Scrubswas influential in many ways, and one of the properties it inspired shows just how much impact the medical sitcom had on popular culture at large, rather than just the TV industry.Every doctor inScrubsbrought something new to the table, and one in particular had a moment so cool that it was copied and pasted into a video game that took the world by storm in 2017 and is still massive today.
All nine seasons ofScrubsaired between 2001 and 2010, but the show was canceled after major changes made in the final run were not received well by the sitcom’s devoted audience. With aScrubsrevival now confirmedto be on the way, showrunnerBill Lawrence has the opportunity to fix the mistakes withScrubsseason 9and allow the cult classic to bow out on a much better note. DespiteScrubs' dormancy for the last 15 years, it has still quietly been acknowledged in a very significant and surprising way.
Donald Faison’s Dance As Turk In “My Half-Acre” Was Used As Fortnite’s Default Dance Emote
Turk’s audition for the Janitor’s band came 11 years before Fortnite’s launch
InScrubsseason 5, episode 9, “My Half-Acre,” the B story revolves aroundNeil Flynn’s Janitortaking the concept of the air guitar several steps further by assembling an entire air band. While auditioning for an air frontman, Donald Faison’s Dr. Christopher “Chris"Turk performs an impressive dance routine to “Poison” by Bell Biv Devoe.The dance was adopted by Epic Games’Fortnitein 2017 when the game launched. It was one of the default emotes, so it was immediately available to all players. However, the emote is far shorter than Turk’s actual dance.
Fortniteis primarily a battle royale game, and it had and still has a pretty broad appeal. However, it’s more common among younger age groups. So, when the game was released in 2017, it’s unlikely that many of the players would have been aware of the dance’s origin and the character their avatar was imitating when the emote was used.Scrubshad been off the air for seven years at the time.So, while die-hard fans of the show may have spotted Turk’s moves inFortnite, swathes of other players will have been blissfully unaware of the tribute.
The Controversy Surrounding Fortnite’s Donald Faison Dance Explained
Faison wasn’t paid or credited by Epic Games
As a co-host onFake Doctors, Real Friends- the officialScrubsrewatch podcast, Faison has discussed how the dance in “My Half-Acre” came about. In short, he made it up on the spot, so the performance is of his own creation. It is possible to copyright a dance under certain circumstances, but Faison seemingly never saw the need to look into that. So, althoughVulturereports thatFortnite did reach out to ask permission from the show to use Turk’s dancein the game, Faison didn’t receive a single penny in royalties, nor was he created as the dance’s creator.
Scrubs Star’s Surprising Career Change 15 Years Ago Makes His Comeback For The Sitcom’s Revival Way Less Likely
Scrubs will filled with actors who have gone on to lead varied careers since the show ended in 2010, but one star has moved on more than most.
When speaking at aScrubscast reunion in 2018, the year afterFortnite’s release, Faison was asked by a fan to perform the dance live on stage. Ultimately, he refused the request and simply replied, “If you want to see it, you can play Fortnite, because they jacked that sh*t!” Unfortunately,Epic Games went through all the proper channelsto check on the legality of using theScrubsdance, so there is very little Faison can do.
Scrubs
Cast
Scrubs is a Sitcom and Medical Comedy/Drama created by Bill Lawrence that follows a group of medical students throughout their daily lives at the Sacred Heart Teaching Hospital. The series stars Zach Braff, Sarah Chalke, and Donald Faison, as they work their way up from Medical Interns while juggling all sorts of hospital shenanigans.
