John C. McGinley: 'Scrubs' helped get doctor roles out of his system

Nov. 7 (UPI) -- John C. McGinley said he turned down many offers to play "smartass" physicians after nine seasons as Dr. Perry Cox on the sitcom, Scrubs.

"We did it for almost 10 years and almost 200 episodes. I kind of got that out of my system and if I didn't, it begs the question, 'What were you waiting for?'" the 59-year-old actor told reporters at New York Comic Con.

It was that hunger to try something completely different that led the Office Space, The Rock, Platoon, Wall Street and Point Break alum to sign on for his current job.

"From his sound to the way he walks, I made him diametrically opposite to Cox, very much on purpose. The fact that he's a bit of a smartass, there's some connective tissue there, but that's it," McGinley said of Stan Miller, the grouchy, former New Hampshire sheriff he plays in the horror comedy, Stan Against Evil.

Now in its third season, the show follows Stan as he tries to cope with the recent death of the wife he didn't know had been protecting him for years from demons who want to kill him and wreak havoc in their hometown.

Desperate to be left alone to watch his war documentaries and nature programs, Stan insults everyone in his path as he is dragged into supernatural adventures by Evie Barrett, his perky replacement, played by Janet Varney.

"The loss of Claire, his wife, in the context of the show, and the loss of his job, which gave him his moorings, yields a profoundly dysfunctional guy. So, when he is rough and crass and taking rib shots verbally at people, that is all born out of fear and loneliness and a guy who is damaged," the actor added. "Wounded and injured men, for actors, is delicious."

Created by Dana Gould -- who plays the recurring role of chatty cemetery worker Kevin -- the series airs Wednesday nights on IFC. Deborah Baker Jr. and Nate Mooney return as Stan's adult daughter Denise and Deputy Leon Drinkwater respectively.