Matthew Perry is sweeping back to NBC, but he won’t be visiting his friend “Joey.”
Instead, Perry will be sitting in the director’s chair and standing in front of the lens as a guest star for the Nov. 23 episode of “Scrubs,” NBC announced recently. The episode will air during “sweeps.” (“Sweeps” is a period four months a year when television ratings are monitored closely to set local advertising rates.)
(MSNBC is a joint venture of Microsoft and NBC.)
In the Perry-directed episode, the former “Friends” star will play a man willing to donate one of his kidneys to his sick father — played by Perry’s real-life dad, John Bennett Perry — until complications arise.
The appearance will mark the first time, other than Matt LeBlanc on his spinoff, “Joey,” that a “Friends” principal has returned to NBC. Perry played sarcastic “Friend” Chandler Bing for 10 seasons on the hit sitcom.
Perry’s not the only former NBC star suiting up for “Scrubs.” Julianna Margulies, who was featured on the medical drama “ER” for six seasons, will guest star in two “sweeps” episodes on Nov. 9 and Nov. 16. She’ll play a malpractice lawyer.
“Scrubs” stars Zach Braff, Sarah Chalke, Donald Faison, Neil Flynn, Ken Jenkins, Judy Reyes and John C. McGinley as the wacky resident staff of Sacred Heart Hospital.