no way we did in the wrong Missy.

[David Spade]

Whoa. It was part of a comedy film.

[Zach Braff]

Oh, it pops. Later, my brain was scanning.

[David Spade]

I know.

[Dana Carvey]

Isn't that great? You're like.

[Zach Braff]

And then you said, Sarah Chalk. The least, like, likely answer.

[Dana Carvey]

I know.

[David Spade]

Like on planet Earth, it sort of

[Dana Carvey]

stopped when the camera stopped rolling. And I was sort of going, oh, is everyone just pretending here? And they were like, yeah.

[Zach Braff]

And I go, you tell me where you guys want to go. I'd love to.

[David Spade]

Well, I. I just. I'll set the stage a little bit. 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 Lasso and got a lot of award nominations for. That's my plan. 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. I. How do. How are we supposed to make sense of that?

[Zach Braff]

I just. 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?

[David Spade]

True. Yeah.

[Zach Braff]

I'm always. I'm always shocked by people that are just sitting there waiting for. For their. For their lottery number to be picked, you know, so I'm such a tough business. That's so hard. And so, and I see actors that come in and, 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.

[David Spade]

Wow, that's great. So what was the first thing that story you go, I guess I'm going to. I'm in show business. This is what I'm going to do. Well, the first thing he landed, I

[Zach Braff]

got a pilot at 14 years old. Do you remember Bruce Paltrow? He created St. Elsewhere.

[David Spade]

Yeah.

[Zach Braff]

Granite's father. And she was 17, I believe. And she was cast as in the show as like a. The pretty senior in the high school and I was the nerdy.

[Dana Carvey]

Leukemia.

[Zach Braff]

No, she was just a babe.

[Dana Carvey]

I thought it was a doctor.

[David Spade]

We got threesome. We got leukemia. These are two bangers.

[Zach Braff]

Oh, no, St. Elsewhere was his O was his. The show that made him famous. And then he created this pilot of about a high school. It was the same year 90210 came out and where they were, the Beverly Hills show. We were like a rough, you know, New Jersey.

[David Spade]

Yeah.

[Zach Braff]

And that was my first thing. And I. 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?

[Dana Carvey]

And you are orphaned.

[David Spade]

How do you get into Show Business at 14? Christ sakes, we got a Mickey Rooney here or something?

[Zach Braff]

No, gone to. I love. My dad did community theater. My dad would take us into the city to see plays and. And they saw that I really liked it. And so they found this theater camp, okay, New York called. It's called Stage Door Manor. And if you're serious about acting and you're a kid, it's. 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 on audition.

[Dana Carvey]

There you go.

[Zach Braff]

That's how it happened. And I auditioned for a lot of movies at the time, like Big and Parenthood and. And. And Oliver Stone's movie.

[David Spade]

Wow.

[Zach Braff]

A couple of Oliver Stone movies. And so. Yeah, and then I. And then I didn't get any of that. And then this was the first thing I got.

[Dana Carvey]

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. I guess I should have given up on that one. But I saw. Probably doing callbacks, and then I saw, I think Dead Poets Society was the first one of my first. First auditions. And I'm like, oh, these Got it. I was pretty cool about it.

[Zach Braff]

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, they do. They would just, you know, they. They would just be bummed.

[Dana Carvey]

No, they said, what did you do wrong?

[Zach Braff]

Oh, yeah. I. My dad couldn't hide his disappointment. He would be like, oh, oh, really?

[David Spade]

I love it.

[Zach Braff]

He would try, but he'd be like, what's going wrong? Like, why aren't you getting.

[Dana Carvey]

Should you be doing this?

[David Spade]

Should you?

[Zach Braff]

They believed in me, but they were like, how do we.

[Dana Carvey]

It's such an uphill battle. It's so tough to talk them into believing in you when you're. 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?

[David Spade]

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. 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. 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?

[Zach Braff]

Yeah. 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.

[Dana Carvey]

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?

[Zach Braff]

Oh, that was Wish I Was Here, which is a film I put a lot of love into, but didn't do nearly as well as Garden State. Garden State was the first movie I made. I had Blew up. I had written the screenplay, and then when I got Scrubs, I thought, oh, gosh, this is that. That was that Hustler brain of mine. I was like, oh, my God, this. Even if this show doesn't work, it's gonna 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 a new guy and all about Heat.

[Dana Carvey]

It's all about, like, yeah, someone can get your part. A week later, they just. They just. Their TikTok blew up and they're like, we're gonna get that person instead. Like, it's so fleeting. I see that. And you. And Garden State was a bit. Was that Natalie Portman?

[Zach Braff]

That was Natalie Portman and Peter Sarsgaard and Ian Holm. Yeah. It was a big deal for me.

[Dana Carvey]

I love Natalie Portman. So how exciting for you to be able to work with someone such a monster. Professional, great actress.

[Zach Braff]

She's extraordinary. And, you know, when you make casting lists for anyone casting something, you often put like, well, I can't say, Barrymore. 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. And I had written Natalie Portman, Peter Sarsgaard, Ian Holm, and. And I got them all. 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.

[Dana Carvey]

It's so hard. I mean, they like those sort of gritty, small. If you can get someone that's already made it, you can get someone that's like, give me something a little off the beaten pattern. Natalie Portman sounds like particularly big cast, particularly.

[Zach Braff]

They want some, you know, big actors. If they're going to be no money, doing it for nothing in.

[Dana Carvey]

In.

[Zach Braff]

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.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah, for sure.

[Zach Braff]

I went and did an indie for 19 days in Atlanta. And it was something no one 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.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah.

[David Spade]

Nice.

[Dana Carvey]

Hope those get some attention somewhere, somehow, if nothing else, at least you get to flex some different muscle.

[Zach Braff]

Exactly.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah. Yeah. That's great.

[David Spade]

Before we get to the Scrubs, Part two, or reboot or whatever you want to call it. Revival. Revival is good. Okay, just tell us your SNL story for a second, and then let's go to that.

[Zach Braff]

I got to go to SNL because it always been a dream of mine. I'm truly a lifelong watcher and 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 invite if your stock is pretty darn high.

[Dana Carvey]

Great barometer, NBC.

[David Spade]

The Scrubs, at that point was on NBC, right?

[Zach Braff]

Yes.

[David Spade]

Helps. Helps a little bit. It's part of our tribe.

[Dana Carvey]

We're in the family.

[David Spade]

He seems to be. He has got a light touch on the show, and I think it'll do well here. And that's in front of you. He's talking to a picture 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.

[Zach Braff]

I get the call that I'm going to host the finale of the the season, which was Maroon 5 was the musical guests. They were also, they were also super on fire.

[David Spade]

Yep.

[Zach Braff]

And I couldn't believe it. I, I, 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. Even though they don't tell you.

[David Spade]

They don't tell you.

[Zach Braff]

No one tells you anything.

[David Spade]

I know. We hear that a lot.

[Zach Braff]

You know, 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.

[David Spade]

Yeah.

[Zach Braff]

And I really did. I was sitting in a chair, but a lot of them were on the floor.

[Maury Povich]

Yeah.

[Dana Carvey]

You get the King Tut chair.

[David Spade]

Like, I know what is. Okay, go ahead.

[Zach Braff]

Some of the ideas. I was like, I thought, I didn't know that these were just like, everyone is sort of 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. But then someone told me later that, like, you have to say something and no one's really thought about anything yet.

[David Spade]

And also, you do not want to mention ideas so you can catch them by surprise at the read through on Wednesday. Strategy you don't want to say.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah, big laugh at Monday meeting. Bomb and read through. Everyone already knows the joke.

[David Spade]

Zach is dressed as a donut on a sidewalk. You know, hitchhiking with a tomato. Kristen, wig, you know, like all that stuff.

[Dana Carvey]

It sounds like a funny idea. And then you go where you would. Was that one.

[Zach Braff]

Does Lauren go. Does Lauren ever go, like, where was your Monday morning idea? That was good. No, not really.

[David Spade]

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 Harry, 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.

[Dana Carvey]

Who is your cat.

[David Spade]

That cast was arguably all maybe the best cast. Let's just say it's in the conversation.

[Zach Braff]

Oh, yeah, well, Forte Christian, Fred Armisen, Sudeikis.

[David Spade]

Maya was still.

[Zach Braff]

Maya Keenan, Amy Poehler.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah, that's some home run hitters.

[David Spade]

Daryl Hammond was still there.

[Zach Braff]

No, Adam, Andy Samberg.

[David Spade]

Andy. Yeah. So, yeah, it's like a murderer's row. It's a murderer's row. Then there's.

[Dana Carvey]

It's going to be your fault if it's bad.

[David Spade]

Right. So what. Who. How did you feel the day of the show?

[Zach Braff]

Well, I got it. Before we get there, I gotta say I was really nervous because then they. Then there's the two. Is it the Tuesday night you write all night long.

[David Spade]

Yeah.

[Zach Braff]

So I didn't know what to do because I didn't know, you know, I'm not a. No one knows what to do.

[Dana Carvey]

Did you have the whole day off, by the way? They don't even start anything till like,

[David Spade]

don't they tell the host what's going on?

[Zach Braff]

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 mandatory. And. And I went and I leaned over to Conan. I think it was during a commercial break or something.

[David Spade]

Yeah.

[Zach Braff]

Do you have any advice at all for me? Because I. This is my. Been, my dream come true. I don't want to fuck it up. I'll take any advice you 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. Right.

[Dana Carvey]

Disarray. Yeah.

[David Spade]

And it feels like a morgue on this.

[Zach Braff]

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, that really helped me because Friday morning, my monologue hadn't even been written, and I was like, wait, what?

[Dana Carvey]

Most people cry on Friday. Honestly, hosts 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 in my itinerary is like, Tuesday, report at 6pm for dinner at or so. And you go, what about the show I'm going to?

[David Spade]

Or so.

[Dana Carvey]

I mean, why am I going to horse.

[David Spade]

Marcy Klein.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah.

[David Spade]

Said that she had to go in. I don't know.

[Dana Carvey]

Was.

[David Spade]

She was still there? Was she there?

[Zach Braff]

She was really helpful to me because she helped calm me down.

[David Spade]

There were hosts that were in a. Curled up in a ball crying, like 10 minutes before air.

[Zach Braff]

You know, I definitely felt the beginnings of a panic attack coming about when, like, there was no monologue on Friday. And I knew that I was singing. I knew it was gonna be a song.

[Dana Carvey]

That's horrible. Oh, but you're very light and carefree. And I'm sure Lauren 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 is going on. I really want to be ready to be light and carefree and know it's. But you can't plan ahead and memorize. Not even memorize, but just get a feel for it. You have 13 characters you got to do. It's so complicated, so little.

[Zach Braff]

The monologue came out and it was a song and it was very funny. It was. It was a spoof of New York State of Mind, but it was New Jersey State of Mind.

[David Spade]

Okay.

[Zach Braff]

And I would start, which was really funny. I got to sing. I like to sing. So I got to sing New Jersey. New Jersey State of Mind. And 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 Lauren 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.

[David Spade]

Right? Yeah.

[Zach Braff]

And he said, you're gonna. I can't do the impression like you. But he said, you're gonna want to talk very fast. A monologue. 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.

[Dana Carvey]

And that was kind of true, though. You get. You get amped up.

[Zach Braff]

He was great advice, because I. That was the last thing that was said to me. And I. And I had helped me slow down and not come out there. Speed through it.

[David Spade]

Yeah. Lorne Michaels. I told him his last time I was hanging out with him. 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, this one's gonna try to be speedy. I could tell Monday, I'm gonna go in right before the show and tell them to breathe and slow down. So. So you come out. You don't. You're not in the cold opening. You come out for the monologue. Did it. Did it score the way you hoped it did?

[Zach Braff]

Oh, yeah, it went great. I got. I mean, I was singing. I mean, to me, just singing on a stage with a band in a bar would be fun.

[David Spade]

Well, could you sing one line of that song for us?

[Zach Braff]

Some folks like to get away Take a holiday from the neighborhood all right. You can say, oh, to Hollywood. Yeah. Well, for me, even doing that in a bar with my friends would be fun. I never sure who gets this.

[David Spade]

That's great.

[Zach Braff]

Amazing band. So I really. Yeah, I loved it. And then I felt like once I got that down.

[David Spade]

Yeah.

[Zach Braff]

As a theater actor, I feel. 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.

[David Spade]

Yes.

[Dana Carvey]

Because 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. 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.

[Zach Braff]

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.

[David Spade]

Yeah.

[Zach Braff]

So you get. If you, if you don't look at the car, 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.

[David Spade]

And I was like, yeah.

[Zach Braff]

And so that you look at the cards and they're crossed out like things that were cutting for time live. That was insane.

[David Spade]

Yeah. The only. 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 lines live. Because 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 feel the rest of the

[Zach Braff]

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 Kristen Wiig and all, you know, these legends and my brilliant people.

[David Spade]

Yeah.

[Zach Braff]

So I just knew, like, I'm, I'm in, I'm in good hands. And Fred, I had a skit with Fred Armisen. This is a funniest thing. And it was great. I love him. It was a sketch about how like an uncomfortable. You go into a meeting in 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're 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 at 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

[Dana Carvey]

room temper cold, sparkling.

[Zach Braff]

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.

[Dana Carvey]

No way. Where's the intimacy cord?

[David Spade]

That is a trick that they all learn is save Something for air. Save it for the crowd goes crazy.

[Zach Braff]

Oh, the crowd loved it. And to this, if you had to

[Dana Carvey]

pick one sketch to remember from that years later, is that your one that kind of jumps out at you?

[Zach Braff]

Oh, gosh, I don't know. There was, there were so many. I think that one was really good. I did remember the thing Maya would do with the, like, the Jersey women

[David Spade]

talking about the sweater weather.

[Zach Braff]

Oh, yeah, I was.

[David Spade]

Yeah. You're gorgeous. You're gorgeous. He's so cute. Yeah, they're great in that. Yeah, that one was fun.

[Zach Braff]

I, I, I haven't thought about it in a second, but it was, it was all very surreal.

[David Spade]

So the girls by in like one minute after Fred Armisen put his tongue in your mouth. You did that. There's a roar, right? Because it, it's a surprise. And the roar in the 8H on something like that. So that must have helped you also lift it.

[Zach Braff]

You didn't want, I just didn't want to be over. It goes by so fast. And then you're like, do I get to do it next week? They're like, no, never again.

[Dana Carvey]

Also, you're like, now I know how to do it. Let's do it again one more time and we'll nail it.

[David Spade]

Yeah. I'm going to make a prediction when you're the new Scrubs is out

[Dana Carvey]

and

[David Spade]

whatever, you know, maybe Zach Braff, you know, he was a pro. I think it's about time.

[Zach Braff]

I hope, you know, I, I would be my dream to go back and do it one more time. I, I, I, I, I. They were so complimentary to me. Marcy was like, you know, I remember saying to me, you could have been a, you could have been a cast member. Which even if it was made my year.

[David Spade]

So. They don't say that to everybody. They don't say that to every host. No. Oh, my God. You could have been a cast member. What can't you do?

[Zach Braff]

No, I don't, I don't know if that's true, but even her saying it made me feel really, really good.

[Dana Carvey]

No, it's nice to hear because it's pretty close to being true because you fit the bill. You could be a Sudeikis in there, you know, just throw you in.

[David Spade]

Well, do you do accents and characters or impressions so much?

[Zach Braff]

I, I mean, if I auditioned, I wouldn't really know how to audition with impressions, but do you throw your voice?

[David Spade]

You could play a New York guy.

[Zach Braff]

I can do that.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah.

[Zach Braff]

Sketch comedy, voices. Yeah. But I can't do impersonations. Like you can.

[Dana Carvey]

Dana, have you ever caught yourself mid sentence and think, wow, maybe I shouldn't have had that extra coffee this morning? Yeah, you have. Yeah, I have too. Or that time I realized my flossing game was more of an optional hobby than a routine habit. It's funny how little things in your mouth can make a big difference in how you feel about yourself. And that's exactly why I love what Smile generation does. They're a community of trusted dental professionals who help people understand the connection between oral health and overall health. Because what happens in your mouth doesn't just stay there, it affects your heart, your brain, and your overall well being.

[David Spade]

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[Dana Carvey]

Yeah. To learn more about the connection between oral health and Overall Health, visit SmileGeneration.comFly that's SmileGeneration.comFly to learn more about the mouth body connection and find a trusted provider near you.

[DSW Announcer]

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[Dana Carvey]

Yeah.

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[David Spade]

But it is the most fun thing when it's working that I've ever done in show business is you're killing on SNL and you got a hold of a great stuff sketch or 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 pretty. Yeah. Yeah.

[Zach Braff]

I mean it was one of the high highlights of my life, to be honest. It was so fun and, and my whole family was there and you know, it was very, very surreal.

[Dana Carvey]

Bring your whole family. You get two tickets.

[David Spade]

It's. And it's still there. You get Two tickets.

[Dana Carvey]

Stop doing Lauren. It's too.

[Zach Braff]

Do you guys go these days and just watch the show or.

[David Spade]

I was there last fall doing Biden. I did a church chat. So I. I revisited it, and it's. It's trippy. It's. 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, Samberg and Maya, and we were just sort of the four candidates or whatever, so.

[Zach Braff]

Right.

[David Spade]

But it was. It was fun. I mean, the cast and everything is cool. Chloe Feynman.

[Dana Carvey]

I went back 50 just to play Hunter Biden with Dana, for one thing. Oh, you're the church lady. He wasn't even Biden.

[David Spade]

No, I did. I. They wanted me to do a church chat, and David came on as Hunter

[Dana Carvey]

Biden, and that was fun. And then we did. The 50th anniversary was fun. Yeah, the 50th anniversary. Yeah, that was. And that's where you see everybody.

[Zach Braff]

Right.

[Dana Carvey]

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

[Zach Braff]

a cast member, and it must be so crazy.

[Dana Carvey]

So crazy. Or a music guest.

[Zach Braff]

Is everyone doing bits around each other or. Or is everyone acting kind of just

[Dana Carvey]

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 Costner standing in the corner. He's not even a host or anything. He's just, hey, what's going on over here?

[David Spade]

Well, everywhere you look is a famous person. You could look up, down, left, star juiced. Yeah, it's like.

[Dana Carvey]

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 enough to walk up to almost anyone that was on the show in the past and say hi to him. And, yeah, it's usually pretty easy camaraderie.

[David Spade]

There's a esprit de corps for any. Anyone who. We know. We know what you did. You were in the slats and the makeup and the wig's not fitting, and,

[Dana Carvey]

yeah, you're part of it.

[David Spade]

And the writers are hovering around and going, your exit is earlier. You know, so we.

[Zach Braff]

Who. I don't know if she's still there, but the woman who, who runs the, the host around all over the place. She was incredible.

[Dana Carvey]

Who would have been yours. They run you from sketch to sketch.

[Zach Braff]

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.

[David Spade]

And then, right, you're just at the

[Dana Carvey]

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.

[Zach Braff]

You're right.

[David Spade]

Cast for the monkey man. Cast monkey man.

[Dana Carvey]

90 seconds.

[David Spade]

Cast for the monkey man. 90 seconds. You know, get pretty places. Cast for the Monk. You know, you're being led around.

[Dana Carvey]

Amy. Daryl.

[David Spade]

Yes. Lauren. Cameo.

[Dana Carvey]

For those listening, they start with the host.

[David Spade]

It's a blasting intercom for Gap.

[Dana Carvey]

Girls. David. Chris. Data. Adam. Ra. It's so fun. So fucking fun.

[David Spade]

All right, let's get to this show. Yes, let's, let's.

[Zach Braff]

We're doing an old fashioned revival of, Of Scrubs.

[David Spade]

Yeah, that, that the.

[Zach Braff]

We got the whole team back together and, 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 ABC. Wednesdays at 8:00 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.

[David Spade]

I read two reviews. 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. 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.

[Zach Braff]

They've been very. 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, remember that. Because 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.

[Dana Carvey]

Right.

[Zach Braff]

Which is tricky to nail, you know, the same vibe. But we, we, I think we have.

[David Spade]

And you have Bill Lawrence. Right. And so were you. They. Obviously you're the linchpin or you know, the star showrunner. But did he talk with you? Early on, a little bit about tone and what we're going to try to do.

[Zach Braff]

And 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, let's. Let's bring this back to reality. We can. Let's have our comedy set in a realistic 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. You know, the theme song is I can't do this all on my own. It's. It's about community. And then. 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. And. And when I started the Show I was 25. And you look 40. Thank you.

[David Spade]

It's the 38. You look 38.

[Zach Braff]

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

[Dana Carvey]

Oh, boy.

[David Spade]

Oh, passage of time.

[Dana Carvey]

So fast forward.

[David Spade]

Oh, the. So right now in the ether, I was gonna ask you a saint Dent. Dennis. Denny, what is it? D, N, I S. How do you pronounce that?

[Zach Braff]

Dennis or Denny, I assume Dennis Denis.

[David Spade]

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.

[Zach Braff]

I think it's literally the. 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.

[David Spade]

And then the Pit, which is very different than what you guys are doing.

[Zach Braff]

It's amazing, but it's drama and it's real time and is shot again like a documentary.

[Dana Carvey]

Do you have a lot of deaths on the new Scrubs?

[Zach Braff]

There is death. That's something we don't Shy away from. Because again, like I said, it's a dramedy.

[Dana Carvey]

It's a.

[Zach Braff]

It's a mix of. Of comedy and drama. We don't want to sugarcoat what happens in a hospital. You know, that's.

[Dana Carvey]

I like a fun hospital.

[Zach Braff]

Well, you're gonna laugh a lot, but we don't shy away from.

[Dana Carvey]

No. I know. I guess stuff does happen in hospitals, but Scrubs doesn't. Is never a downer.

[David Spade]

It's a great moments.

[Dana Carvey]

But it's.

[Zach Braff]

Overall, I think if you look at TED La as a comp. Just because it's. It's Bill's show that sort of broke so huge.

[David Spade]

Right.

[Zach Braff]

It was. It was such a hug, you know, it was. It's funny and 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 Carell. I direct that as well. And so that's sort of his. His oeuvre is. You're gonna laugh, but also your eyes probably will well before the end of the show.

[David Spade]

You know, obviously all in the family. Obviously. Mash. I'm just thinking of antecedents to this. This.

[Zach Braff]

That is a great.

[David Spade]

Yeah.

[Zach Braff]

MASH is a perfect comp. Bill would say it was sort of. When he wrote it, it was mash. All wonder years.

[David Spade]

Yeah.

[Zach Braff]

A little bit of Ally McBeal because they were the first people to do these weird fantasy stuff, you know.

[David Spade]

Yeah. Wow. How satisfying to be. To be back. I don't know is any show had a 16 year break and come back.

[Zach Braff]

I don't know. Recently. Roseanne. I don't know how long they were off, but they've. They've had a lot of.

[David Spade]

Yeah, that's true.

[Zach Braff]

Back.

[Dana Carvey]

That was sort of a different. You've got. Exactly. You've got all your people. Which is the hardest probably part to do.

[Zach Braff]

Right. We got all our people. We're all friends. We all love each other. It's. Two of the original writers are on the show. It's. It's really. It's really. We. 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 the years since. So we rebuilt.

[Dana Carvey]

Shoot in condos now.

[Zach Braff]

No, we rebuilt the entire hospital on stage.

[David Spade]

Oh, okay. So it's an actual soundstage and you have our friend Vanessa Baer.

[Zach Braff]

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 a lot of family. And I said Vanessa Bayer is going to fucking Urkel me. Because every single thing. She's going to get irked.

[David Spade]

You're Ron Howard and she's the Fonz or something. I don't know. I'm thinking of other.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah, no. Michael J. Fox.

[Zach Braff]

Michael. Family Ties.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah, Family Ties. Stole it. And also Sarah Chalk, who I was joking earlier. Very funny. Great to work with. Super fun. I had, I had a great time with her. And it was only two months, but it just looks like a good squad. And that people already like. Already proven people remember it's not that long ago. So it's not like a whole different.

[Zach Braff]

It's really like it. And by the way, would you guys get. Let's see if you guess right. How many single camera comedies are on broadcast tv? How many the audience for the audience. Who doesn't get that non sitcom sitcom being in front of a live audience. How many single cameras means it's shot like a movie.

[David Spade]

So say. Just say three major networks doing half hour shows.

[Zach Braff]

I'll give you four. Four broadcast networks. Four.

[David Spade]

I'm gonna say. I'm gonna. I'm gonna say it's a surprising amount. On the upside, on the high side.

[Zach Braff]

Go for it.

[David Spade]

I'm gonna say 24.

[Zach Braff]

Why did you say 24?

[David Spade]

Because it sounded fun.

[Dana Carvey]

He's trying to out do your real.

[Zach Braff]

Trying to make my story good. Thank you. You're a good host, Dana.

[Dana Carvey]

Because I think it's 50.

[Zach Braff]

No, it's three.

[Dana Carvey]

Oh, it is three.

[David Spade]

There's like.

[Zach Braff]

That was.

[Dana Carvey]

I was gonna say choice.com was 3.

[Zach Braff]

No, my point is it's all moved to streaming. So there is. There are only three. Okay. On broadcast TV anymore.

[Dana Carvey]

Do those work on streaming or.

[Zach Braff]

They do, yeah. I mean look at last. Yeah, Last was an extreme example. But shrinking is doing extraordinarily well. I think your. Your buddy Maya Rudolph's show did really well. Loot.

[Dana Carvey]

Oh, lo.

[David Spade]

Yeah.

[Zach Braff]

I can't keep track of them all but. But that's where they're being made, you know.

[David Spade]

Right. And what is the cost between the two? The single camera versus the three camera stage.

[Zach Braff]

The audience much more expensive because. Because a sitcom is very cheap to make. You're not bringing contained. Well, you're on one stage and you don't bring in the crew until the last two days because.

[David Spade]

Right.

[Zach Braff]

You rehearse it without. Without any crew.

[Dana Carvey]

Have a lot of your sets already. You kind of rotate a few extra new Ones per week.

[Zach Braff]

Yeah. And then you're. And then you're.

[Dana Carvey]

No weather delays.

[Zach Braff]

Yeah. And you're. And you. And then you really. Do you really film it one night? And then we. We shoot. We shoot 13 hours a day for five days.

[Dana Carvey]

Are you going to direct any of these?

[Zach Braff]

I directed the pilot. Yeah, I directed the pilot.

[Dana Carvey]

I'm sorry, I didn't hear that. Okay.

[David Spade]

How did you find your performance in the editing?

[Dana Carvey]

Good.

[David Spade]

When you watched Zach, it was good.

[Zach Braff]

I was so nervous, to be honest, because that was a lot of pressure. So when I. When I cut it together and it was. And it worked so well, I was so relieved because.

[Dana Carvey]

Does anyone say it's a little Zach heavy?

[David Spade]

I mean, are you gonna hold that shot that long? Zach, as your friend Bill Lawrence, I'm just asking questions.

[Zach Braff]

You do find yourself sometimes when you're editing going, I like 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 gonna do that.

[Dana Carvey]

Oh, good job.

[David Spade]

Oh, okay. So the conflict of it doesn't want to get fire.

[Dana Carvey]

He's like started and ended on you, sir. You're like, okay.

[David Spade]

All right.

[Dana Carvey]

Well, Zach.

[Zach Braff]

Yes.

[Dana Carvey]

I was just gonna say thank you for taking time with us because it's always fun and. Yeah, ever since our dinner, we didn't get to chat much.

[Zach Braff]

I know I haven't seen you. We had a fun dinner. We got invited into the castle. Not a lot of people have been invited to Cool.

[Dana Carvey]

So inside the inner workings.

[Zach Braff]

I love the inner workings. And, uh, that was cool. But yeah, thank you guys for having me and I really appreciate it.

[Dana Carvey]

It's good to see you, bud.

[David Spade]

Scrubs, it's out.

[Zach Braff]

And I'll just give my the specifics. It's Wednesdays at 8 on ABC and then Hulu the next day.

[David Spade]

Wednesday, 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 gonna give you with lighting 32.

[Zach Braff]

Thank you. I appreciate that.

[Dana Carvey]

I'll give him with just this random lighting 35 and a half.

[Zach Braff]

Thank you.

[David Spade]

With bad lighting and a tight raking shot, I'm gonna give you 57.

[Zach Braff]

I hate those bad angles.

[Dana Carvey]

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 even share an episode that you've loved with a friend.

[David Spade]

If you're watching this episode on YouTube. Please subscribe. We're on video now.

[Dana Carvey]

Fly on the Wall is presented by Odyssey and executive produced by Danny Carvey and David Spade, Heather Santoro and Greg Holtzman, Maddie Sprung Kaiser and Leah Reese Dennis of Odyssey.

[David Spade]

Our senior producer is Greg Holtzman in the show. Shows produced and edited by Phil Sweet

[Dana Carvey]

Tech booking by Cultivated Entertainment.

[David Spade]

Special thanks to Patrick Fogarty, Evan Cox, Maura Curran, Melissa Wester, Hillary Schuff, Eric Donnelly, Colin Gaynor, Sean Cherry, Kirk Courtney and Lauren Vieira.

[Dana Carvey]

Reach out with us. Any questions be asked and answered on the show? You can email us at 5fly on the [e-mail] that's a U D a C-Y I dot com.