Scrubs Season 10 Will Have A Weird Janitor Problem (But There's A Solution)

Although Scrubs season 10 hasn't announced its returning cast members, Neil Flynn's Janitor will presumably feature in the revival, but his comeback won't be without obstacles. After spending season 1 as a figment of JD's imagination, Flynn went on to play the Janitor in all nine seasons of Scrubs - although his role in Scrubs season 9 was nothing more than a brief cameo in the first episode to explain his departure. So, he's one of the many Scrubs characters who must return for season 10 for the sitcom to stand any chance of recapturing the magic of the original run.

Through the process of gradually making the Scrubs revival official, various members of the cast and crew have made comments about how willing they would be to work together again. So, although the outgoing Scrubs showrunner Bill Lawrence has confirmed season 10 will also feature new characters, an almost complete reunion of the original cast is strongly anticipated. While this is an exciting prospect for the medical sitcom's devoted following, Scrubs will be very different this time around, and the Janitor's decision in the Scrubs season 8 finale has contributed to that.

Scrubs Creator Bill Lawrence Confirmed The Janitor Told JD His Real Name In "My Finale"

Neil Flynn's Scrubs character is officially called Glenn Matthews

The Janitor's real name was one of Scrubs' biggest mysteries. Although he goes by many other false aliases throughout the show, such as Dr. Jan Itor, his true identity is kept under wraps for pretty much the entirety of Scrubs. Although he tells JD (Zach Braff) at the end of Scrubs season 8's two-part finale that his name is "Glenn Matthews," even that feels like another deception in a string of lies from the Janitor throughout Scrubs. However, the show's creator confirmed over a decade ago that the Janitor was telling the truth about his real name in this scene.

It was arguably funnier to be left wondering if the Janitor was lying or not about his name being Glenn Matthews. Even the short story about the difficulties the name had given him as a youngster sounds like a signature Janitor lie, so it was easy to buy into the idea that he was once again lying to JD. That being said, the Janitor became far more humanized in the show's penultimate season as he got married and started to act slightly less strangely. So, maybe Lawrence was simply ending the character's story by sharing his real name.

It Would Be So Weird To Hear Scrubs Characters Calling The Janitor "Glenn"

Scrubs season 10 would be bizarre for this reason

As well as his most common title, the Janitor was referred to by a string of nicknames throughout Scrubs' original run - most of which were in reference to his towering height or his job. Only JD ever calls him Glenn, and it's right at the end when the Janitor announces his name. So, although Lawrence has confirmed the Janitor is called Glenn, Flynn's exit from the show after season 8 meant no one ever really had the chance to use his real name to his face.

Although the show gradually made the Janitor far more relatable after years of bizarre stories and outlandish claims, it would be a step too far to just give him such a run-of-the-mill name.

Now that the show is returning, the show will struggle to escape the reality that the Janitor has made his name known. So, various characters could be seen and heard referring to him as "Glenn," or even worse, "Mr. Matthews," and either would be incredibly jarring. Although the show gradually made the Janitor far more relatable after years of bizarre stories and outlandish claims, it would be a step too far to just give him such a run-of-the-mill name.

Scrubs Season 8's Final Episode Already Gave The Show A Way To Fix This Problem

JD didn't exactly hold onto the information well

Neil Flynn as the Janitor in Scrubs with a furrowed brow

After JD openly admits he doesn't know the Janitor's name in "My Finale," Flynn's character clearly says it is Glenn Matthews. Regardless, when JD tries to bid him a proper farewell using said name just moments later, he immediately forgets it and needs to be reminded. The Janitor quietly explains this phenomenon by claiming that, "People don't want to know a janitor's name." At the very least in JD's case, this would appear to be true on some level, as his brain just doesn't hold the information for longer than a moment or two.

Given that the Janitor is never shown telling anyone else his name (in fact, someone calls him "Tommy" seconds after JD's departure), Scrubs has already given itself an easy way of avoiding characters calling Flynn's character "Glenn" when the show returns. In short, he only told JD, and JD doesn't remember it. He even asks "Whatever happened to the Janitor?" in the Med School pilot, rather than "Whatever happened to Glenn?" Forgetting his name would be even more likely if it's revealed the Scrubs revival is also the first time both characters have met since "My Finale."