Scrubs creator Bill Lawrence has returned with the Apple TV+ original sports comedy Ted Lasso, his first new series in five years. Lawrence co-created the show with Jason Sudeikis, who also stars in the series. The show also reunited Lawrence with Scrubs star Zach Braff after he “suckered him” into directing an episode.
Braff often jokes with Donald Faison on the Fake Doctors, Real Friends With Zach + Donald podcast about how wealthy Lawrence is. But is the TV producer worth more than the star of his longest-running series?
Bill Lawrence’s new series is based on an NBC sports promo
According to Entertainment Tonight, Ted Lasso is a continuation of a character that Sudeikis first portrayed in 2013 to promote NBC’s coverage of the Premier League. The series follows a former small-time Kansas football coach who moves to England to coach a professional soccer team.
Lawrence says he watched the promo videos like everyone else and they “cracked me up.” When he met up with Sudeikis years later, the Saturday Night Live alum pitched the idea of building a TV show around the character.
“He said, ‘You’d be surprised to know, but when I go overseas, I get recognized more as Ted Lasso than as the guy from SNL or We’re the Millers or Horrible Bosses,'” Lawrence explained.
The producer added that they made the character three-dimensional and built a show around him that “not only has heart, but is optimistic and hopeful.” Lawrence says we could use that in a time like this.
‘Scrubs’ star Zach Braff directed an episode of ‘Ted Lasso’
In addition to creating Scrubs, Lawrence also co-created Cougar Town, Spin City, and the cult animated comedy Clone High. Lawrence says he’s been “really lucky” during his career because he has always collaborated with talented stars like Michael J. Fox, Sudeikis, and Braff.
Scrubs has been Lawrence’s most-successful show so far in his career, as it ran for nine seasons. Lawrence and Braff have kept in touch since Scrubs came to an end, and he even roped the actor into directing the second episode of his new series.
“I suckered Zach into directing an episode ’cause he was in London,” the producer says.
It’s possible that Lawrence and Braff will work together again now that MTV has officially ordered a reboot of Clone High. The original series often featured voice parts by Braff, Faison, and their Scrubs co-stars Christa Miller, Sarah Chalke, and Neil Flynn.
As for a possible Scrubs reboot, Lawrence says they sometimes joke about a one-off reunion or movie. He says they may revisit the series one day, but Braff and Faison’s podcast is already giving them an excuse to hang out.
“That’s making us all hang out again,” Lawrence said. “I bet you we’ll revisit Scrubs. You know, just as an excuse to get to hang out. We all love each other.”
Is the ‘Scrubs’ creator’s insane net worth more than Zach Braff?
As Cheat Sheet has previously reported, toward the end of his nine-season run on Scrubs, Braff was earning $350,000 per episode. In addition to acting in TV, films, and Broadway, Braff also has income streams as a director, producer, and screenwriter.
In 2009, Braff opened his own restaurant, the Mermaid Oyster Bar. And, he also has multiple investments in real estate. Braff’s estimated net worth is $20 million, but that’s just a fraction of Lawrence’s fortune.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Lawrence is worth $200 million thanks to the numerous series he has created and his real estate portfolio. Lawrence is married to Scrubs star Christa Miller and they share three children.
The couple sold their Malibu mansion in 2017 for $21 million. They own a six-bedroom home in Los Angeles worth $11 million, as well as a 2,700-square foot home in New York City worth $7.6 million.
All nine seasons of Scrubs are available on Hulu and Amazon Prime Video. Season 1 of Ted Lasso is available on Apple TV+.
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