Television history is full of side characters who unexpectedly become central parts of a show. A classic example is Jaleel White’s Steve Urkel from “Family Matters.” “Scrubs” also has a high-profile example of a supposed one-off character who became a recurring role. Fans may not have realized that the janitor character, played by Neil Flynn, was only meant to appear in the pilot episode. However, The Independent reported that the role was expanded after series creator Bill Lawrence enjoyed Flynn’s audition.
“I read the part of Dr. Cox for Bill, and he said: ‘I’ll be honest with you, I’ve already picked the actor for this part but do you want to read this?’ He handed me a couple of pages of a scene as the Janitor and I read it,” Flynn remembered. “It took about 10 seconds and he said, ‘Good. You want to play that?’ I said, ‘Sure — I’ll take the job.’ It was only a one-time thing — a day of shooting — but I was glad to have it, and it turned into a much better deal than I first anticipated.”
That small moment eventually blossomed into a role that helped shape “Scrubs” as a series. Bothering J.D. (Zach Braff) in the hallways of Sacred Heart Hospital became one of those recurring moments that just happened on the sitcom. Before long, audiences expected Flynn’s presence.
The Janitor on Scrubs was only supposed to appear once
Flynn also wanted to make sure the character did not become one-note. While the character’s presence is played largely for comedy, anyone who has watched enough “Scrubs” knows that the Janitor also drops the occasional piece of wisdom on J.D.
“From the beginning, the part [of the Janitor] presented itself as an intimidating blue-collar laborer, and I’ve been around such men, so I knew I could play that,” Flynn said. “Then, as the character began appearing in every episode, the scenes would get a little deeper — but it kind of quickly became absurd. I asked Bill early on: ‘Let’s not make this guy dumb.’ Here’s a guy who’s smarter than his job, so in order to keep himself amused, he wreaks havoc on other people — J.D. in particular.”
Flynn’s character is an agent of carefully created chaos. Every time J.D. gets himself into a pickle during “Scrubs,” The Janitor is there to prod him one way or another. There’s a non-hokey, Andy Griffith-like quality to his wisdom.
The Janitor’s role on Scrubs evolved over time
When they first made the decision to have Flynn stick around on “Scrubs,” no one knew how long the show would run. Bill Lawrence actually told the actor that he had a pretty ingenious fake-out planned in case “Scrubs” ended early. Luckily, that’s not the case.
“Bill has said that if the show had only gone on for a year or two, he would’ve revealed that the Janitor was a figment of J.D.’s imagination, because, up until that point, I never spoke to anybody else except J.D.,” Flynn shared with The Independent. “It would be me representing his anxieties– therefore, anything was possible because maybe I wasn’t real. When the show stayed on the air, and I became real, it was fun to interact with the other characters as well.”
That twist would have significantly changed how the show was viewed. Luckily, “Scrubs” has been popular enough to warrant a revival, along with many more seasons during the original run.
