Next year will mark the 20th anniversary of the NBC (and later ABC) series Scrubs premiering, and among the show’s many recurring characters was Sacred Heart Hospital’s “sad sack” lawyer, Ted Buckland, played by Sam Lloyd. Sadly, word’s come in that Lloyd has passed away at the age of 56.
Sam Lloyd was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor in January 2019, and it was later revealed that the cancer had metastasized from his lungs, and subsequently spread to his liver, spine and jaw. A GoFundMe page was set up by Scrubs producer Tim Hobert and his wife Jill Tracy to help pay for Lloyd’s medical bills. Alas, he’s now passed on, and is survived by his wife, Vanessa, and their son, Weston.
Zach Braff, who starred as John “J.D.” Dorian on Scrubs, paid tribute to Sam Lloyd on Twitter, noting how Lloyd made him laugh on many occasions.
Scrubs creator Bill Lawrence also honored Sam Lloyd on social media with the following words:
Then there’s Robert Maschio, who recurred on Scrubs as the macho and immature surgeon Dr. Todd “The Todd” Quinlan, who shared various scenes with Ted Buckland over the show’s run. Maschio said:
Scrubs story editor Kevin Biegel also shared his disappointment at learning that Sam Lloyd had died with these words:
The nephew of Back to the Future star Christopher Lloyd, Sam lloyd kicked off his professional acting career in 1988, with some of his pre-Scrubs work including Night Court, City, Double Rush, Seinfeld, Mad About You, Spin City, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Flubber and Galaxy Quest. As for Scrubs, Lloyd played Ted Buckland in 95 episodes, stretching from the show’s pilot to the Season 9 episode “Our Histories.”
In addition to Ted Buckland being perpetually depressed and a rather inept lawyer who consistently berated by Sacred Heart’s Chief of Medicine, Dr. Bob Kelso (Ken Jenkins), the character was also notable for leading an a cappella band called The Worthless Peons, with the other three members (Randall, Crispin and Roy) working in other departments of the hospital. In real life, these four men really did perform as a band called The Blanks. You can watch some of their performances together on Scrubs below.
After Scrubs ended in 2010, Sam Lloyd reprised Ted Buckland for three episodes of Cougar Town, which Bill Lawrence and Kevin Biegel created together. Lloyd’s other work during and after Scrubs included Desperate Housewives, The Middle, Shameless and Modern Family, with his final performance being in an episode of ABC’s American Housewife.
We here at CinemaBlend offer our condolences to Sam Lloyd’s family and friends. If you were a fan of the performer, be it on Scrubs or elsewhere, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section. Keep track of what’s currently showing over the airwaves with our detailed TV schedule.
