Dr. John "J.D." Dorian

J.D. is a brand-new intern at Sacred Heart, terrified and thrilled in equal measure, narrating his own life in constant fantasy cutaways as a way of coping with a job he's not remotely ready for. He wants to be liked, to be good at this, and to figure out what kind of doctor and person he's becoming.

The daydream device could've been a gimmick, but Braff plays the fantasies and the fumbling reality with the same earnest commitment, so the whiplash between slapstick and genuine feeling never feels cheap. He's an anxious, well-meaning goofball, and the show trusts that being lovable and being a little pathetic aren't mutually exclusive.