One of the many aspects of Scrubs that has helped make it a truly inspired show is the slew of weird and wonderful characters throughout the nine seasons. Each has something different to offer the show, but one common trait amongst most is a certain level of intelligence.
Revolving around the lives of doctors and hospital staff, a certain level of intelligence is expected, especially given the show's accurate nature. Some characters have intelligence in the most surprising ways, while others may make stupid choices but still are incredibly sharp, and then some are lucky enough just to be smart all around. Here's how they compare.
Todd
Weirdly enough, for a large portion of the show, Todd was viewed as the finest surgeon Sacred Heart had to offer. However, even with that title, Todd still seemed to lack something in the smarts arena.
Todd was seen as the best surgeon because he never thought about anything; he was just hollow. Though he certainly had some level of intelligence, given his position, in comparison to others, he only had one component of intelligence.
Ted Buckland
Ted Buckland is undoubtedly one of the worst lawyers on all of TV, yet one of the absolute funniest, stealing the scene every time he is in the frame. While being a lawyer gives him some base intelligence merit, he so often displays a complete lack of brains.
Look no further than his attempts to out-dog Baxter or his itted lack of skills as a lawyer and it's clear there are others smarter out there. While this could be down to a lack of confidence, he does not do much to showcase his intellectual dominance over any character except Todd throughout the show's nine seasons.
The Janitor
The Janitor is one of Scrubs' best and most unique characters. His intelligence lies in very specific areas, but he seems to lack common sense at times.
That said, he does show off smarts at various points, though, and what puts him over the likes of Todd and Ted is his quick thinking in scheming and leadership.
Jordan Sullivan
Jordan Sullivan is the only central character in Scrubs who, while still having a hospital career, does not have her life revolving around it. Nevertheless, she shows herself to be an incredibly sharp character throughout the show.
Not much is known about her past in of jobs and education before the start of the show, but her skills in manipulation alone reveal her brains. She has few, if any, really dumb moments in the show, save for her numbing of her face, and that consistency is merit enough to have her at a decent spot.
Carla Espinosa
Carla Espinosa is by far the most commanding, authoritative voice in the room at any given moment on Scrubs. But while she is an astute and insanely talented nurse who knows the hospital inside out, her emotional and social intelligence falls a bit short on occasion.
Sometimes, Carla thinks she knows best when that's not the case. But often, her belief in her knowledge is well-earned and merited.
Elliot Reed
Elliot grows a lot throughout the show, with her confidence in her abilities shining in the last couple of seasons and translating into her work, making her one of the best, most skilled, knowledgable, and experienced doctors out there.grows a lot throughout the show, with her confidence in her abilities shining in the last couple of seasons and translating into her work, making her one of the best, most skilled, knowledgable, and experienced doctors out there.
On top of that, she shows a lot of emotional maturity and intelligence in of her relationship with J.D., recognizing being a doctor forever may not be her path, and figuring out that bending over backward to go the extra mile is not always the best choice.
Chris Turk
Turk matures a lot during Scrubs and is consistently the nicest person in the core group, rarely doing anything to hurt or betray those around him and always looking to make people happy. His people skills take him far and imbue him with a kind of intelligence that not many of the other doctors fully possess.
In of the main five doctors, Turk also has the highest level of natural skill in his field of surgery. His smarts and talents are undeniable.
J.D.
For nine seasons, J.D. showcases his smarts time and time again. Alongside being a naturally gifted physician, J.D. grows and develops into the best doctor bar one out of the entire Sacred Heart group.
He also learns a lot about himself and life in general, having a kid, growing up, having distance from the ones he loves, and through his attachment to Dr. Cox. J.D. gathers a lot of life experience on top of his undeniable skills and ambition as a doctor.
Dr. Bob Kelso
If experience is any indicator of intelligence, Bob Kelso beats out everybody with his many decades in the medical profession. He was not only Chief of Medicine for a good chunk but also a skilled doctor and even a nurse for a stint.
Kelso obviously had immense smarts and skills to get to the position of Chief of Medicine in the first place. But you combine that with his understanding of what that position entails, the sacrifices needed, and the burden that comes with it; it is easy to argue that Kelso deserves the top spot.
Dr. Perry Cox
Then again, there is no chance Dr. Perry Cox would allow Bobbo to take the top spot of any ranked list about Scrubs, and honestly, it is hard to argue against him deserving the title of most intelligent Scrubs character.
Not only is he the best doctor in the show by a country mile, but he also ends up being Chief of Medicine; he grows an insane amount over the show's nine seasons as it pertains to emotional intelligence. He acts as a mentor to the second-best doctor at Sacred Heart. He gives out heaps of great advice to all those around him, and while he may be difficult, Cox is skilled enough that nobody really cares that much. Yes, as mentioned earlier, he may be lacking in the emotional department, but he outgrows a large part of that, and his intelligence in other areas wins out all the same.