Scrubs Nearly Cast This Happy Days Star As Dr. Cox

There are a lot of lovable characters on Bill Lawrence's classic hospital sitcom "Scrubs," but caustic attending physician Dr. Perry Cox is definitely a fan favorite. Much of the credit for that belongs to the man who plays him, John C. McGinley. The actor brought his own hospital experiences to the role and really made it his own, portraying Cox as both a total curmudgeon and a secret softie (sometimes). Before all that, however, Lawrence almost cast a totally different and unrelated McGinley to play Sacred Heart's grumpiest guy: "Happy Days" veteran Ted McGinley. But while both McGinley men have great sarcastic smiles and twinkles in their eyes, the role ultimately went to John C., and the rest was television history.

In an interview with Variety, Ted McGinley shared the story of how he was nearly cast on "Scrubs." And from the sound of things, he may've carried over his "jump the shark" curse from "Happy Days" to those auditions, because they went terribly. Thankfully, Ted McGinley eventually got the chance to work with Lawrence on the phenomenal Apple TV+ comedy-drama series "Shrinking," in which he plays the most un-Dr. Cox-like character ever. Sometimes, things all work out, even if it takes close to 20 years.

According to McGinley, his auditions as Dr. Cox just really didn't work, and he "kept tanking," but thankfully Lawrence told him that they would work together on something one day. While many showrunners might promise that sort of thing and never follow through, McGinley shared that Lawrence kept his promise:

"And he's that guy. It came through. He threw me a bone, and I'm forever grateful."

That "bone" was a role on Lawrence's "Shrinking." The series stars Jason Segel as Jimmy, a therapist who has an emotional breakdown and decides to start being brutally honest with his patients. Harrison Ford co-stars as Paul, Jimmy's colleague and exhausted mentor, while McGinley plays Jimmy's next-door neighbor Derek, a happy-go-lucky husband and father who really loves his wife and likes making fun of his kids. Ironically, his wife Liz is played by Lawrence's real-life wife Christa Miller, who also played Dr. Cox's absolutely terrifying ex-wife/wife Jordan on "Scrubs." So, although McGinley didn't get to make fun of Zach Braff as the young resident doctor John Dorian for close to a decade, he still got to be pretend married to Christa Miller, which rules. Not only that, but Derek is also one of the best parts of "Shrinking."

Here's the thing you have to understand: everyone on "Shrinking" is some form of totally screwed up. The show's characters are essentially all deeply-flawed human beings, just like the rest of us, and while that's relatable and makes for some compelling television, it can also get a little grim sometimes. Derek, on the other hand, is a bright spot whenever he shows up because he's possibly the only truly well-adjusted adult on the series, and his love for his family and friends is inspiring. Sure, he's not out there collecting and tumbling rocks like his wife Liz or delivering incredible monologues with life wisdom every time he's given candy à la Paul, but he's just a good guy living a decent life and doing his best to enjoy it. Derek rules, and it's awesome that McGinley has finally gotten a chance to show us just how great he is after years of seemingly only getting bit parts that didn't play to his full potential. 

"Shrinking" is available to stream exclusively on Apple TV+.