When we, as TV and movie lovers, buy into a fictional portrayal of the real world, it means a lot when we can identify in some way with the characters we’re seeing on screen. That means representing people of all ages, backgrounds, body types, races, disabilities, personalities, etc. As awareness has increased about Autism Spectrum Disorder, I love that we’ve also seen it more prevalently portrayed on our screens.

In addition to reality shows like Love on the Spectrum that challenge stereotypes that autistic people may face, there are several movies and series that include characters who have autism. Because the spectrum is so broad, no singular portrayal can be accurate of the entire community, and that’s why it’s so important that so many of these characters exist. Below I’ve listed 8 characters from TV shows and movies who are on the autism spectrum.

Christian Wolff (The Accountant)

Both The Accountant (2016) and The Accountant 2 (2025) star Ben Affleck as Christian Wolff, an accountant with savant-level math skills who is also a lethal assassin. The movies show how his autism helps him to quickly and easily “assist” criminals with their finances, but also how he struggles with social interactions. The sequel digs into his upbringing and relationship with his brother, and there are some fun scenes where Christian tries line dancing and even speed-dating.

Shane Hollander (Heated Rivalry)

Heated Rivalry was a spicy smash hit for HBO Max when it came out in 2025, with Hudson Williams portraying Shane Hollander, a hockey player who engages in a relationship with rival Ilya Rozanov. While autism is never mentioned in the first season of the book-to-screen adaptation, author Rachel Reid has confirmed Shane is on the spectrum.

Hudson Williams told THR his father has autism, and he drew inspiration from him on how to play Shane. I think it’s a great portrayal because it doesn’t lean on extreme stereotypes, it’s not made to be Shane’s defining character trait, and still, fans are able to recognize and identify with his neurodivergence. Be sure to check out this authentic performance, but be warned — Heated Rivalry is one of HBO Max’s most sexually explicit shows.

Temple Grandin (Temple Grandin)

This biographical drama, Temple Grandin from 2010, stars Claire Danes as the titular character, who fought speech and sensory issues and grew up to make revolutionary changes to the cattle ranching industry. The TV movie is based on Temple Grandin’s memoirs and seeks to give people a broader understanding of Grandin and autism. It won several Primetime Emmy Awards — including Outstanding Lead Actress for Danes, who also won the Golden Globe for the role.

Sam Gardner (Atypical)

Another example of autistic characters on TV is Atypical’s Sam Gardner (Keir Gilchrist). The Netflix series is centered around an 18-year-old trying to navigate life as a teenager, including social situations like dating, but it also looks at his family. Through four seasons, it shows — sometimes casually and sometimes in heightened situations — how Sam’s autism affects everyone in the family and how they make accommodations to try to make things easier for him. Atypical is one we think everyone should check out.

Max Braverman (Parenthood)

Max Burkholder portrays Max Braverman, whose autism becomes a main storyline in Parenthood right from the start of what would go on to be six emotional seasons. This series gives us a good look inside the minds of Max’s parents, particularly as they learn to establish routines, navigate behavioral issues, and find Max the help he needs at school. As Max grows up, we also see how his feelings about autism change over time.

Parenthood also features another possible autistic character in Ray Romano’s Hank Rizzoli. Hank discovers that he might be on the spectrum after reading a book about autism to try to better understand Max. He finds that he relates to a lot of what is being described in the book, and autism would explain a lot of what he’s been through in his life. His character seemingly represents the people who don’t realize they’re on the spectrum until adulthood; however, Hank was never formally diagnosed at neurodiverse.

Wendy Welcott (Please Stand By)

Dakota Fanning has been praised for her performance in 2018’s Please Stand By as Wendy Welcott, an autistic woman living in a group home, where she spends her days working on a Star Trek script. After missing the mail-in deadline to submit her script for a screenwriting contest, she flees home to deliver it in person — thus proving she’s more independent than her sister thinks. Her journey is sometimes harrowing, but Fanning portrays Wendy as confident, competent, creative and complex, and it’s beautiful to see her fight for something she cares deeply about.

Shaun Murphy (The Good Doctor)

Despite displaying some stereotypical characteristics of autism — including savant syndrome — Freddie Highmore’s role as Dr. Shaun Murphy on The Good Doctor is generally considered a positive representation. While Shaun struggles with eye contact, can interpret things super literally, and exhibits sensory sensitivity, many fans of the medical drama enjoy seeing him respected in his profession as he navigates workplace dynamics and relationships.

Woo Young-woo (Extraordinary Attorney Woo)

Extraordinary Attorney Woo is a fascinating look at one way autism is portrayed in South Korean entertainment. The series (available to stream with a Netflix subscription) stars Park Eun-bin as autistic rookie attorney Woo Young-woo. It’s impossible not to be charmed by the attorney and her special interest in whales, as she navigates plenty of bias regarding her autism, as well as professional rivalries and budding romance.

These are only a handful of characters on the autism spectrum that can be found on TV and in movies. Many children’s shows have come to feature autistic characters, including Sesame Street and Carl the Collector. There are also many characters who seem to display characteristics of neurodiversity but whose diagnoses have not been confirmed, including The Big Bang Theory’s Sheldon Cooper, Community’s Abed Nadir, Criminal Minds’ Spencer Reid and more.

It’s great to see so many facets of autism represented in entertainment. Hopefully, it will only continue to broaden people’s understanding and acceptance of neurodiversity.

2024 TV started off pretty shaky as the industry returned to normalcy following strike-related delays, but it wasn’t long before everything felt normal again. And “normal” tends to mean “lots of big character deaths” to go alongside all of the cancellations and series endings. Thankfully, we had a full year to get through all the genuine emotions that were sparked by so many scripted tragedies.

So let’s take a look at what I thought matched the combination of being the most heartbreaking and unexpected TV deaths of 2024, while accepting the dread of knowing that the cycle of televised trauma will start up anew when the 2025 premiere schedule gets underway. So join me in pouring one out for all of our fallen TV brethren, as well as for the many talented artists who were also lost along the way.

It should probably go without saying, but SPOILERS BELOW for a variety of different series that aired across 2024. So tread lightly if there are some major shows that you haven’t gotten around to just yet.

Victor Aguilar (The Penguin)

For a TV show focusing on someone that every single viewer knew was a major villain going in, The Penguin somehow bewitched me into thinking Rhenzy Feliz's Victor would continue thriving with confidence under Oz's wing for years to come. Instead, Victor's fate was sealed the moment Oz laid eyes on him, no matter how charming or empathetic he proved himself to be. At least he didn't have to be around to watch Colin Farrell's criminal go hard on his Oedipal urges.

Isabelle Carriere (The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon)

An extension of one of TV’s deadliest franchises. The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon gave longtime fans a stellar reunion in Season 2 between Norman Reedus’ titular survivor and Melissa McBride’s Carol. But along the way, the show killed off its best character in Clémence Poésy’s Isabelle, and in the episode right after her and Daryl’s big kiss. It was an angering shock, and Season 3 will need to deliver something amazing to truly make up for it.

Asher Wolke (The Good Doctor)

Noah Galvin’s Dr. Asher Wolke arrived at St. Bonaventure in The Good Doctor’s fourth season and worked his way up to becoming a resident under Shaun’s wing by the ABC drama’s final season. Tragically, after Asher stopped a pair of men from vandalizing a synagogue — during which he openly declared himself gay and Jewish — the young doc was murdered on the street when one of the antisemitic vandals clubbed him in the head with an iron bar.

Colby Mayfield (Yellowstone)

Yes, Yellowstone featured multiple jaw-dropping deaths in the long-delayed final six episodes of its fifth season, from killing off John Dutton sans Kevin Costner to having Beth finally take out Jamie. But it was the lowest-profile death that actually hurt the worst, with the western drama taking out one of the bunkhouse’s best by having a wild horse lethally clomp Denim Richards’ ranchhand Colby. Hopefully Teeter can find a way to get over that heartbreak down in Texas.

Gambit (X-Men ‘97)

One of TV’s most celebrated revivals, X-Men ‘97 took little time in taking viewers right back to the animated fan-fave’s roots, but with a modern storytelling touch that heightened the character dynamics and upped the ante for danger. Case in point: the fifth episode rocked many viewers’ cores when the charismatic, crop top-wearing Gambit impulsively chose to sacrifice himself to take out the newly upgraded Master Mold. Sure, Rogue was sad, but I dare say everyone at home was even more taken aback.

Rhaenys (House Of The Dragon)

Okay, so those who are more intimately familiar with George R.R. Martin’s source material were no doubt awaiting the death of Eve Best’s Rhaeynys Targaryen, but not even such foreknowledge made her demise at Rook’s Rest easier to witness or live with after the fact. The Queen Who Never Was became the first to die in the Dance of the Dragons — at least the first human — crashing into the rocky walls in a fiery explosion.

Doug Williams (Days Of Our Lives)

Something of a unique (but equally heartbreaking) outlier of a 2024 TV death, Days of Our Lives honored veteran character Doug Williams with a final episode in July 2024, roughly six months after soap actor Bill Hayes passed away at 98. (He starred off and on from 1970-2024.) Making the episode all the more emotional is the fact that the actor’s real-life wife Susan Seaforth Hayes portrayed Doug’s wife Julie, and so his final episode featured the widowed actress once again mourning her hubby’s death by paying fictional respects.

Hughie Campbell Sr. (The Boys)

The Boys’ comic Hughie owes his whole look to Simon Pegg, and while the actor’s live-action impact on the Prime Video series has been limited, Eric Kripke & Co. thankfully(?) gave his Hughie Sr. a Season 4 death that was truly gut-wrenching both literally and metaphorically. Post-coma and with V in his veins, the seemingly healthful chap was suddenly unable to maintain his place in time or space, and unmenacingly blazed a gory train of panicked mayhem through a hospital before the eyes of his son and rekindled love.

The Hargreeves Siblings (The Umbrella Academy)

If The Umbrella Academy can be described with any one word, “unpredictable” would likely work best, as no one could have foreseen the comic adaptation’s mega-mutant culmination of “The Jennifer Incident.” Or the threat of existence’s destruction due to Ben’s marigold mixing with Jennifer’s durango. Or that the entire group of characters at the end of Season 4 would have to sacrifice themselves to save seemingly everyone else who met doomed fates throughout the series. I guess that’s just the (Gerard) way it goes when Five’s the one in charge of anything.

Emma Morley (One Day)

Sure, any shock surrounding One Day’s tragic 13th episode comes with the caveat of “never having read David Nicholls’ novel or the Nicholls-scripted 2011 movie.” But for those whom that applies, it applies so fucking hard. The highs of watching Ambika Mod’s Emma and Leo Woodall’s Dexter finally dovetailing into a relationship soon cascaded into all-too-real middle ground and then abject tragedy when Emma is knocked off of her bicycle and dies. Even for those already aware of Emma’s fate, I can imagine twelve episodes of build-up helped keep it soul-crushing, if not surprising.

Mrs. Hart / Sharon (Agatha All Along)

Despite killing its titular witch off in the second-to-last installment, Agatha All Along’s most shocking death, if perhaps not the most emotional, belonged to Debra Jo Rupp’s mind-warped Sharon — Mrs. Hart during WandaVision’s hex — who rather unceremoniously drowned in the second episode right as the coven figured out how to get past the first trial of the Witches Road. (And after she suffered a traumatic flashback hallucination.) Despite an abundance of theories proposing how she could return, and despite Agatha herself returning in a ghostly form, Sharon apparently had no such luck.

George Cooper (Young Sheldon)

Technically, George Cooper’s death was set in stone on The Big Bang Theory before Young Sheldon even existed, but only through the prequel series were viewers able to emotionally invest in the character’s life and legacy. So that by the time Lance Barber’s patriarch actually did bite the metaphorical bullet, which went down in the series’ penultimate episode, it truly did warrant a full in-episode funeral to provide him a worthwhile farewell.

Chloe Yasuda (Grey’s Anatomy)

Grey’s Anatomy should have multiple eponymous awards for heartbreaking and shocking deaths, with Mike’s sister Chloe arguably the show’s most jarring in the past year. Julia Rose’s character appeared in just three episodes, but after the emotional triple scoop of cancer, surgery, and recovery, it seemed like she was off to enjoy recurring character status. But no, it was more suffering for one and all after Mika fell asleep at the wheel and caused a crash that eventually led to Chloe succumbing to her injuries in ICU, and the reverberations were intense, y’all.

Clark And Lois (Superman & Lois)

By being The CW’s final post-Arrowverse DC drama, Superman & Lois was arguably already aimed at some kind of forever-ending as opposed to a happily ever after. Yet it was still both an emotional and surprising journey into the near and distant future with Clark and Lois after taking Lex Luthor down. Happy weddings and pregnancies gave way to Lois’ cancer returning and her death, then Clark’s own death due to heart failure. But wait! A happily-ever-after conclusion is indeed reached when Tyler Hoechlin and Elizabeth Tulloch’s characters reconnect once more in the afterlife. I’m wiping smudges off my glasses, not tears.

Grace Garvey (Bad Sisters)

Perhaps Bad Sisters was giving Anne-Marie Duff’s Grace some legitimate in-universe grace with her left-field Season 2 death, given all of the skeletons that escaped her closet across Season 1. But given the darkly comedic tone of creator and co-star Sharon Horgan’s series during that stretch, the idea of forever breaking up the five-sister bond seemed wildly unlikely, if not impossible. And yet that car crash and funeral went down in the first three episodes. Hug your siblings if you got ‘em.

Larry Dalrymple (The Simpsons)

The Simpsons has been on the air long enough for some to think it’s no longer capable of producing fresh ideas, but the show’s creative team took a wild swing early in Season 35 by killing off a longtime background character that viewers may not have even known had a name: Larry Dalrymple, the jacket-wearing barfly. Fans were both surprised and outraged by the canonical death, which sparks a bonkers funeral-jumping caper for Homer & Co.

Spoilers ahead for the series finale of The Good Doctor on ABC, called "Goodbye."

The Good Doctor had a healthy run of seven years on ABC before coming to an end with its appropriately titled finale on May 21 in the 2024 TV schedule. Fans knew from the start of Season 7 that it would be the last for Dr. Shaun Murphy and Co., and the writers had time to craft a hypothetically perfect ending rather than end on a cliffhanger. Well, the finale has aired, and I feel comfortable saying that "Goodbye" was a reward for fans who stuck with the medical drama from the early days, not least because it avoided what could have been a ruinous move from Shaun.

How The Finale Rewarded Fans

Historically speaking, some shows have used finales to boldly subvert expectations or deliver last-minute curveballs or swerve in directions to land them among the ranks of shows like How I Met Your Mother and Game of Thrones with heavily criticized finales... and fans often don't appreciate that kind of boldness. Finales can dole out deaths for the sake of deaths, parting of the ways because the show is ending anyway, or even open endings that don't deliver any closure in case a rescue or revival comes along.

The Good Doctor did none of those. Yes, Dr. Glassman died, but everybody other than Shaun himself could have seen that coming, and there were happy endings all around for the surviving characters, as established by Shaun giving a TED Talk after a flash-forward ten years into the future.

After ten years, Shaun – a.k.a. St. Bonaventure's Chief of Surgery – and Lea were the proud parents of a daughter as well as Steve, with family rides on the carousel. (This is a particularly fun development since The Good Doctor was originally supposed to end with Shaun becoming a father.)

Park and Morgan were able to officially adopt Eden. Claire, who was running the Dr. Aaron Glassman Foundation for Neurodiversity in Medicine along with Shaun after Glassman saved her life, rekindled the romance with Jared and the pair had a daughter. Jordan reunited with Danny (with Brandon Larracuente returning briefly after his Season 6 departure). Dr. Lim joined Surgeons for a Better World. Even Jerome was revealed to have found love again despite the devastating death of Asher in Season 7.

Happy endings all around! I was so relieved that not only was Claire saved prior to the time jump, but The Good Doctor only sprung good surprises at the last minute. Plus, with callbacks like the carousel, the episode truly felt like it was crafted to reward fans who have been around for years as well as tie off the loose ends from the arcs of the seventh season. A+ finale, The Good Doctor!

What I Was Afraid Shaun Would Do

Now, as much as I just spent several paragraphs raving about the happy endings galore in the series finale, I went into "Goodbye" nervous that The Good Doctor would go a little bit too happy. It was clear from the promo that Shaun was not going to react well to Glassman revealing that his brain cancer had returned, and I was nervous that for the finale, the show would have Shaun find a miracle cure for his father figure and everybody would live happily ever after.

I love Glassman as a character and how Richard Schiff portrayed him for more than 100 episodes, but it was going to be too much of a suspension of disbelief if The Good Doctor gave him another brush with death only for Shaun to find an impossible solution. It was more important for Shaun to learn to say goodbye; a miracle might have been more sappy than sweet, and I'm so glad that my concerns were unfounded.

Plus, Shaun did get his miracle in the finale when he figured out how Claire's life could be saved, although Glassman did the actual procedure since it would have cost Shaun his medical license to do without FDA approval. All in all, this was a finale that tied off loose ends without going so far into happy endings as to deprive the narrative a powerful development with Glassman's death.

There was restraint in just the right places and generosity in others, and I think we don't have to worry about a How I Met Your Mother or Game of Thrones legacy for The Good Doctor. Now that Shaun's journey has concluded, you can restart from the beginning or just revisit your favorite episodes streaming with a Hulu subscription.

Spoilers ahead for Episode 7 of The Good Doctor Season 7, called "Faith."

Only a few episodes of The Good Doctor are left in the 2024 TV schedule before the final credits roll on Dr. Shaun Murphy's journey at St. Bonaventure Hospital. "Faith" ended on a potential reveal that is definitely going to cause trouble in paradise for Shaun and Lea with baby Steve, but Dr. Glassman also kicked off what could be a very emotional storyline...with Richard Schiff's real-life daughter on board. While there's a lot to be excited about in the wake of that terrible tragedy with Asher, there are also some clues that something might be seriously wrong for Glassman.

Let's start with what we should be excited about! The West Wing alum confirmed on Instagram shortly before "Faith" aired on April 30 that he'd be acting opposite a "very special guest star," who was none other than his daughter Ruby Kelley. Schiff also confirmed that his daughter's character of Hannah isn't just a one-off patient for Dr. Glassman, as she'll return multiple times in the remaining episodes. Take a look at his post:

Richard Schiff isn't kidding in his post about "introducing" his daughter, as The Good Doctor is Ruby Kelley's first credit that's more substantial than a short. With only three episodes of the medical drama left before the end and "Faith" as one of Kelley's three, it seems like a safe bet that Hannah will an important part of Glassman's final story, and that Kelley probably had plenty of time filming with her dad. Ahead of her debut episode, she posted on her own Instagram account:

As Ruby Kelley noted, new episodes of The Good Doctor are streaming next day on Hulu, and I can imagine that many fans will be signing in to revisit the clues that "Faith" seemingly dropped about Dr. Glassman. Early in the hour, he called another medical office about certain images, although he didn't drop any details about what exactly he was looking for. Later, though, he got a call that is mostly responsible for making me nervous. We could only hear his side of the conversation about the images, but he asked whoever was on the phone if "they're conclusive" and for "them" to be sent over so he could take a look.

And considering that Dr. Glassman is a neurosurgeon who already battled a brain tumor once before, is there any conclusion but to wonder if his cancer has returned? The speed at which he became attached to Hannah due to her similarities to Maddie make me think that he's taking stock of his life, and sees Hannah as a way to make up for how he couldn't save his daughter. He did save Hannah from her underlying ailment in "Faith," but it remains to be seen if she can kick her painkiller habit. Honestly, I'm just glad that he and Shaun were able to move past the worst of their feud!

Neither Glassman nor Hannah appear in the promo for the next episode on May 7, but the episode description for the episode on May 14 – which will also be the penultimate episode of the series – will involve the good neurosurgeon attempting to manage Hannah despite her resistance to his efforts. The episode description notes that she "remains unresponsive to his attempts," so it's possible that Ruby Kelley does have an important role in the next episode, but simply wasn't featured in the promo or the episode description.

Keep tuning in to ABC on Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET for new episodes of The Good Doctor, and check out the full series so far streaming with a Hulu subscription.

We’ve known for three months now that ABC will be saying sayonara Dr. Shaun Murphy and co. at the end of the TV season. At this point, I’ve had time to settle into the idea of The Good Doctor getting axed and even had time to realize that seven seasons is actually an incredibly long and generous run compared to most (not all) shows on the TV schedule. Still, I can’t help feeling that a series of events in Hollywood really screwed up this series for the fans.

There are two major reasons The Good Doctor getting canceled when it did is so upsetting. Those are:

• This final season is only 10 episodes.
• The Good Doctor spinoff The Good Lawyer also got canceled.

What do these things have in common? They both have to do with the Hollywood strikes.

First, compared to previous seasons, which ranged from 18-22 episodes, we’re not really getting a good amount of time for drama  to wrap up its storyline. I think that’s one of the reasons fans were so shook about that major Good Doctor death coming at the eleventh hour. There’s no time to process anything as there’s only a few episodes left to wrap up the show’s full storyline. It's all happening very fast. 

This is absolutely the fault of the WGA strikes and SAG-AFTRA strikes. The WGA Strikes wrapped in September, with the SAG-Aftra strikes also occurring around the same time, but even though writers could get back to work in the fall, the SAG-AFTRA strikes ensured no projects could film until at least November. During this window a ton of shows like The Great and How I Met Your Father simply got canceled without answering major cliffhangers, so I suppose I should be grateful we got more episodes. And yet, it would have been way cooler if the show had gotten a full final season order. 

Which brings me to my second point. This time last year, The Good Doctor seemed to be on a high note. The series had a season order of 22 episodes instead of the usual 18, and ABC had also signed on for a high-profile spinoff pilot set in the legal world. Called The Good Lawyer, the series was set to star Felicity Huffman and had already been introduced in a backdoor pilot during a Good Doctor episode. 

Like so many other shows, The Good Lawyer became a casualty of the strikes and the network moved on. Ultimately, I'd argue The Good Doctor did too. And while it was a good run for the show, I'm still a little bit in my feels about it, particularly as the finale looms next month. 

The only consolation I’m getting out of this whole thing is that at least the show is not still on the chopping block like so many ABC shows the network has not been quick to respond about. Well, and at least ABC already ordered another season of Will Trent, which also looks at a character dealing and persevering through his own unique challenges in the workplace. 

Yet, while there's programming to look forward to, I'll be pouring one out for The Good Doctor soon. 

Spoilers ahead for Episode 5 of The Good Doctor Season 7, called "Who At Peace" on April 2.

The Good Doctor just delivered a major tragedy in the 2024 TV schedule, sadly just a day too late to even hope for an April Fools' Day joke. "Who At Peace" ended on the shocking death of Dr. Asher Wolke, just when he was on the verge of getting engaged. He was murdered by a pair of violent antisemitic and homophobic men, struck on the head from behind as he was walking to his car. It was a twist that few could have seen coming when Season 7 started on a happier note, and actor Noah Galvin has shared a message in the wake of his character's death.

Noah Galvin joined the cast of The Good Doctor in Season 4 and was bumped up to series regular status starting in Season 5. There was no real reason to doubt that the case would be any different in the ABC drama's seventh and final season, but Asher's murder presumably ended Galvin's time on the show. If the image of a lifeless Asher is still stuck in your head, you might enjoy the happy photos that the actor chose to go with his message to fans:

While Asher's happy ending with Jerome was cut short and we won't get to see the rest of the final season with him as part of the St. Bonaventure team, the actor shared that all the challenges were "worth it" and he still has a lot of love for the show. It's a sweet message, particularly when other characters – like Claire and Dr. Andrews – were given more optimistic sendoffs, even without Hill Harper on hand for the latter. (Nicholas Gonzalez wasn't so lucky as Dr. Melendez.)

And as nice as it is to see some smiling photos of Noah Galvin after what happened to Asher in Episode 5 (available streaming now via Hulu subscription), it's even nicer to see the supportive comments in his Instagram post, from the show's official account as well as several of his former cast members:

• The Good Doctor: "Always our Asher 💙"
• Paige Spara: "You make everything better I love you so much Noahy you are so loved"
• Antonia Thomas: "❤"
• Kayla Cromer: "I’m so glad that I had an opportunity to meet you and work with you! Your amazing!"
• Bria Henderson: "I LOVE YOU DEEP"
• Christina Chang: "Lerve you ❤️"

Yes, Paige Spara (Lea), Antonia Thomas (Claire), Kayla Cromer (Charlotte), Bria Henderson (Jordan), and Christina Chang (Dr. Lim) all hit Galvin's comment section, with everything ranging from a single emoji to an expression of love to a full message. It's a nice show of support in a show that doesn't often inflict permanent damage on its core cast of characters, with co-showrunner Liz Friedman describing the series to CinemaBlend as "a pretty hopeful show." At least it wasn't as graphic as it could have been?

In case you thought – or hoped and against hope – that Asher seemingly lying lifeless on the ground was a fake-out and he's actually alive, the promo for the next episode debunks that pretty thoroughly. Take a look:

While Asher is truly dead, it appears that the next episode is going to explore the aftermath of the tragedy on his coworkers. Based on the promo, it's not going to go well for Shaun when Lim overestimates how much he can emotionally handle when he has been bottling up his feelings for days. Keep tuning in to ABC on Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET for the rest of The Good Doictor's seventh and final season.

The Good Doctor is currently airing its seventh and final season on ABC in the 2024 TV schedule, with fewer episodes than usual due to delays from the WGA writers strike and SAG-AFTRA actors strike. The medical drama wasn't cancelled until production had begun on Season 7, and it came as a surprise when the show was axed. For co-showrunner Liz Friedman, this is the second medical drama she has guided towards the end, and she opened up to CinemaBlend about revisiting House as The Good Doctor winds down.

Liz Friedman was an executive producer and writer for Fox's medical drama House from Season 2 in 2006 through to the eighth and final season in 2012. The Hugh Laurie-led series was a smash hit in its day, but the finale was divisive as – spoiler alert – Dr. House faked his own death to avoid the consequences of his drug use and rode off into the sunset with his dying best friend.

The Good Doctor – on which Liz Friedman has worked as a showrunner, executive producer, and writer – is about as different from House as possible when it comes to the leading men. Still, after Friedman spoke with CinemaBlend about the big changes for Shaun and Lea in Season 7, I asked if there was anything she learned from House that she's applying to the end of The Good Doctor, and she shared:

Liz Friedman didn't drop all the details about her takeaways from the end of House so that she could avoid dropping all the spoilers about the end of The Good Doctor, but it's interesting that she is indeed taking some lessons from her previous medical drama. More than a decade has passed since Hugh Laurie set down his cane as Dr. House, so perhaps the passage of time has a part to play as she looks back.

It does seem safe to say that Shaun is on a much healthier journey than House was in their respective final seasons. Freddie Highmore's character is still facing his share of challenges, and his conflict with Dr. Glassman couldn't be resolved at the drop of a hat, but I'm pretty confident that nobody will be faking their death when the final credits roll on The Good Doctor.

Friedman previously explained to CinemaBlend why The Good Doctor didn't end with Shaun becoming a father despite that being the original plan for the show; now, it's just a matter of time before fans find out how the series truly does come to an end, and how House's final act affected it. The silver lining to the ABC cancellation is that it came in time for Liz Friedman and Co. to craft a proper ending for the medical drama.

The end isn't nigh just yet, though. While The Good Doctor is on a brief break until the next new episode on March 19, you can always revisit earlier episodes streaming with a Hulu subscription. If you're now in the mood to check out House, you can find that medical drama streaming via Peacock Premium subscription.

The Good Doctor is currently airing its final season in the 2024 TV schedule, with big changes right off the bat for Shaun and Lea after the birth of their son. ABC didn't cancel the hit medical drama until work had already begun on Season 7 with Shaun as a new parent. Co-showrunner and executive producer Liz Friedman spoke with CinemaBlend about how (and why) the original plan for the series finale changed.

Since the Good Doctor team didn't know the show would be cancelled when the Season 6 finale aired, that episode wasn't planned to set up the final season. So, I asked Liz Friedman if she would have changed anything from the sixth season finale if she'd known that was end was nigh. The co-showrunner reflected all the way back to the beginning of her collaboration with showrunner/developer David Shore in her answer, saying:

The birth of a healthy Baby Steve at the end of Season 6 would have been a happy ending for Shaun and Lea, especially after their miscarriage and pregnancy struggles earlier on. There were still some unresolved issues, particularly with the feud with Dr. Glassman, which is still continuing in Season 7 despite his breakthrough in the premiere. But the plan for the show to end with the birth of Shaun's child had changed a long time ago, as Liz Friedman continued:

The Good Doctor is already showing that Shaun's journey can continue on screen with him as a dad, even if the cancellation means that his journey won't go too much longer. He and Lea are still figuring out the early stages of parenthood, but are very much a team. All in all, it would have been hard to imagine seven years ago that Shaun could have built this life for himself. Liz Friedman opened up about watching this growth over the course of the series:

It seems safe to say that Shaun still has his share of struggles ahead, not the least of which is rebuilding his relationship with Dr. Glassman after what went down in Season 6. (You can revisit the sixth season streaming with a Hulu subscription now.) There are plenty of other stories unfolding for the other characters as well. The planned spinoff starring Nancy Drew's Kennedy McMann isn't moving forward, and it remains to be seen if The Good Doctor intends to tie up those semi-loose ends before the final credits roll.

For now, keep tuning in to ABC on Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET for new episodes of The Good Doctor as Shaun's final journey as parent, husband, and father continues.

Warning: spoilers are ahead for the Season 7 premiere of The Good Doctor on ABC, called "Baby, Baby, Baby."

The Good Doctor is back for one last run in the 2024 TV schedule, and the final season picked up not too long after where Season 6 left off with the birth of Shaun and Lea's son, Steve. The two young parents were doing well enough in their new status quo, but that got more complicated when Shaun went back to work while Lea remained home with the infant. They had different thoughts on how rigid to be with Steve's schedule, which resulted in some sleepless nights. On the plus side, it also resulted in a kind gesture from Dr. Glassman, and co-showrunner Liz Friedman opened up about what happened... and whether it will last.

"Baby, Baby, Baby" made it clear that caring for an infant is a full-time job, and Shaun and Lea learned some lessons about parenthood the hard way. At the end of the episode, after an exhausted Lea handed a crying Steve off to Shaun and he retreated to the hall to let his wife sleep, Glassman came home and saw that Shaun really needed help. He took Steve from Shaun and sat with the baby to introduce himself.

It was a very sweet moment to end the episode, and also a surprise after he was still icing the little family out earlier in the episode. Co-showrunner and executive producer Liz Friedman spoke with CinemaBlend about what motivated Glassman's thaw, saying:

Lea made the effort to reconnect with Glassman earlier in the episode, and he softened a bit towards her, but her husband was the one he was really upset with. When he came home and saw Shaun desperately trying to talk Steve into sleeping, Glassman provided the help that Shaun needed. There was no fanfare or heart-to-heart, and he just spent some time with the baby while his parents slept, introducing himself to Steve as "Grandpa." Liz Friedman continued:

Alas, the very sweet scene with Glassman and the baby wasn't a sign that the conflict between Shaun and his mentor/father figure was completely over. It may have been too much to hope for, considering that Glassman holds Shaun accountable for putting an end to his surgical career. Liz Friedman confirmed that babies can "be a bridge to the way, but it doesn't take care of everything."

The Season 7 premiere also had high stakes for some babies other than Steve, as Eden desperately needed a new heart valve... but she wasn't the only baby who needed a new heart to survive. Luckily, Shaun found a solution that the surgical team pulled off, giving a happy ending to a very stressful case. Liz Friedman commented on the episode ending happily, saying:

Given that The Good Doctor was cancelled prior to the return for Season 7, I know my fingers are crossed that this continues to be a "hopeful show" as it builds toward the final episode. There are still more questions than answers about the final batch of episodes (including whether that Season 6 finale farewell will stick), but the promo for next week sheds light on what's on the way sooner rather than later:

Tune in to ABC on Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET for new episodes of The Good Doctor's final season, following The Rookie at 9 p.m. and Will Trent at 8 p.m. You can also revisit earlier episodes of the series streaming now with a Hulu subscription.

The Good Doctor is returning in the 2024 TV schedule as ABC brings back some of its biggest dramas from a prolonged hiatus, and the medical series enters its seventh and final season. The Season 6 finale ended on a happy note for Shaun (Freddie Highmore) and Lea (Paige Spara) after the birth of their son, although the episode also said goodbye to another character and left Shaun's relationship with Glassman (Richard Schiff) in rocky territory. Now, co-showrunner and executive producer Liz Friedman has opened up to CinemaBlend about the new challenges facing the new parents in Season 7.

The seventh season premiere of The Good Doctor on February 20 is called "Baby, Baby, Baby," which is an extremely fitting title considering where Season 6 left off for Shaun and Lea. After the last episode aired all the way back in early May 2023, I asked Liz Friedman how the team approached the time jump in light of the WGA writers strike and SAG-AFTRA actors strike delays, and she shared:

The Good Doctor hasn't always started with a time jump right off the bat, as Season 6 picked up where the fifth season finale (available streaming via Hulu subscription) ended with the stabbing of Dr. Lim. While the sixth season ended on a much happier note for Shaun and Lea with the birth of their son after their previous pregnancy tragedy, The Good Doctor once again isn't skipping ahead months. The co-showrunner continued:

The show isn't going to just skip the first ten months of Baby Steve's life, so fans will get to see Shaun and Lea as pretty new parents. They prepared as best the could for the arrival of their son in Season 6, but it seems safe to say that they're going to run into some hurdles as he returns to work. Plus, there are some complications for the couple beyond their newborn.

Still, when I noted to the co-showrunner that we'd lose a lot of seeing Baby Steve if there was a time jump of the better part of a year, Liz Friedman responded:

Considering how far Shaun has come over the years from where he started, it would have been a shame to miss the early days of this new chapter of his life as a dad. Of course, despite Baby Steve's arrival before the final credits rolled in 2023, there wasn't a happy ending on all fronts.

Dr. Glassman was still angry with Shaun for going to Lim about his problems performing surgery, although he did give the couple the gift of a blanket with the baby's name on it, showing that he still knew Shaun well enough to know that his son would be named after his late brother. When asked if the icy relationship could have a bit of a thaw in light of Steve's arrival, Friedman previewed:

Fans shouldn't despair that Shaun and Glassman will never mend fences before the end of the series following its unexpected cancellation. Those fences just won't be mended ASAP! Based on the trailer, there will be plenty happening beyond the two finding their way back to each other. Take a look:

Tune in to ABC on Tuesday, February 20 at 10 p.m. ET for the final season premiere of The Good Doctor, following the Season 6 premiere of The Rookie at 9 p.m. and the Season 2 premiere of Will Trent at 8 p.m. This represents a time slot change for The Good Doctor, which previously aired on Monday nights.

Among the many shows that will be ending in 2024 is The Good Doctor, which marks one of the most surprising cancellations. The ABC medical drama is set to come to an end after seven seasons, even despite reportedly coming out on top for the third primetime hour during Season 6, which aired at 10 p.m. ET. Even the cast seemed shocked over the series' cancellation. Now, following rumors and speculation regarding its demise, the showrunner is explaining why fans are now saying goodbye to the staff at San Jose St. Bonaventure. 

It honestly seemed like The Good Doctor could've run for several more years, at least, so fans were appropriately shocked and saddened to hear that Season 7 would be the end. It was rumored that financial matters played into the cancellation. As of late, a number of notable TV shows have seen their budgets tightened, which has impacted casting, production values and more. For example, CBS' Blue Bloods made cuts ahead of its fourteenth and final season. Additionally, the impacts of the dual Hollywood strikes have also been significant, as they've resulted in delayed production starts and shorter seasons.

Usually, there are two primary reasons why a show will meet its demise -- because it was right for the story or the network put its foot down. Surprisingly, the ABC hit actually was the victim of both, in a way. Via Deadline, David Shore revealed during the Television Critics’ Association winter press tour that he's knew where the series is going for its end, even before getting the call from the network:

No matter what scenario played out, it’s still disappointing that the medical drama is ending. What makes it even worse is knowing the fact that, because of the strikes, there are only 10 episodes this season as opposed to the usual 18-22. The trade also mentioned that even after the strikes, 13 installments were initially planned. It does sound like the end is still going to mostly play out in the way that David Shore and his collaborators envisioned, though. With only a handful of stories to tell this year, Shore went on to discuss the "unfortunate" aspect of the situation as well as the "blessing" of it:

It’s going to be hard to say goodbye to The Good Doctor, but it’s exciting to know that fans are going to be in for a great finale. It will surely be a season to watch, and there should be plenty of tears and laughs, as with any other season. Hopefully, the finale will bring a lot of closure to the characters and maybe even leave some doors open, just in case.

Viewers will soon find out how The Good Doctor will come to an end, as the final season kicks off on Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET as part of the 2024 TV schedule. Fans can also stream episodes next day using a Hulu subscription. There may only be 10 episodes, but I'm still confident that the series will go out on a high note.

With primetime still not quite back to normal after the Hollywood strikes, the 2024 TV premiere schedule is at least looking more stocked than the back half of 2023. That said, audiences will be saying farewell to a surprising number of popular series in the coming months, such as The Good Doctor, which ABC canceled less than two months ahead of the Season 7 premiere. While cancellations certainly aren’t a rarity, news about the medical drama’s fate still came as a surprise both to fans and industry insiders, given its relatively steady success.

While the cast reactions to the cancellation haven’t been as steeped in shock as others responses, it’s possible more candid opinions will surface down the line. So why is it so surprising to hear about The Good Doctor ending after seven seasons? It’s not just one blanketed reason, so let’s break things down a bit.

The Good Doctor Is Still A Ratings Winner For ABC

The Freddie Highmore drama reportedly capped off its sixth season as the #1 entertainment show airing during the third primetime hour of 10:00 p.m. ET. And while The Good Doctor has certainly been a victim of the same overall drops in ratings and viewership as the bulk of all broadcast fare in recent years, it’s still doing comparatively well to other shows both on ABC and on other networks. 

What’s more, The Good Doctor even managed to pull off a minor boost in total viewers from Season 5 to Season 6, most notably through delayed DVR viewing. So it isn’t entirely a numbers thing. 

Freddie Highmore Was Reportedly Interested In Continuing

As it often goes with broadcast series contracts, Freddie Highmore’s deal was reportedly set to expire following the seventh season, and negotiations would have been necessary to continue forward. But according to Deadline, no producers or network execs ever set up any meetings with the actor for those details to be discussed. 

Which is perhaps surprising, since the outlet also alleges that Highmore was interested in potentially continuing as Dr. Shaun Murphy into Season 8 and possibly beyond. Had he been skittish about the future, or if he had any specific changes to request, it might have explained why no higher-ups were on board, but no such strife has been publicized. So it seemingly isn’t a cast negotiation problem.

The Good Doctor's Budget Was Under Control

One of the biggest issues facing long-running shows is rising costs, including filming specifics and pay raises for the cast and crew. But even that doesn’t seem to have been a major problem for The Good Doctor, which films in the finance-friendly Vancouver, and didn’t seem to be in need of changing locations. 

As well, Freddie Highmore and Richard Schiff are the only remaining series regulars who were on board the medical drama when it began in 2017, so those negotiations likely wouldn’t have been nearly as expensive as it would have been if The Good Doctor’s entire Season 1 cast was still in the mix. Such is one of the financial quagmires that played into Blue Bloods ending, as its renewal for a final season meant longtime cast members had to take a pay cut.

Additionally, Sony TV was reportedly ready to work out any deals necessary to figure out money problems if more cost-cutting would have been required to make Season 8 happen. Everyone but ABC appears willing to at least have discussed things, so it seemingly isn’t a money issue, either.

In the same way that Station 19’s cancellation has left audiences gobsmacked, The Good Doctor’s swan song remains a bit of a frustrating mystery, where the decision appears to be based on a variety of smaller details, as opposed to a handful of obvious catalysts. Which just means it’ll be that much harder to be confident about any shows’ futures going forward, regardless of how successful they are. Sigh. 

Check out the trailer for Freddie Highmore's final episodes as Shaun Murphy below!

The Good Doctor’s final season will premiere on ABC on Tuesday, February 20, at 10:00 p.m. ET, and episodes will be available to stream the next day with a Hulu subscription.

The Good Doctor has become the latest series to end, as it was recently announced that the ABC medical drama will wrap up its story after the upcoming seventh season. News came not long after it was revealed that fellow ABC drama Station 19 will also end after its upcoming seventh season. Star Freddie Highmore shared his thoughts in a statement, noting that playing Dr. Shaun Murphy “has been an immense privilege and one of the most remarkable and rewarding experiences of my life.” Now, his co-stars are getting in on the emotional goodbyes. 

Not long after news broke via Deadline, much of the cast took to Instagram to share that the beginning of the end is near. Highmore’s on-screen better half and baby mama Paige Spara took to her Instagram Stories to share how grateful she is, along with a video depicting Shaun and Lea’s love story. She also shared a small clip of her audition for Lea, proving that the character will always be close to her heart as well as the show:

Morgan Reznick actress Fiona Gubelmann also took to her Instagram Stories. However, instead of sharing a message herself, she opted to repost a meaningful message from a fan talking about the representation on the show and the cast and crew’s advocacy for autism, and I really hope the representation continues beyond The Good Doctor:

Will Yun Lee decided to take to an Instagram post rather than an Instagram Story to share his goodbyes. The actor, who plays Dr. Alex Park, shared the goodbye promo from ABC, telling his followers that it’s been a privilege to play Dr. Park. He thanked the fans who made the medical drama “extra special” and confessed he will miss his The Good Doctor family:

News of The Good Doctor ending also comes on the heels of potential The Good Lawyer spinoff getting the ax. The legal drama, set to star Kennedy McMann and Felicity Huffman, had its backdoor pilot during Season 6, but due to the strikes, ABC waited months to make a decision, and it ended up not being a good one. With only 10 episodes left to close out the show, it’s going to be both intriguing and emotional to see how the stories at St. Bonaventure will wrap up. Luckily, the news comes ahead of the season and not during, meaning that there should be proper closure.

It will be hard to say goodbye to yet another show, but fans will be able to look forward to one more ride with the St. Bonaventure staff. The seventh and final season of The Good Doctor premieres on Tuesday, February 20 at 10 p.m. ET on ABC as part of the 2024 TV schedule.

Not all medical dramas can run for decades like ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy and now The Good Doctor is heading towards the light. The news isn’t that surprising since the show has been moved from its traditional Monday 10 p.m. ET time slot to Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET for the seventh season. News like that can mean trouble, and that is sadly the case for the Freddie Highmore drama. 

Deadline broke the news that The Good Doctor would be the latest show joining ABC's cancellation list, alongside fellow long-running series Station 19. The seventh and final season is currently in production, which means fans will at least get a proper ending for the beloved medical drama instead of being left with unanswered questions. 

Still, the news is disheartening to everyone who has tuned in for the last six seasons to watch Shaun Murphy navigate his autism and the high-stress environment of a surgical residency. It may be even harder for the talented cast who have lent their time to the show over the years. Star Freddie Highmore shared this message with fans regarding the news: 

As one of the few TV characters on the spectrum, the loss of The Good Doctor is going to be tremendous. While this cancellation might not come as bad news for people who have criticized the show for not casting an autistic actor to play the role of Dr. Murphy, there is no denying that the character helped bring awareness to autism to many viewers who tuned in week after week. 

Unfortunately, this news isn’t the first heartbreak the creative team behind The Good Doctor has had to endure. In November 2023, the team learned that ABC would not be going forward with the planned The Good Lawyer spinoff. The series, which would have featured Felicity Huffman following the college admission scandal, was set to follow Joni DeGroot, a lawyer living with OCD who helped Shaun after he was sued for malpractice. 

Luckily, it’s not all bad news as The Good Doctor fans still have one season left to spend with Shaun and the rest of the San Jose St. Bonaventure Hospital staff. Season 7 starts airing on ABC on February 20th at 10 p.m. ET and fans aren’t going to want to miss it. Especially not after the emotional Season 6 finale that left fans wondering if a key character could return. 

With this being the final season, I wouldn’t rule out any surprise cameos. Who knows? Maybe Shaun will get a ghostly visit from a character who died way too early into the show. Yes, I’m talking about Dr. Melendez. 

With a little over a month away from the final season premiere, there’s still time to catch up on medical drama. All six seasons are currently available to anyone with an active Hulu subscription. 

ABC medical drama The Good Doctor began expanding outside of Dr. Shaun Murphy's hospital stories with a potential spinoff earlier this year. The backdoor pilot for The Good Lawyer introduced the character of Joni DeGroot, a lawyer struggling with OCD who helped Shaun after he was sued for malpractice. Nancy Drew alum Kennedy McMann and former Desperate Housewives star Felicity Huffman were slated to headline the show if it got a series order. Unfortunately, the end of the actors strike didn't mean the offshoot would move forward, as the project joined other TV shows in being cancelled. 

Due to the SAG-AFTRA and WGA writers strikes, many scripted TV shows in production were put on pause. Then, there were shows that were still waiting to get greenlit. If you’d been holding onto hope for The Good Doctor legal spinoff, then you'll surely be disappointed by the recent cancellation news. It was Deadline who reported that The Good Lawyer will not be moving forward. The backdoor pilot was an episode of the parent show's sixth season, which bore the same name. 

As for why the show isn’t getting greenlit, Soaps says The Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger wanted to cut $2 billion in costs with scripted series, as they are pricier to produce than unscripted. There’s seemingly a limited amount of shelf space for new shows right now. The only new scripted series that’s been saved from being axed by ABC is High Potential, based on the popular French detective series HIIP. But that upcoming series won’t be launched until next fall.

The Good Lawyer is not the only show that faces cancellation after the strike. Months after its Season 1 finale on ABC, The Rookie: Feds has been cancelled. I can imagine this being distressing news to fans who loved watching all 22 episodes of Niecy Nash playing Simone Clarke. The spinoff may not have ended on a cliffhanger, but it still felt like something was missing with the need for closure before being forced to say goodbye to Nash's Clarke. Hopefully, her character could still make appearances on its parent series, which has been renewed for its sixth season. 

There are more new ABC drama projects that won’t see the light of day. The medical drama The Hurt Unit, about a team of trauma nurses and surgeons who treat patients not making it to the hospital in time, is a pilot that won’t move forward. The legal series Judgment is another pilot that hasn’t been greenlit as well as Public Defenders. Keeping It Together, the U.S. remake of the British comedy series Motherland, has also been passed on by ABC. While good things are expected to come from the end of the SAG-AFTRA strike, it’s a shame that so many pilots were lost.

While The Good Lawyer has fallen in line with other pilot episodes that won’t get a series order, I do recommend using a Netflix subscription to watch The Extraordinary Attorney Woo which features Woo Young-woo, a great TV character on the spectrum, working through her ASD struggles to be a great attorney. With almost the same plot as TGL, it has been renewed for Season 2 and is expected to arrive in 2024. Keep an eye out on your 2023 TV schedule so you don’t miss out on any premieres.

Spoilers ahead for the series finale of Nancy Drew on The CW.

Nancy Drew has officially come to an end in the 2023 TV schedule after four seasons, with a series finale that involved vengeance, fire, soulmates, and a happy ending for Nancy and Ace to go along with the less happy news that their spiritual adventure left them unable to reincarnate. Plus, the hint that Ace may have been a Hardy boy all along (although not of the Hulu variety)! This was the end of actress Kennedy McMann's journey as the young detective, but is it the end of her time in primetime as a leading lady? Well, the answer to that question is complicated for a few reasons. 

McMann actually debuted in what could be her next lead role already, after she was cast in the backdoor pilot of The Good Doctor's potential spinoff alongside Felicity Huffman. The pilot, called "The Good Lawyer," aired back in March and introduced the Nancy Drew star as attorney Joni DeGroot, who struggles with her obsessive compulsive disorder while trying to become a trial lawyer. The pilot subverted my expectations and was solid enough that I wouldn't have been surprised by a series order, even when The Good Doctor was renewed without any updates for its spinoff.

But the entertainment industry has gotten a lot more complicated since March, due to the WGA writers strike and SAG-AFTRA actors strike. At the time of writing, in late August when fall TV season would usually just be weeks away, The Good Lawyer is one of a few ABC projects that still have an uncertain future. The cast options for the potential show were up in mid-August, which would suggest that a show is dead, but SAG-AFTRA rules mean that any cast hold period extends for the duration of a strike. 

So, under normal circumstances, a lack of a series order by late August would mean that Kennedy McMann likely would not be leading a primetime series on a major TV network shortly after the end of Nancy Drew. That's not the case these days, although the odds likely aren't getting any better the longer that ABC takes to announce a decision. The Rookie: Feds and Home Economics are in the same boat, although they would be returning series rather than new shows like The Good Lawyer. 

There's still hope for Nancy Drew fans that Kennedy McMann will be back within the next TV season, even if she would be playing a very different character than Nancy. It's also worth noting that even if the strikes end ASAP and ABC immediately announced a series order for The Good Lawyer, it's unlikely that the Good Doctor spinoff would debut before the end of the year. At this point, the fall season for network TV is likely to consist of reality options, reruns, and any shows like NBC's Magnum P.I. that already had some episodes banked before the strikes began. 

For now, you can always check out "The Good Lawyer" backdoor pilot with The Good Doctor streaming via Hulu subscription, and/or revisit earlier episodes of Nancy Drew with an HBO Max subscription.

As the latest meeting between the WGA and the AMPTP appears not to have sparked any optimism regarding the ongoing writers strike, it’s becoming more and more likely this year’s Fall TV season will ostensibly need to be scrapped. Which could mean very different futures for such projects as ABC’s established drama spinoff The Rookie: Feds, its in-development drama spinoff The Good Lawyer (which aired its backdoor pilot earlier this year), and its well-liked sitcom Home Economics. That particular trio was at the center of an update that addresses what each project’s chances are, depending on how long the strikes last. 

Let’s dig into where things stand for each of them, noting that these issues are related to the impending expiration of the cast members' contractual options. SAF-AFTRA rules state that the hold period for such options is to be stretched out for the length of any work stoppages, which allows for slightly more wiggle room on the network's side. 

The Rookie: Feds

After helping bring The Rookie some of its biggest Season 4 ratings in 2022, Niecy Nash's Simone Clark began heading up her own storylines for The Rookie: Feds, which started off slowly ahead of gaining more ratings momentum as the debut season went along. The numbers weren't enough to spark an instant renewal from ABC, however, and the show has been on the bubble since its May finale aired. Even Nash herself spoke positively about its Season 2 chances in June, but the network has been largely silent amidst the growing number of strike-related delays.

According to Deadline, the spinoff isn't in too rough a spot just yet, even as a project produced by the non-Disney-owned eOne. Because it was a freshman series going into the offseason, the contract options on the cast members won't be up until the end of October, which basically allows ABC execs to wait until December to come up with a concrete decision about Season 2. But the network could certainly made a choice before that time arrives, and the fact that The Rookie: Feds has made it this far on the bubble fence speaks to its chances. 

The Good Lawyer

As a hopeful drama with only a backdoor pilot on The Good Doctor to its credit, the Felicity Huffman-starring spinoff The Good Lawyer has the most uphill road to travel in order to cement its spot in ABC's primetime lineup. Sony Pictures TV had another month for the cast members' options whenever the SAG-AFTRA strike began on July 14, so that time would start up again at whatever point the strike would end. But it would definitely need to end sooner rather than later for such extensions to truly matter .

Because if the strikes carry on into October and November, that would put a far more serious damper on the creative team's efforts. The Good Laywer was being plotted for a spring premiere, but further delays would make that timing impossible to hit, and it's suspected that ABC execs would choose to pass on the project if that happens. But a quicker ending to the strikes would mean better chances of a series order.

Home Economics

As the most established series of the three, Topher Grace's Home Economics essentially has the least to worry about, even if its Season 4 return isn't yet set in stone. The cast options were reportedly extended for an extra two months whenever their initially expired on June 30, so the producers will have around six weeks or so to lock down deals if/when the strike conflicts are resolved. 

Home Economics' chances of renewal are also helped along by the fact that it's a 30-minute series, rather than boasting the 60-minute time slots of the aforementioned dramas. As such, it has more latitude regarding how far into the traditional TV season it could debut, in that the cast and crew could feasibly church out episodes at a quicker pace than longer shows. 

At the moment, fans have zero need to start mourning The Rookie: Feds, The Good Lawyer, or Home Economics, since ABC definitely would have canceled one or all of them had interest not been maintained behind the scenes. For now, though, head to our 2023 TV premiere schedule to see what all the networks are filling Fall Primetime with. 

Warning: spoilers ahead for the Season 6 finale of The Good Doctor on ABC, called "Love's Labor."

Another season of The Good Doctor has come to an end, and what better way to head into hiatus than after the birth of Lea and Shaun's peanut, who of course they named Steve after Shaun's brother? It was certainly a less stressful ending than the Season 5 finale credits rolling on Dr. Lim seemingly bleeding out! That said, Perez was grievously injured, to the point that Jordan had to take drastic action to keep him alive... but he's on the way out of the show anyway, with series regular Brandon Larracuente leaving the show. So, now that we're heading into hiatus, let's look at what happened and whether that was the last of Perez!

How The Good Doctor Said Goodbye To Perez

The future looked bleak for Perez early in the episode, particularly in light of the report ahead of the finale that Brandon Larracuente was leaving the show. He suffered enough injuries after an ambulance crash that it seemed hard to imagine that he would survive, especially after he demanded that Jordan agree to not use opiates on him... and that would have killed him, if Jordan hadn't ignored his request (and Jared's objections) and given him fentanyl. Perez ultimately agreed that she'd made the right call after he looked through his patient record, but Jordan got some bad news as well, as he said: 

He didn't leave without having his date with Jordan, even though their dinner had to happen with him in his hospital bed when he was still seriously worse for the wear. He thanked her for saving his life time and again in Season 6, and told her that she makes him believe that he can recover without relapsing. She told him that he will be okay, through tears, and he told her that he'd miss her. He's going back to Texas, and she's staying at St. Bonaventure. 

Could Perez Return?

Well, first and foremost, Perez didn't rule out ever returning, and it's hard to argue with his decision to go elsewhere to try and recover after his relapse in the fall finale while in San Jose. He's still alive, on his way to becoming well from his injuries, and hopefully on the road to recovery from his addiction as well. Plus, if Jared could come back after years away, should we rule out Perez, whose farewell feels far less permanent than Jared's did back in the day?

On the other hand, Perez also didn't leave with any promise that he'd return, and St. Bonaventure will presumably fill his slot in the medical program. Plus, Brandon Larracuente has been cast as a lead in the new crime drama coming to those with an Amazon Prime subscription, called On Call and produced by Wolf Entertainment, which is also the production company behind long-running hit crime dramas like Chicago P.D. and the Law & Order shows. So, Larracuente might be too busy to return as Perez. 

Unfortunately, we can only wait for news of whether or not he'll ever appear again. The Good Doctor was recently renewed for Season 7, so there will at least be another season that could bring back Perez if Brandon Larracuente is available and there's an opening for him. The fate of the medical drama's potential spinoff has not been revealed just yet, and I wondered in the aftermath of The Good Lawyer's backdoor pilot if it would be able to stand on its own without The Good Doctor. 

For now, you can always revisit the first six seasons of The Good Doctor (including the backdoor pilot for The Good Lawyer) streaming with a Hulu subscription during the wait for it to return to ABC, and find some summer viewing options on our 2023 TV premiere schedule.

The Season 6 finale of The Good Doctor is just days away, but fans don’t have to wait until the episode on May 1 for news of a big change coming ahead of Season 7. A series regular is on the verge of departing the ABC medical drama, which should shake things up for the 2023-2024 TV season… for better or worse. While we’ll have to wait until the finale to see how exactly it happens, Brandon Larracuente is reportedly leaving The Good Doctor, which raises the question: how much should we be worried for what’s to come on Monday night? 

Brandon Larracuente Is Leaving The Good Doctor

Brandon Larracuente joined The Good Doctor in the current Season 6 as Dr. Danny Perez. The actor was promoted to series regular status just in time to answer the question early of whether or not Perez would survive the fall finale cliffhanger. Now, TVLine reports that Larracuente will not be back as a full-timer in Season 7.

The actor already has another gig lined up, however. He’s been cast in the upcoming Prime Video drama On Call, hailing from the prolific Wolf Entertainment production company that also produces the three Law & Order shows, three One Chicago shows, and three FBI shows, all of which have been renewed. 

But does Larracuente’s upcoming absence mean that fans should start worrying about his character's fate, or a crisis that will take out any other characters? Let’s look at what we know so far. 

What We Know About The Season 6 Finale

The Season 6 finale of The Good Doctor is called “Love’s Labor,” and will see the entire hospital step up for Lea and Shaun as she goes into labor, although one important person will be missing. Unfortunately, everything does not go according to plan (as per usual for a Good Doctor finale) when a tragic accident with Perez and Jared means all hands on deck… including Shaun’s. 

A tragic accident involving Perez coupled with the news of Brandon Larracuente leaving would normally be a cause for concern that The Good Doctor would kill off a major character in a finale again after what happened to Dr. Melendez a few seasons ago, but TVLine further reports that Perez will exit in a way that he could return to guest star. 

Now, admittedly, Nicholas Gonzalez did appear in The Good Doctor as a guest star in a big twist after Melendez was killed off, but that certainly doesn’t mean that Perez’s life will end in the Season 6 finale. That said, he definitely appears to be in for a rough ride, whatever the outcome! Check out the promo:

Regardless of how The Good Doctor says goodbye to Perez, it appears that Jordan is in for some heartbreak. She and Perez were starting to get close again, and prior to the news that Brandon Larracuente is leaving, I would have said that they were back on the road to romance. Whatever happens that Larracuente’s character is no longer around in Season 7, I just hope that it’s as painless as possible for Jordan! On the plus side for Jared, maybe he’ll be promoted if Perez’s absence leaves a vacancy more on his level. 

The good news is that we don’t have too much longer to wait to find out. The Season 6 finale of The Good Doctor airs on Monday, May 1 at 10 p.m. ET on ABC. Viewers are still waiting on news regarding whether The Good Lawyer will get a series order after the backdoor pilot episode on The Good Doctor, as its fate was not announced when The Good Doctor’s renewal was confirmed. You can always revisit that episode and all those that have aired before streaming with a Hulu subscription. 

Spring TV season is the time of year when fans can only wait and hope about the fates of their favorite series. Fortunately, The Good Doctor fans can stop worrying that the show will go the way of The Resident and become another cancelled medical drama this year. ABC has officially renewed the Freddie Highmore-led series, meaning that it will be back in the 2023-2024 TV season with Season 7. But what about The Good Lawyer as its potential spinoff? Is there still hope for the legal drama? Let’s start with what we know for sure. 

The Good Doctor Renewed For Season 7

Although the medical drama was not among ABC’s earliest renewals (which included Grey’s Anatomy for a Season 20 that will bring back Meredith Grey at some point), the network evidently has enough faith in the show to order another season. TVLine reports that The Good Doctor Season 6 currently averages 6.2 million viewers total and a 0.6 rating in the key 18-49 age demographic. 

While those are respective drops of 11% and 25% from the averages in Season 5, the show is second out of ABC’s ten dramas in audience size. It ranks behind only The Rookie, which was renewed earlier this week, prompting Nathan Fillion to open up and celebrate. It is also tied for fourth in the demographic numbers. The Good Doctor is renewed just a day after ABC gave an order for another season of Will Trent. 

Plus, it’s worth noting that there are still two episodes left before summer hiatus begins on Monday, May 1, so the ratings and audience averages may change by the time the final credits roll on the Season 6 finale. On the whole, it’s not completely shocking that The Good Doctor will be back for Season 7, but the question that remains is whether it will be followed by The Good Lawyer. 

Will The Good Doctor Get Its Spinoff?

Like ABC’s The Rookie: Feds as The Rookie’s spinoff and Station 19 as Grey’s Anatomy’s spinoff, The Good Lawyer hasn’t received an order for the 2023-2024 TV season just because the parent series did. The backdoor pilot (available streaming with a Hulu subscription) for The Good Doctor’s potential legal spinoff aired back in March and introduced Nancy Drew alum Kennedy McMann as Joni DeGroot, an attorney who uses her obsessive compulsive struggles to her advantage in her profession. 

It was unclear at the time if The Good Lawyer could stand on its own and separate from The Good Doctor, and its fate has not yet been determined. TVLine went on to report that even though the spinoff hasn’t gotten a series order to go with The Good Doctor’s renewal, no decision has been made and a pickup is still possible. ABC has reportedly declined to comment at the time of writing.  

For now, fans of the parent series can look forward to the last two episodes of Season 6, with Shaun realizing some bad news about Dr. Glassman in the latest episode while also looking forward to the birth of his first child with Lea. It seems safe to say that there are still complications in store, because what would a season finale of The Good Doctor be without some serious complications? 

The final episodes of The Good Doctor Season 6 will continue airing on Mondays at 10 p.m. ET on ABC, with the finale on May 1. For some viewing options once Shaun Murphy and Co. are missing from the small screen over the summer, be sure to check out our 2023 TV premiere schedule.

Spoilers ahead for the March 13 episode of The Good Doctor Season 6, called “The Good Lawyer.”

The Good Doctor is going strong in Season 6, with heartache like Dr. Glassman (Richard Schiff) losing almost all of his earthly possessions when his house burned down being balanced by Shaun (Freddie Highmore) and Lea’s (Paige Spara) preparations to become parents. ABC took a break from setting the drama at St. Bonaventure this week, with a backdoor pilot called “The Good Lawyer” that could launch the network’s next legal drama. 

With Shaun being sued for malpractice, he turned to Joni DeGroot (Nancy’s Drew’s Kennedy McMann) and Janet Stewart (Felicity Huffman) for help. The episode subverted my expectations in some good ways, which raises the question: does a good episode mean a good series?

What Is The Good Lawyer About?

News broke back in August that The Good Doctor could be the next ABC hit to get a spinoff, following The Rookie: Feds scoring a series order. Not much was known at the time except that it would be via a backdoor spinoff that would air sometime in the second half of Season 6. 

The project would go on the cast Kennedy McMann as lawyer Joni DeGroot, who struggles to become a trial lawyer due the obsessive compulsive disorder that has led her peers to believe she’s best relegated to a research role. Felicity Huffman also joined the pilot to play Janet Stewart, a partner at the same law firm as Joni. When the backdoor pilot aired on ABC, there was no guarantee of a series order.

How The Pilot Subverted My Expectations

I’ll admit it: I didn’t go into “The Good Lawyer” with especially high hopes, even though Joni using her obsessive compulsive struggles to her advantage as a lawyer working to set the premise apart from other legal dramas. I just wasn’t sure that seeing Joni in action as a lawyer would have high enough stakes to anchor a series. After all, Shaun’s job is often quite literally life-or-death, and primetime is full of hit shows involving legal battles. 

So I was pleasantly surprised when the episode was not only solid as a standalone hour of TV, but a pretty great backdoor pilot. Sure, there were elements that were similar to many other legal dramas, and the stakes could only be so high when the main character of a show called The Good Doctor was in jeopardy of losing his medical license. Still, despite the fact that Joni was obviously going to get an acquittal for Shaun, the episode worked. 

The element that really helped this episode as a pilot was the reenactment of Shaun and Park (Will Yun Lee) trying to save lives in a terrible car accident. That’s not something that happens in every legal drama, and Joni reliving the scenarios created The Good Lawyer counterpart to how Shaun finds solutions on The Good Doctor. 

Plus, Joni didn’t close the case for Shaun by managing to overcome her need for three taps within the one-hour episode; she needed an assist from Janet (that includes a $5,000 fee for contempt of court) to get through the trial. The case itself had a happy ending, but the episode closed with a sense that there’s a lot more of Joni’s story that can be told. The character is extremely thorough; why not fully explore that?

Can The Good Lawyer Stand On Its Own?

Well, between the reenactments that set backdoor pilot apart from other legal dramas, the fairly smooth exposition about who Joni is and how she manages her OCD, and the performances from the cast, I can say that the episode was enough that I would check out The Good Lawyer if it scores a series order... but that may not be enough. 

The investment in Joni’s case at least partially came because of Shaun, and it seems like The Good Lawyer might not be able to rely on an ensemble cast as much as The Good Doctor does. The new characters of note were Joni, Janet, and Joni’s sister, contrasted with a whole staff of surgeons on Shaun's show. Plus, this is a legal drama without the element of investigation that has kept the Law & Order franchise going since 1990. 

And unless St. Bonaventure doctors start getting sued more often or The Good Lawyer characters start having medical emergencies on a regular basis, there may not be many openings for crossovers. Based on what ABC has done with Grey’s Anatomy and Station 19, the network likes crossovers!

On the whole, I’m guessing that the backdoor pilot has pretty good odds of scoring a series order for The Good Lawyer. A lot likely depends on how many people tune in on March 13 and over the following days. The episode subverted my expectations that Joni’s show wouldn’t have a whole lot to distinguish itself other than Joni herself – and Kennedy McCann is very charming in the role – and seems to have the potential to capture the magic that has kept The Good Doctor running for six seasons.

That said, very little is ever guaranteed in the television business… especially with rumblings of a potential 2023 TV writers strike. That possible strike may have already affected the fates of two NBC shows; if the strike does happen, only time will tell if The Good Lawyer stands a chance. 

For now, keep tuning in to ABC on Mondays at 10 p.m. ET for new episodes of The Good Doctor. The medical drama should go back to business as usual in the 2023 TV schedule now that Shaun has been cleared of malpractice. You’ll also be able to revisit the “The Good Lawyer” episode of the show streaming with a Hulu subscription, along with the full first five seasons and Season 6 so far.

Spoilers ahead for the February 27 episode of The Good Doctor Season 6, called "Hard Heart."

Season 6 of The Good Doctor hasn't been easy on any of the main characters, but Dr. Glassman in particular recently suffered a major loss that cost him dearly. A simple termite infestation that should have been no more than an inconvenience ultimately resulted in the home that held so many memories of his late daughter burning to the ground. Glassman is on the road to emotional recovery thanks to Shaun and Lea stepping in, and an emotional moment between Shaun and his father figure in "Hard Heart" left me hoping that Season 6 will keep exploring this side of Glassman's loss. 

Glassman had been staying with Shaun and Lea since his house burned down, bringing them the perks of a man who is happy to cook gourmet meals for his hosts... and the drawbacks of making himself a little too much at home, with Shaun being way too open with Glassman than his wife would prefer. Going overboard on baby-proofing the apartment without consulting them (and bringing in a nanny cam) was the last straw for Lea, and he finally left... only to secure an apartment in their building, just a few doors down. 

The heartfelt moment came toward the middle of the episode, in a conversation that started with Shaun announcing to Glassman that he was annoying Lea. The older doctor knew that he'd overstepped, but said that "it was fun thinking about your baby and the future." Shaun went on to say exactly what Glassman (and I) needed to hear: 

Glassman looked about as touched by that as he has ever looked over six seasons of The Good Doctor, and he thanked Shaun and followed up with a hug, nearly in tears. He'd lost hope of becoming a grandfather with Maddie's death, and after this exchange with Shaun, I was about ready to give them both a hug through the screen! 

For me, the show has done a great job handling Lea's pregnancy (although I could have done without the huge time jump to lower the stakes after the scary fall finale cliffhanger), but needed to touch on Glassman's loss a bit more. This episode did that while also providing some hope, as it acknowledged how much Glassman lost and could not get back while also telling him that he has an important place in Shaun's family, even if they're not family by blood. Be still my heart!

Of course, The Good Doctor is still a medical drama (and has a potential legal drama to launch in the coming weeks), so the show undoubtedly isn't going to go overboard on touching family moments with Shaun, Lea, and Glassman, but I can hope! Plus, there are some exciting developments on the way, not the least of which is the return of Chuku Modu as Dr. Jared Kalu, who was a series regular for the first season before officially departing in early Season 2. 

How he'll fit back in at St. Bonaventure remains to be seen, but a promo for his first episode back sheds a little bit of light:

Tune in to ABC on Mondays at 10 p.m. ET for new episodes of The Good Doctor Season 6, and revisit earlier seasons streaming with a Hulu subscription. You can also find some upcoming viewing options for March and beyond in our 2023 TV premiere schedule. 

Spoilers ahead for the winter premiere of The Good Doctor Season 6, called “Quiet and Loud.”

The Good Doctor finally returned to ABC with its winter premiere, weeks after many other of television’s biggest shows already made their 2023 debuts. Whether or not it was worth the wait will undoubtedly be up for debate as the second half of Season 6 picks up, as the fall finale back in December ended on a number of suspenseful unanswered questions, including one life-or-death cliffhanger. “Quiet and Loud” addressed those questions and very quickly resolved the cliffhanger, but now that it’s over, I find myself thinking that the show missed an incredible opportunity because of one big move: jumping ahead in time. 

The fall finale ended on the reveal to Shaun that Lea was pregnant despite recently learning that conceiving could be deadly to both her and the child, as well as Lim getting a proposal as she headed into surgery to hopefully restore her ability to walk. Last but certainly not least was Jordan discovering that Perez had overdosed on drugs when he was supposed to be cooking for their first real date, and if not for the news that actor Brandon Larracuente was promoted to series regular, there would have been real reason for concern that the character died. 

All in all, it was a doozy of a finale with cliffhangers to keep fans on the hook for the winter finale in the new year. For the resolution, I was expecting something like how The Good Doctor went from channeling ER in the Season 5 finale to going full Grey’s Anatomy in the Season 6 premiere, with the latter picking up immediately after the former to show the full aftermath of what had happened before the cliffhanger. 

I didn’t think that the consequences would be as dire as what followed from the Season 5 premiere, but I was expecting at least a little suspense on one or two of the storylines, particularly Perez. Plus, after all the drama following Lim’s post-stabbing surgery with Shaun, it would have been nice to get a scene between them before so much time could pass.

The time jump taking the story months ahead from where the fall finale ended left me scrambling at the first commercial break to make sure that I hadn’t somehow missed the real winter premiere, because “Quiet and Loud” felt more like a second episode back than a grand return from a hiatus. 

The stakes were of course plenty high when Lea’s first surgery seemingly caused complications that were bad enough that not only would she lose her pregnancy, but Lim would have to do an emergency hysterectomy. There was even a touching scene of all the doctors who weren’t in the surgery joining Shaun outside of the OR to wait for word with him. Luckily, it turned out that Lea’s emergency wasn’t due to a surgical complication, and she and the baby survived. 

And that sequence worked for me, because I truly found myself wondering if Lea would have to undergo an emergency hysterectomy, so kudos to the show for building that suspense. I just wish that the winter premiere hadn’t squandered all the tension and suspense from the fall finale, and taken the opportunity to deliver on the dire promise from the end of 2022. 

Don’t get me wrong – I’m glad that Perez is okay and back to work, and it’s great to see Lim recovering and moving forward in her relationship, not to mention Lea on the mend. It just would have been nice to be shown instead of just told about what happened that sounded so interesting over those three unseen months. 

Of course, the winter premiere did set up storylines for what comes next. Lea is past the first trimester of her pregnancy, and I wouldn’t be surprised if another time jump is in store for her to give birth right in time for spring finale season. Plus, the backdoor pilot for the prospective legal drama spinoff is set to air in March, with Felicity Huffman starring in her first TV role since the college admissions scandal. On top of that, Morgan is actively working on getting pregnant, so there may be two characters with buns in the oven before the end of Season 6. 

Now that the medical drama has return in the 2023 TV premiere schedule, keep tuning in to ABC on Mondays at 10 p.m. ET for new episodes of The Good Doctor. You can also revisit earlier episodes of the series streaming with a Hulu subscription

Going back to the early ‘90s, actress Felicity Huffman has been something of a mainstay on the small screen, from Desperate Housewives to American Crime to Sports Night to Golden Years. (You know, the Stephen King miniseries where he cameoed as a bus driver.) Her most recent TV project was Netflix’s When They See Us, which filmed prior to the actress and others being charged in the high-profile college admissions scandal. Now, over three years after having served a shortened jail sentence, Huffman has landed her next big role, and it’s coming to our televisions sooner than viewers might have expected. 

Felicity Huffman is one of two names set to star in the in-the-works drama The Good Lawyer, the spinoff to ABC’s The Good Doctor that was first revealed back in August 2022. The new concept will be introduced through the Freddie Highmore-starring series via a backdoor pilot, which is currently set to air on Monday, March 6.

In the episode, which will be penned by co-showrunners Liz Friedman and David Shore, Highmore’s Dr. Shaun Murphy will be on the hunt for some impressive legal representation in order to help him get the win in a case. He’ll eventually land on a younger lawyer with obsessive compulsive disorder, and will choose to put his faith in her efforts. 

When the episode arrives, viewers will see Nancy Drew vet Kennedy McMann as the OCD-addled lawyer, whose name is Joni DeGroot. She’s described as being both brainy and amusing, and while she’s green behind the ears within her new gig at a top-tier law firm, she’s self-aware enough to know it. Plus, even though she doesn’t want to be seen as different among her colleagues, her condition does help her see facts and details in certain ways that work to her advantage. 

Meanwhile, Felicity Huffman will take on the role of Janet Stewart, who’s said to be on the opposite end of the experience spectrum from Joni. Janet is a partner at the aforementioned law firm, with a high intellect and an appreciation for wit. Her connection to The Good Doctor’s characters is through Richard Schiff’s Dr. Aaron Glassman, having represented him multiple times in past cases. (Huffman guested on the Schiff-starring drama The West Wing, for those keeping track.) But when he attempts to have her take charge in Shaun’s case, the younger doc changes things up by requesting Joni.

It’s not so clear at this point how this story would kick off the larger universe for Joni and Janet, but it doesn’t take much pretending to envision some serialized elements mixed in with case-of-the-week formatting. What is clear is that ABC would love to replicate some of The Good Doctor’s success, as it’s currently ranking as the network’s biggest show in viewership and key demo ratings, tying it with Nathan Fililon’s The Rookie. The drama’s DVR numbers are also soaring, so there’s definitely an audience for more characters in this world. 

For what it's worth, Felicity Huffman did sign on for a new TV project not so long after the college admissions scandal hype had quieted down. She was attached to be part of the baseball-centric dramedy from former Pitch writer Becky Hartman Edwards. However, no major updates have come out of that project since it was announced in late 2020.

With Ruben Fleischer directing, The Good Lawyer’s backdoor pilot is set to air via The Good Doctor’s episode debuting on ABC on Monday, March 6, at 10:00 p.m. ET. Fans can watch both When They See Us and the initially delayed comedic film Otherhood with a Netflix subscription. And head to our 2023 TV premiere schedule to see what other new and returning shows are on the way.

Spoilers ahead for the fall finale of The Good Doctor Season 6, called "Broken or Not."

The Good Doctor has officially come to an end for 2022, and "Broken or Not" left a lot for fans to think about before Season 6 returns in the 2023 TV premiere schedule. Some endings were better than others, with Lim getting a proposal from Clay before surgery as a show of support that he's all-in, Lea finding out that she's pregnant despite recently learning about the dangers to her health, and Jordan showing up for her first real date with Perez... only to find him unconscious (at best) with a needle on the floor next to him. Perez's fate is uncertain and he definitely wasn't moving when Jordan found him, so should fans be concerned about the scary cliffhanger? 

The course of true love never did run smooth on The Good Doctor, and that apparently also applies to first dates, as Jordan showed up happily carrying ice cream for their dinner together, only to peek through the window, see Perez on the floor, break through the door, and call 911 while he was unresponsive next to a needle. The scene ended with Jordan calling for help and trying to find a pulse without revealing whether or not he was alive, so 2022 is officially ending without revealing whether he lives, dies, or suffers permanent damage from his relapse. 

Although Perez seemingly overdosing was an unpleasant surprise (to say the least) for Jordan, it's not completely out of nowhere. Clean when he came to St. Bonaventure, he had a history of struggling with opioid addiction. Sparks were flying between him and Jordan, and he seemed to be doing well at the hospital, but now worried fans can just wait and hope for the best. 

The good news is that those fans may not need to worry too much about whether or not Perez will die! Deadline reported back in November that actor Brandon Larracuente had been bumped up to series regular status after only being billed as recurring for the first portion of Season 6. It seems unlikely that The Good Doctor would promote the actor playing one of the newest doctors just to kill off the character less than two months later. I feel pretty comfortable saying that Perez will survive his overdose. 

The Good Doctor isn't the only medical drama with a storyline about a surgeon with an addiction, and Perez is in more dire straits than Ian has been on The Resident so far, which has been more similar to ER than anything else. Perez may need more than just a stint in rehab off-screen before he can come back to work, depending on how much damage was done before Jordan arrived and broke in to try and save his life.

If Brandon Larracuente was still only recurring, I'd be worried about this storyline being used to kill Perez off or write his exit. As it stands, I'm more curious about how the aftermath will play out, and whether the overdose will jeopardize his position at St. Bonaventure. Unfortunately, the promo is no help when it comes to his fate. It's focused more on Shaun and Lea with Lea in emergency surgery, and Jordan makes an appearance, but Perez is nowhere to be seen. Take a look:

On the whole, it seems that ABC wants to keep fans guessing as much as possible without dropping even a hint about Perez's fate, but I'm comfortable predicting that whatever happens, he's not going to die. The show is still going strong by this point in Season 6, not long after the 100th episode milestone and its big reveal about Morgan. 

Find out the fate of Dr. Danny Perez with the winter premiere of The Good Doctor on Monday, January 23 at 10 p.m. ET on ABC. If you want to revisit some earlier episodes or even seasons of the hit medical drama, you can do so streaming with a Hulu subscription now.

Spoilers ahead for November 28 episode of The Good Doctor, called “Boys Don’t Cry.”

The Good Doctor’s first episode following its major milestone was emotional almost from start to finish, with the characters split into different teams to try to save the lives of all six sextuplets who were delivered much earlier than would be ideal. Meanwhile, Shaun and Lea got some heartbreaking news about her ability to conceive just when they were ready to start trying for a pregnancy after their miscarriage back in Season 4. For her part, Morgan is wasting no time on her decision in the 100th episode and actively working on having a baby of her own, and The Good Doctor has avoided the most obvious move for her... so far. 

Morgan used her breaks between caring for one of the sextuplets to sort through potential sperm donors to father her future baby. Of course, she was paired with Park throughout the episode, as the baby he was caring for was the twin to hers, and they had no choice but to work together despite the post-breakup awkwardness that still hasn’t gone away. When he accused her of searching Tinder, she told him what she was really doing, and he didn’t exactly start congratulating her. 

After some back and forth about whether she’d be able to find the right guy if she had a baby first – which Morgan rightfully shot down as an argument – and pointing out the factors about a person that she couldn’t possible know from a sperm donor profile, he offered to donate his own with no strings attached. As a veteran TV viewer, I could already imagine the storyline of how they would discover a LOT of strings attached after she agreed, followed by rekindled feelings during the pregnancy, and the two falling back in love in time for the baby to be born. 

Alternately, there was a less fairy tale version that could predictably play out if she accepted and tried to become pregnant with his child. Whatever the outcome, it didn’t even take me until the commercial break to feel convinced that she would accept his offer, and that would be their shared storyline for the rest of the season. 

So it came as a nice surprise when Morgan decided that she couldn’t accept his offer to donate sperm just to make sure that she personally knew the man who would provide half of her child’s genes. She said that it would hurt too much if she looked down at her child and saw him, and he made it clear that he understood and related. 

There are clearly still feelings on both sides, but The Good Doctor isn’t going the obvious route of them creating a child together, or getting right back together after having to examine how they still feel for each other. In fact, he agreed to help her come up with some criteria to narrow down her list of potential sperm donors to find the right guy. 

The Good Doctor is seemingly moving forward with Morgan actively trying to have a child, and it’s avoiding predictable pitfalls so far after not seeming to know what to do with her earlier in the series. See what’s next for Morgan with new episodes of The Good Doctor on Mondays at 10 p.m. ET on ABC. The fall season is nearly over, so be sure to check out our 2023 TV premiere schedule to start planning ahead, and revisit past episodes of the medical drama streaming with a Hulu subscription. 

Spoilers ahead for the 100th episode of The Good Doctor, called “Hot and Bothered.”

The Good Doctor has officially hit the impressive milestone of 100 episodes, and “Hot and Bothered” didn’t celebrate that milestone by going easy on the staff at St. Bonaventure. After a heat wave of well over 100 degrees flooded the ER with elderly patients and Shaun clashed with Powell yet again, it took a lot of improvisation and more than a little luck for everybody to get to a place of peacefully enjoying cake by the final moments. The episode also dropped a big reveal about Morgan and her goals for herself, but didn’t give a clue about whether or not she’d actually pursue it. 

Morgan spent most of the episode paired with Asher, who alternated between teasing her about striking out on Tinder and trying to make her feel better. It worked enough that she opened up about the goals she’d set for herself in high school – including winning an Olympic medal and touring with NSYNC – that she didn’t mind giving up. It was harder for her to give up her dream of becoming a surgeon, but she’s resigned to that by this point. Based on what she initially told Asher, it seemed like she hadn’t yet given up on the dream of marriage and children. 

By the end of the episode, she clarified that she had one specific goal in mind. She doesn’t want to fill the “hole” in her life with a boyfriend; she wants a child. Given that this is Morgan Reznick, it seems likely that she won’t just wait around before chasing after something she wants, and as a doctor, she knows that there are ways to conceive a child without a relationship with a man, and there’s always the adoption option. So, I was a little surprised when the promo for the next episode shows a doctor who isn’t Morgan considering parenthood. 

The next episode of The Good Doctor is called “Boys Don’t Cry,” and the promo shows Shaun and Lea talking about trying to start a family together. Take a look:

On the one hand, it’s great to see Shaun and Lea excited about trying to have a baby after the tragic miscarriage back in Season 4, not too long after they made the difficult decision to continue their path to parenthood. (You can revisit that arc streaming with a Hulu subscription.) Now that they’re married and on more solid professional footing, it makes sense that they’d decide to try again, and babies seem to be the theme of the episode with a mother giving birth to sextuplets! On the other hand, why doesn’t Morgan factor into either the promo or episode description, after her desire for a child was arguably the biggest reveal of the 100th episode milestone?

Of course, a 30-second promo isn’t going to give away everything that happens in an episode, so it’s entirely possible that Morgan will have a subplot in “Boys Don’t Cry” about her own desire for a child. It just struck me as odd that the information about the next episode not only didn’t mention Morgan and her reveal, but shifted the focus about having a child over to Shaun and Lea. 

Tune in to ABC on Monday, November 28 at 10 p.m. ET to catch the next new episode of The Good Doctor, assuming that the medical drama isn’t bumped from the schedule like last week. The fall premiere season is nearly over, so be sure to plan ahead for the new year with our 2023 TV premiere schedule.

The Good Doctor is on the verge of hitting a major milestone on ABC: the 100th episode. Just weeks after a different medical drama hit triple digits in its episode count, the Freddie Highmore-led series has what seem to be some exciting plans. Of course, “exciting” doesn’t necessarily mean “fun” for Dr. Shaun Murphy and the others at St. Bonaventure. Read on for what ABC has revealed so far about hitting the big 100 with Season 6! 

The show (which might have hit 100 episodes back in Season 5 if not for shortened and delayed seasons due to COVID) returns on November 14 with an episode called “Hot and Bothered,” and it’s clear from the ABC episode description that the title is extremely apt. Here’s what the network previewed about the cases (and conflicts) of the hour:

While medical dramas set in places like the Windy City (like Chicago Med) and New York (like New Amsterdam) may usually have a harder time with the cold than heatwaves in November, that’s not the case for The Good Doctor and its San Jose setting. Things will evidently get “heated” between Shaun and newcomer Dr. Powell (played by Titans alum Savannah Welch), which isn’t altogether surprising. They didn’t get off to the strongest start this season, and it seems that the sky-high temperatures won’t help. 

Plus, a hospital losing power is never a good thing, and Lea and Dr. Glassman are a bit of an odd couple pairing to be tasked with saving the day. Her tech skills have been key to resolving crises in the past; with “Hot and Bothered” as the 100th episode, I’m guessing that The Good Doctor will raise the stakes especially high for this outage. That said, Lea and Glassman’s story isn’t even teased in the promo, which was released after the October 31 episode (available streaming with a Hulu subscription). Take a look at the preview:

Dr. Glassman does have at least one reasonably calm moment with Shaun, based on the promo, when he states that he works with people he doesn’t like “all the time.” It’s hard to say whether Shaun or Dr. Powell is in the right on the issue that comes between them, with him pointing out that he has more surgical experience and her reminding him that she has more physical disability experience due to her amputated leg. So, fans may not want to take sides just yet, but it looks like the situation will get ugly in the operating room. 

Hopefully The Good Doctor will follow The Resident’s example and deliver a happy ending in the 100th episode, but this hasn’t exactly been a happy sixth season of the ABC medical drama. While Shaun and Lea have had their cute moments as newlyweds (despite their wedding night going horribly wrong in a bloody emergency worthy of Grey’s Anatomy), Lim’s surgery resulting in her being wheelchair-bound has caused a lot of conflict, with doctors having to choose sides.

See exactly how The Good Doctor celebrates the 100-episode milestone on Monday, November 14 at 10 p.m. ET on ABC. The fall TV season is already winding down, so be sure to check out our 2023 midseason premiere schedule to start planning ahead for early 2023.

Spoilers ahead for Episode 3 of The Good Doctor Season 6, called “A Big Sign.”

The Good Doctor spent much of its latest episode on the case of a marital therapist who came in with an ankle injury, only to discover that she had a much more serious issue. She needed surgery for a tumor in her brain, which seemed to be going well, only for her heart to stop and require resuscitation. By the end of the case, Shaun had a breakthrough about his relationship with Lea, but I still felt called out by an earlier scene between him and his residents following the patient's near-death experience. 

When Shaun went to inform his patient about what happened in the surgery, she announced that she had died before anybody had the chance to tell her that her heart had indeed stopped and they’d had to bring her back. She gave a detailed description of what happened, as if she watched from above, and said that she saw her late husband as well. While Perez believed that she’d had a spiritual experience, Shaun had an alternative explanation: there was something else wrong with her brain. 

The doctors were all still debating it after a commercial break, with Asher sharing his perspective and totally calling me out in the process. He said:

Now, I haven’t had an out-of-body experience in a hospital after a surgeon who looks oddly like the guy from Bates Motel operated on my brain, but I’m definitely guilty of watching enough medical shows on television that I too would probably describe a code like she did if asked. Considering that I ended Season 5 by comparing The Good Doctor’s cliffhanger to an iconic twist from ER, and then opened Season 6 by comparing the active shooter situation to Grey’s Anatomy, there’s no point in pretending that I don’t fall into the category of medical TV show viewers that Asher described. Go ahead and call me out, The Good Doctor!

Of course, anybody who has been watching The Good Doctor for six seasons and counting can probably also relate to how the marriage therapist could describe a code so easily, and it didn’t feel like the ABC show was poking fun at anybody. Asher’s comment was a stepping stone to Shaun realizing that their patient had a second tumor. Sadly, she wouldn’t survive the second surgery, and her death was especially tragic after she spent so many of her final hours trying to help the doctors with their relationship woes. 

And Shaun finally took her advice truly to heart, despite insisting for most of “A Big Sign” that his constant corrections of Lea were because he wanted her to know how to do things the right way… a.k.a. his way. She told him that it sometimes felt like he was watching her do things and “holding a big sign that says ‘you’re doing everything wrong.’” 

After a breakthrough about their relationship (helped by spending so much time with the marital therapist), Shaun more than made it up to Lea. When she went to do the dishes (which he had “corrected” her about early in the episode), he set up a pretty sweet gesture: 

If that was where the episode concluded, it would have been safe to say that “A Big Sign” had a happy ending, but The Good Doctor had a less upbeat scene left. In a payoff of last week’s indication that fans might have to choose a side between Dr. Lim and Shaun, Lim shot down his attempt at small talk and personal connection. She can’t get over the fact that his decisions in surgery left her in a wheelchair, and while she wasn’t cruel about it, she informed him that they could communicate only about work moving forward. 

Lim can set her anger aside as his boss and when it comes to medicine, but they won’t be friends. Find out whether either of them can stick with her decision with new episodes of The Good Doctor on Mondays at 10 p.m. ET on ABC. You can catch up on any episodes you might have missed streaming with a Hulu subscription, and find some more viewing options on our 2022 TV premiere schedule. 

Spoilers ahead for Episode 2 of The Good Doctor Season 6 on ABC, called “Change of Perspective.”

The Good Doctor continued Season 6 with a much calmer episode on the heels of last week’s intense premiere that went full Grey’s Anatomy with an active shooter in the hospital. While there weren’t bullets flying in “Change of Perspective,” however, conflict was brewing as Dr. Lim tried to come to terms with her paralysis after Shaun made a controversial decision during her emergency surgery after being stabbed. While she seemed as fine as could be hoped for under her circumstances for most of the episode, she finally broke down in the final minutes, and her rant suggests that fans may soon need to choose sides.

In a fantastic performance from actress Christina Chang, Lim finally let herself feel everything when a bystander helped her with her wheelchair and then asked if she was okay. The doctor responded:

Well, it’s good that Dr. Lim finally allowed herself to feel everything rather than bottle it all up, but there’s also not an easy solution to everything that has been bothering her. While viewers who watched the premiere (which picked up on the Season 5 finale going full ER with the stabbing cliffhanger for Lim) saw that Shaun made what he believed was the best call to save her life in surgery, it left her paralyzed from the waist down, and he was the only one who wanted to do that particular surgery.

In fact, if Glassman hadn’t had to leave the room for another emergency surgery, Shaun wouldn’t have had his way. There’s no way of knowing if Glassman’s method would have saved her life and spared her the paralysis, but she does know for certain that Shaun’s method has forced her to change her entire life… even though she's only alive because of it.

Shaun, Lim, and Glassman all have points that could be argued, and a conversation early in the episode between Asher and Jordan indicated that characters may even need to take sides within the Good Doctor universe. Jordan said that Shaun paralyzed Lim because he didn’t follow Glassman’s orders, while Asher argued that he saved her life and there’s no way to know what the outcome would have been if Shaun had gone the other route. 

Asher and Jordan didn’t fight about it, but the promo for the next episode suggests that viewers may have to choose who they agree with between Shaun, Lim, and Glassman. Take a look:

Lim is evidently going to vocalize her concerns to Shaun and Glassman in the episode that will air on October 17, with Glassman coming out and saying that he wouldn’t have done what Shaun did while Shaun insisted to her that he saved her life. All in all, it looks like the next episode will be must-see for anybody who is ready to see the fallout of Dr. Lim’s breakthrough about the surgery. 

Tune in to ABC to see new episodes of The Good Doctor on Mondays at 10 p.m. ET, and check out a Hulu subscription if you’re interested in revisiting past seasons of ABC’s hit medical drama. The show may get a spinoff, although a very different kind of show would result. For some more viewing options now and in the coming weeks, take a look at our 2022 TV premiere schedule.

Spoilers ahead for the Season 6 premiere of The Good Doctor on ABC, called “Afterparty” and Season 6 of Grey’s Anatomy.

As expected after how the fifth season finale of The Good Doctor ended, Shaun and Lea’s wedding reception was interrupted in the worst way shortly after the Season 6 premiere began. Fans will remember that the spring finale ended with Dr. Lim and Nurse Villaneuva brutally stabbed by the nurse’s abusive ex, while music blasting at the reception meant none of the other doctors heard what happened. It seemed like the major storyline to start Season 6 would be all about whether they'd survive, but The Good Doctor instead went full Grey’s Anatomy with a storyline that called back to one of the drama’s most iconic arcs. But is a reminder of another medical drama a good way to start Season 6? 

Well, considering that The Good Doctor ended Season 5 with a scene that completely reminded me of NBC’s long-running medical drama ER and I certainly came back for more, any Grey’s similarities probably won’t do its fellow ABC series any harm! Last season ended with Owen stabbing Villaneuva off-screen, then stabbing Lim when she stumbled onto the scene. I honestly thought that was more or less the end of the violent part of the story – with Owen as a stabber who would of course be captured while most of the next episode centered on trying to save Lim. How wrong I was!

So it came as a surprise when Owen got his hands on a gun and turned the stabbing situation into an active shooter situation, and I for one was immediately reminded of the Grey’s Anatomy two-parter that ended Season 6 with a shooter killing his way through what was then known as Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital. Even now, with Season 19 just days away from premiering, the shooter arc of Grey’s Anatomy stands out as one of the most frightening, tragic, and game-changing of the series. If any hospital drama includes a shooter and a lockdown with major characters separated at key moments, comparisons to Grey's are inevitable. 

And I would say that The Good Doctor stands up pretty well to those comparisons. The two shows certainly aren’t identical, for all that they both primarily focus on surgeons. Back in Season 6, Grey’s had a much larger ensemble than The Good Doctor does, which meant it could (and did) actually kill off some notable characters to raise the stakes without actually taking out any of the top-billed players. (R.I.P. Percy and Reed, though.) Not even the shooter or Nurse Villanueva – who I admittedly thought was a goner back in the Season 5 finale, which you can revisit streaming with a Hulu subscription – died in “Afterparty.” 

The death toll was considerably lower with the shooter on The Good Doctor compared to Grey’s Anatomy, but “Afterparty” did end in a way that guaranteed the effects would continue to be felt, like they were on Grey’s. Although Lim lived through some extremely dicey moments during her surgeries, she woke up to find herself paralyzed, seemingly from the waist down. That precise twist didn’t happen on Grey’s, but the doctors of Seattle Grace Mercy West definitely didn’t just shake off their traumatic situation either. 

So, was The Good Doctor’s “Afterparty” a carbon copy of Grey’s Anatomy’s shooter two-parter back in 2009? Definitely not. This was a one-hour premiere that ended with everybody in the much smaller ensemble still alive, while Grey’s was a two-hour event with sky-high stakes as soon as one of the doctors was killed. Still, the shooter and hospital lockdown meant that my mind immediately went to Grey’s, and it was a good thing that The Good Doctor’s premiere was largely so solid that the comparisons don’t do any harm. (Not sure what I think about Lea as a nurse, though.)

See what happens next on The Good Doctor with new episodes on ABC on Mondays at 10 p.m. ET in the 2022 TV premiere schedule. Shaun seems to have avoided any professional consequences for his breakdown in the OR thanks to how he ultimately saved the day, and the writing seems to be on the wall for Morgan and Park as a couple. I’m just hoping that Asher catches a break one of these days!

ABC is branching out for the 2022-2023 TV season when it comes to The Rookie, as the Nathan Fillion-led drama’s spinoff will soon premiere after its backdoor pilot for Niecy Nash’s Simone aired in the spring. Now, with The Rookie: Feds on the way, the network may be looking to expand hit hospital drama The Good Doctor with a spinoff of its own, but not with one of its existing doctors. 

The Good Doctor – which premieres its sixth season in October – will reportedly launch a legal drama called The Good Lawyer, according to Deadline, centered on a 20-something woman named Joni who fights her OCD to pursue justice as a defense attorney. She would enter the scene as a lawyer for Shaun after he has need of representation, which doesn’t sound great for Shaun but could be the basis for a solid spinoff. 

Although neither ABC nor production company Sony TV have commented at the time of writing, the outlet states that Joni (whose casting is open to all ethnicities) would debut in Episode 13 of The Good Doctor Season 6. The character is said to struggle with her OCD while also using her attention to detail to her advantage in her career, although she had to threaten legal action against her upscale law firm for attempting to unjustly fire her. 

Another new character is Janet, a veteran lawyer who has represented Dr. Glassman for decades, which delivers the connection between Shaun and this law firm. It sounds like Joni and Janet could be the Shaun and Glassman of The Good Lawyer, if it’s ordered to series, as a core mentor/mentee relationship, but the new characters’ connections may not go back as far as Shaun and Glassman’s. 

The news of a potential backdoor pilot comes a little over a year after Sony Pictures TV President Jeff Frost floated the idea of a spinoff as a possibility, although at the time didn’t share any details about what a spinoff could look like. Instead of focusing on one of the existing characters like Claire (now that she’s no longer at St. Bonaventure) or Dr. Lim (assuming she recovers from the bloody Season 5 finale cliffhanger), The Good Lawyer would center on a newcomer. 

Whether or not the potential spinoff becomes a series like The Rookie: Feds, it seems that ABC is working well ahead on the project, with The Good Doctor EPs and co-showrunners David Shore and Liz Friedman on board. Assuming that the sixth season airs with a similar schedule to the first five, Episode 13 wouldn’t release until early 2023. At this point, fans are still more than a month away from seeing how the Season 6 premiere picks up after the attack on Dr. Lim. (You can revisit the Season 5 finale streaming with a Hulu subscription.)

A legal drama would be a fresh addition to the ABC lineup, which already has a few crime dramas (if we count Big Sky to go along with The Rookie and The Rookie: Feds) and two medical dramas, with The Good Doctor Season 6 and Grey’s Anatomy approaching Season 19. 

Plus, ABC has been behind the times when it comes to multi-show scripted franchises, compared to the likes of CBS (with the NCIS and FBI shows) and NBC (with the Law & Order and One Chicago shows). Only Grey’s Anatomy and Station 19 shared a universe on ABC before; with The Rookie: Feds and potentially The Good Lawyer, that could change for the better.

For now, though, the backdoor pilot for The Good Lawyer hasn’t been confirmed, so we’re well away from a series order. For now, fans can just look forward to the return of The Good Doctor in the 2022 TV premiere schedule. Season 6 returns to its 10 p.m. ET time slot on Mondays in ABC’s fall schedule starting on October 3.  

Warning: Major spoilers ahead for the Season 5 finale of The Good Doctor, “Sons.” Read at your own risk!

The Season 5 finale of The Good Doctor included the highly-anticipated wedding between sweethearts Shaun and Lea. However, in the episode’s final minutes, there was a gruesome twist that no one saw coming, and it actually mirrors an iconic storyline on ER. Executive producer David Shore discussed how the series will pick up in Season 6 after that major tragedy.

Shaun and Lea had a very low-key but lovely wedding at St. Bonaventure, courtesy of their friends and colleagues. When it was time to get more cups due to everyone drinking so much, Dr. Lim volunteered to check the break room. Unfortunately, she was greeted by a horrible sight of a bloody Nurse Villanueva on the ground. She warned Lim that her violent ex-boyfriend Owen was in the room, and things only went downhill from there.

Before Lim had any time to react, Owen stabbed her twice, leaving her for dead as her friends continued dancing and celebrating with a Beach Boys song playing in the background. It was a shocking cliffhanger, and David Shore revealed to TVLine what the Season 6 premiere, which has already been filmed along with the second episode, will consist of:

The fallout of the finale will definitely be intense, especially since Shore did reveal there will also be a bit of a time jump after the premiere. While he didn’t specify how far the time jump will be, it does seem like things will move ahead to Shaun and Park’s first year as surgical attendings. Where in the storyline it will land is unknown for now. 

Meanwhile, Dr. Shaun Murphy will see some new responsibilities as he becomes an attending at St. Bonaventure. David Shore teased what Shaun will deal with in Season 6 and the changes he will face on top of being married:

Shaun doesn’t do too well with change, but if it’s a change he’s been preparing for and working towards, it shouldn’t be too bad. However, being an attending does have much more responsibility than a resident. Seeing how he works through new challenges could lead to some fresh storylines. With such a great support system at St. Bonaventure and at home, Shaun will undoubtedly have his friends and loved ones at his side.

It's hard to tell what the aftermath of the finale will be like, but after losing Dr. Melendez, I wouldn’t be able to handle another death on The Good Doctor. Fingers crossed that Dr. Lim survives because St. Bonaventure would not be the same without her, nor would the show without Christina Chang, as it’s already lost more than enough stars.

It’s unknown when Season 6 of The Good Doctor will premiere, but ABC did confirm its fall lineup, and the medical drama is sticking to the 10 p.m. EST slot on Mondays in the upcoming season. In the meantime, check out CinemaBlend’s 2022 TV schedule to see what else to watch to keep you occupied until the fall!

Spoilers ahead for the Season 5 finale of The Good Doctor on ABC, called “Sons.”

Although The Good Doctor has been known to deliver game-changing finales that include major tragedies, the Season 5 finale seemed like it was going to end on a high note with Shaun and Lea finally getting married after so many ups and downs … except that they exchanged their vows with a couple of minutes left to go in the episode, and that all but guaranteed time for a cliffhanger. The cliffhanger involved Dr. Lim and Nurse Villanueva, and it called back to an iconic scene from another medical drama. But does it bode well that The Good Doctor had me flashing back to a bloody episode of ER?

What Happened To Lim And Villanueva

Fans will remember that Villanueva has been living with Lim after the latter refused her resignation and gave her a place to stay to get away from her domestic abuser. Villanueva was trying to get on her feet and move out of Lim’s place, but her boss made it clear that she was more than welcome to stay, since getting over the relationship with her abuser wasn’t going to be easy. They were all set to continue living together, and I honestly forgot about the storyline in all the excitement of the doctors of St. Bonaventure setting up a wedding for Shaun and Lea on the roof of the hospital. 

It was when Lim went down into the break room in search of more glasses while everybody partied two floors above – with nobody else, music blaring, and only a couple of minutes left in the episode – that I started flashing back to ER, and it turns out that I wasn’t entirely off-base. (More on the ER scene lower.) When she got down to the break room – with The Beach Boys’ “God Only Knows” playing – she slid in something that turned out to be a pool of Villanueva’s blood. She leapt into action, putting pressure on her wounds and calling for a cart, telling the nurse not to speak, but Villanueva had to try and warn her friend that somebody else was there. 

And that somebody was Villanueva's abusive ex Owen, who came out of the shadows, lunged at Lim and stabbed her twice in the abdomen before running off! The Season 5 finale ended with Villanueva and Lim both brutally stabbed and bleeding on the floor of an otherwise empty room, with the people who could save them partying obliviously above, with music drowning out any calls for help. Lim at least was still alive, and Villanueva was still breathing the last time that the camera focused on her face, but it’s going to be a long hiatus for fans wondering what happens next. 

If you’re an ER fan like me, you might already have an idea of what could happen, if The Good Doctor follows the pattern of what the legendary medical drama did more than two decades ago. Spoilers for Season 6 of ER are below.

What Happened To Carter And Lucy On ER

In Season 6 of ER on NBC in 2000, the show delivered a huge and horrifying twist when it came to Dr. Lucy Knight and Dr. John Carter (played by Noah Wyle), who had been treating a patient who very much did not want their help… or their spinal tap. After Carter got the situation under control (and yelled at Lucy) with a psych consult on the way, the episode moved on, and seemed sure to end on a high note with a Valentine’s Day party taking over the Emergency Room, complete with loud blaring music. Then, Carter went to check on Lucy and the patient in a dark exam room, and everything went wrong. 

When Carter entered the room, that patient lunged at him from the darkness and stabbed him twice before fleeing. Carter yelled for help, but nobody could hear him over the music, and he collapsed to the floor, where he found Lucy, who had already been brutally attacked and was lying in a pool of her own blood, conscious but not looking good. It’s a seriously chilling end to the Season 6 episode – which you can watch with a Hulu subscription, or just check out the scene here – and it stuck with me enough that The Good Doctor Season 5 finale immediately left me thinking about it. 

Now, are the two scenes identical? No. Lim saw Villanueva bleeding on the floor first, and then was stabbed from the front, whereas Carter was stabbed in the back and didn’t find Lucy until he too had fallen to the floor. But two medical professionals being stabbed as an episode cliffhanger after a happy party scene with music drowning out cries for help? Of course I was thinking about ER! And quite frankly, I’m about ready to revisit Season 6’s “All in the Family” and the follow-up episode just to experience it all over again.

Now, on the one hand, I applaud any show that makes a nod to an iconic ER scene, if the Good Doctor scene truly was inspired by what happened to Carter and Lucy back in 2000 and not just a coincidence of the writing. On the other hand, I don’t necessarily want the payoff of this cliffhanger to go down the same way that ER handled it. Carter survived, although went on to become addicted to his pain meds for a long and emotional arc. Lucy died from her wounds. Lim is too major and key of a character for me to want to see her to die, and Villanueva deserves to catch a break after trying to flee domestic violence. 

One thing is certain at this point: The Good Doctor delivered a doozy of a cliffhanger to leave fans on for the months of hiatus. The good news is that ABC has already renewed the medical drama for a sixth season, so their fates won’t be left permanently in question. Fans can only hope that it premieres earlier rather than later in the 2022-2023 season to shed some light on whether or not they survive, and whether their attacker is caught. 

The Good Doctor is done for the 2021-2022 TV season, but there are still plenty of finales on way, so be sure to check out our spring TV finale schedule for the dates you need to know for more of the biggest shows on television.

Spoilers ahead for the midseason premiere of The Good Doctor, “Rebellion.”

Season 5 of The Good Doctor keeps bringing the surprises and it won’t stop! After an early midseason return, the ABC medical drama has its own in-show return on the way in the form of a former St. Bonaventure doctor. Antonia Thomas, who portrayed Dr. Claire Browne, is heading back to the hospital later this season, and it’s likely going to be an emotional return.

Fans were devastated to learn that Antonia Thomas was departing from The Good Doctor at the end of the fourth season, citing a desire to take on other projects. The silver lining at the time was that Thomas was open to returning to the series in the future, and it looks like that will already be happening. The actress is set to appear in two upcoming Season 5 episodes, according to TVLine. Just how it'll happen and when those episodes will air is unknown, but Claire being back on our screens is something to look forward to. 

Claire's return to St. Bonaventure will definitely be an emotional one. She and Freddie Highmore’s Shaun were pretty close, and while Shaun was sad that his friend was leaving the hospital, he appropriately understood, so there wasn't any bad blood. It was an exit full of feels, considering what Claire went through personally with her family, and following Melendez's death. 

Fans said goodbye to Claire after the team’s mission trip to Guatemala in the Season 4 finale. The trip proved to be a very eye-opening one for her, as she was thriving and loved getting to help people who wouldn’t usually have access to that level of medical assistance. Despite not really speaking the language, and not really knowing the environment all that well, Claire instinctively knew that it was where she belonged. As her friends and colleagues left to go back to the States, she stayed behind. It was a tear-filled situation by all counts, but it definitely fit Claire’s journey to find herself.

Meanwhile, Season 5 of The Good Doctor has been a roller coaster already. With the hospital under new ownership, things have not been going the way they should, like having needed-but-expired pharmaceuticals in the pharmacy. Claire’s return is a definite need for Shaun, who broke off his engagement with Lea after she doctored Shaun’s patient scores to make it look like he got more positive reviews than negative.

It will be interesting to see what will bring Claire Browne back to St. Bonaventure, and just what exactly she’s been up to since we last saw her. There hasn’t been much mention of Claire since Season 5 began, but the St. Bonaventure team have had much more to deal with, so it’s not too surprising. It will be nice to see Antonia Thomas as Claire once again, so maybe this can open up even more opportunities for her to return in a later season? Lest her second exit be just as heartbreaking as the first. 

However, Thomas has been keeping herself busy since leaving The Good Doctor. She’s set to star in the upcoming crime drama Suspect, which is an English language adaptation of the Danish series Forhøret. The show centers around a detective who figures out what happened to his daughter in the days leading up to her murder. There is currently no set premiere date, but hopefully that will be announced soon.

There is no word on when Antonia Thomas’ episodes will premiere, but they will be showing up later this spring. In the meantime, new episodes of The Good Doctor air on Mondays at 10 p.m. EST on ABC! If you like that series, be sure to check out some similar shows!

Spoilers ahead for the series premiere of Good Sam on CBS.

CBS has officially gotten into the medical drama game with the debut of Good Sam, starring Sophia Bush in her big series regular return to network television after her exit from Chicago P.D. in 2017. As Dr. Sam Griffith, Bush – in her first turn playing a doctor on TV – takes on a leadership role at her hospital by becoming chief of surgery… with the complication that her father (played by Jason Isaacs) formerly held that position before ending up in a coma after being shot. When he awakes and must work under his daughter, there are more problems than just medical mysteries for Sam to deal with. 

The show packed a lot into the pilot episode to establish not only Sam and dad Rob “Griff” Griffith, but also her mom and her team of doctors who are used to following Griff’s lead rather than Sam’s. CBS was the only broadcast network without a medical drama prior to Good Sam, and recruiting a TV veteran like Sophia Bush and a big name like Jason Isaacs was a strong way to start. So, how does it compare to the other, long-running medical dramas on TV? 

Well, the medical show with the most similarities to Good Sam is arguably The Good Doctor, over on ABC. That show also focuses primarily on surgeons rather than emergency medicine or any other department, and features a parent/child dynamic that is fundamental to the series. Admittedly, Shaun and Glassman on The Good Doctor aren’t technically father and son, but that family element is there. Plus, there's Shaun and Lea, unless their big fight results in a break for good. Griff seems a little less inclined to fully support Sam than Glassman is for Shaun, though! 

With Sophia Bush the forefront of the show and her character in the title that’s a play on words (“Good Sam” for “Good Samaritan”), there are clear parallels between Good Sam and ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy, which of course stars Ellen Pompeo as Meredith Grey. In addition to the female lead, the two shows share a focus on surgery. That said, Grey’s has been running for 18 seasons so far, so its characters have far more history than even what the pilot exposited about Sam. 

With Sam revealing early on that she had heart surgery as a child, it’s easy to make a comparison to Ryan Eggold’s Max Goodwin over on NBC, although Max’s struggles with his health happened in the first season of New Amsterdam rather than decades in the past. That said, Sam and Max have a position of authority in common (or did before Max’s latest big decision), even though the NBC show focuses on multiple different departments in one hospital rather than just surgery. 

The comparisons between Good Sam and The Resident – which is Fox’s only medical drama – are a little fewer and farther between, although there was a strong family dynamic central to The Resident up until Emily VanCamp’s departure and her character's death. Still, there are a lot of found family members on the show, and its success proves that a network doesn’t need multiple medical TV shows to enjoy a long run. 

Arguably the medical drama with the fewest similarities to Good Sam is also one of the biggest on television: NBC’s Chicago Med. The One Chicago series mostly centers the medical action on the emergency department, although surgery and psych are also important to the storytelling. Med is more of an ensemble show, compared to Good Sam with Sophia Bush as the clear lead. It’s also a spinoff, which fundamentally sets it apart from the other shows in the genre. 

So, does Good Sam have what it takes to become the next medical TV show hit and follow in the footsteps of those that are already successful? Only time will tell on that front, but Sophia Bush has proven herself as a strong TV actor thanks to One Tree Hill and then Chicago P.D. In an interesting twist, Good Sam is actually airing up against Chicago P.D. over on NBC on Wednesdays, filling the slot previously held by CSI: Vegas. See what happens next with Bush’s new show with new episodes on CBS on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET in the 2022 winter premiere lineup.

The end of the 2021 TV season is nigh as the new year approaches, and primetime has been competitive throughout the fall. Medical dramas are always hot commodities, with NBC’s Chicago Med and ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy ranking among the biggest shows on television. And the rest of the medical dramas of the fall have held their own as well, and there are some surprises with how they rank against each other in the ratings and audience size. So, as the final weeks of 2021 wind down, let’s look at how the biggest medical dramas compare to each other. 

There are currently five notable medical dramas on the air between ABC, Fox, and NBC, although CBS will be adding an entry with Good Sam in the new year. Let’s take a look at the average numbers for those five series so far in the 2021-2022 TV season (courtesy of SpoilerTV), in the Live+Same day totals for the viewers in the valuable 18-49 age demographic. We’ll start with the medical drama that comes in fifth!

5. New Amsterdam/NBC

New Amsterdam is currently the newest of the medical dramas in primetime, although it’s halfway through its fourth season by this point. The show has inspired a loyal and passionate fandom that has been on board for an intense fourth season that delivered several cliffhangers in the winter finale, but it still has the lowest ratings by a significant enough amount that I place it fifth, despite beating #4 in the size of the audience. Take a look:

• Average rating for 2021-2022: 0.37
• Average viewership for 2021-2022: 3.28 million

Those certainly aren’t bad numbers, and NBC doesn’t seem to have reason for concern that the show is losing its appeal to fans. And in fact, New Amsterdam ranks among the current TV shows that receive big bumps in delayed viewership, with the number of people who watch within three and seven days after the initial airing. So New Amsterdam comes in fifth with 0.37 and 3.28 million in Live+Same, but it’s doing well enough.

4. The Resident/Fox

Interestingly, the third- and fourth-ranked medical dramas are pretty close to each other in the numbers, with one getting higher ratings and the other getting a larger audience. The Resident with the high-stakes Season 5 is actually the show with the higher ratings, which is an accomplishment for Fox’s sole medical drama, but a smaller audience. Take a look at the average numbers, and then read on for why I ranked it fourth despite the ratings win:

• Average rating for 2021-2022: 0.46
• Average viewership for 2021-2022: 3.08 million

The Resident’s 3.08 million is actually smaller than both New Amsterdam’s average and the average for #3 below, but the significantly higher ratings place it in fourth rather than fifth. And I placed it as fourth rather than third after I turned to another set up numbers to break what was more or less a tie: the Live+7 numbers.

Live+7 totals account for all the viewers who watched live and over the week after. I turned to the Live+7 numbers available for the most recent week when both shows aired new episodes, and here’s how The Resident did in the week of November 15 (via SpoilerTV): 

• Live+7 ratings: 0.7
• Live+7 viewership: 4.8 million

The Resident got a healthy boost in both categories to prove why it counts as a hit for Fox with live and delayed viewers, but still not enough for me to give it the #3 ranking. That spot goes to an ABC show!

3. The Good Doctor/ABC

The Good Doctor is also in its fifth season, and wrapped for the fall with a game-changing midseason finale that will leave fans waiting on edge for answers for however long the hiatus lasts. It also did well enough in the ratings to win the spot smack dab in the middle of the five shows, although not without consulting some extra numbers to pit it against The Resident. First, though, take a look at the average totals:

• Average rating for 2021-2022: 0.42
• Average viewership for 2021-2022: 3.87

This show is behind The Resident in the Live+Same ratings on average, but ahead in the size of the audience. While the difference between them was relatively slim in the initial numbers, the Live+7 delayed numbers tell a different story with a happy ending for the Freddie Highmore-starring medical drama for the week of November 15:

• Live+7 ratings: 0.8
• Live+7 viewership: 7 million

The Good Doctor doesn’t edge The Resident out by much in Live+7 ratings with its 0.8 over the Fox show’s 0.7, but pulls easily ahead with the 7 million vs. The Resident’s 4.8 million. So, the ABC show comes in third, which brings us to the biggest two medical dramas of the 2021-2022 TV season so far: the long-running Grey’s Anatomy vs. One Chicago’s medical drama. Here’s the series that gets #2!

2. Grey's Anatomy/ABC

Believe it or not, the average totals between Grey’s Anatomy and Chicago Med put the iconic ABC show in second place in Live+Same calculations. It still quite easily beats the lower three shows in this ranking, and turns in the kinds of numbers that many other primetime shows would probably love to have, especially considering how long Grey’s has been on. 

• Average rating for 2021-2022: 0.66
• Average viewership for 2021-2022: 4.28 million

Grey’s actually isn’t that much higher than The Good Doctor in Live+Same audience size, but beats it by more than half in the ratings with 0.66 vs. 0.42. Considering that the show is in its eighteenth season and nearly out of original series regulars, Grey’s Anatomy is more than holding its own, and it’s no surprise that ABC keeps on renewing it while Ellen Pompeo is on board to play the titular Grey.

And this of course brings us to…

1. Chicago Med/NBC

One Chicago wins when it comes to medical dramas in Live+Same! And in fact, it’s not even close, to the extent that even I was surprised, and I make a habit of keeping an eye on primetime ratings. Chicago Med has had a pretty long run already with its seventh season currently airing, but that’s not even half of how long Grey’s has been airing. And Med is easily winning the medical drama race:

• Average rating for 2021-2022: 0.76
• Average viewership for 2021-2022: 6.77 million

Chicago Med is 0.1 ahead of Grey’s Anatomy in the ratings, and with a larger audience by more than a million. It’s no surprise that Med is a major hit as part of NBC’s super successful One Chicago, but beating Grey’s with the live broadcast numbers is a bragging right and earns it the #1 spot among medical dramas. 

Of course, there are some wild cards that could almost be considered among the medical dramas. Shows like Chicago Fire, 9-1-1, 9-1-1: Lone Star, and Station 19 all feature medical emergencies with paramedics performing procedures and saving lives in the field, but I left them out of this ranking to let the traditional medical dramas compare to each other.

Interestingly, none of these five shows actually compete in the same time slot. In fact, New Amsterdam and The Resident are the only two that even air on the same night. This is a different story than what the big networks have going with their crime dramas, with CSI: Vegas going up against Chicago P.D. in the 10 p.m. slot on Wednesdays. 

CBS is getting into the medical drama game early in 2022 with the premiere of Good Sam, starring Sophia Bush (formerly of Chicago P.D.) and Jason Isaacs, so we may want to look at the medical show numbers again after Good Sam has a few weeks to turn in numbers. For when to expect these series and more to premiere in the new year, be sure to check out our 2022 winter and spring premiere schedule. 

Spoilers ahead for the fall finale of The Good Doctor Season 5 on ABC, called “Expired.”

The last new episode of The Good Doctor in 2021 was a doozy as, in true midseason finale fashion, it delivered some big new twists for the hospital as well as served up some reveals that have arguably been a long time coming in Season 5. After a preventable tragedy happened despite the best efforts of some of the best doctors at St. Bonaventure (including Shaun), everything fell apart. It was heartbreaking for the characters, and could result in some very big changes by the time Season 5 returns in 2022.

“Expired” actually got off to a pretty sweet start, which perhaps should have been the first clue that a lot was going to go sour by the time the final credits rolled. After a trip to check out a potential wedding venue turned into Shaun performing a miracle rescue on a pregnant woman by the name of Alma (with Lea lending a hand), he was invested in her care throughout the hour. Sadly, complications with an eventual C-section meant that even though they could save Alma’s life, the drugs they needed to save the baby were expired.

The episode ended with Shaun having a meltdown in the pharmacy out of his grief and frustration over the death of the baby, and he wasn’t even the only one pushed to the breaking point in the fall finale. The show won’t be back for a while to reveal what happens next, so let’s break down what happened leading up to the scene in the pharmacy and what the tragedy aftermath means for the show moving forward. 

The Wedding Is Off

Shaun was already in a heightened emotional state even before the baby died due to the fact that Lea confessed that she went to visit Glassman in Montana, and – more damningly – fixed Shaun's results from the patient reviews after the algorithm made him look like he was failing. Shaun seemed to not particularly care that she lied about the trip to Montana, but changing the results was too much for him. He demanded that she change back the results; when she said that she couldn’t, he suggested that she come clean to Salen, even saying that maybe she deserved to be fired for breaking the rules. 

It’s possible that the conflict might have blown over if not for the tragedy during the C-section. He shouted that he couldn’t marry her because he couldn’t trust her when she approached him during his pharmacy meltdown, not before. The episode ended with him sobbing into Glassman’s arms, while Lea could only watch. It’s hard to believe that the saga of Lea and Shaun that has been running for so long is really done for good after the Season 5 fall finale, but Lea crossed what was clearly a very big line for Shaun, and it seems unlikely that he’ll change his stance any time soon short of a time jump. 

Glassman Is Staying At St. Bonaventure

By the end of the episode, it was clear enough that Glassman was giving up on his plan to move to Montana, although he seemed to come to that conclusion before he found out about the death of the baby. His ex-wife, of all people, gave him the speech he needed to hear about how he needed Shaun, and it wasn’t just the other way around. And honestly, even if he still fully intended on leaving before walking in on Shaun breaking down in the pharmacy, I think Shaun emotionally shouting about Glassman failing as a best man and then breaking down in sobs would have convinced him to stay. Still, their relationship will need some mending in 2022. 

Notably, one of Shaun’s accusations against Glassman was that if he was still in charge of the hospital instead of Salen, then the baby wouldn’t have died. Could this mean that Glassman will feel motivated to try and take back some control at St. Bonaventure, if such a thing would be possible? He goes back far enough at the hospital that he likely has the kind of friends that Salen hasn’t made yet, and the death of the baby probably won’t endear her to any other doctors. After all, Shaun seemed to discover plenty of expired meds in the pharmacy, so Salen’s cost-saving may have affected more patients in more departments throughout the hospital.

Dr. Lim Has Had Enough

Dr. Lim isn’t the most hot-headed doctor at St. Bonaventure, but she cares deeply about her patients, and seemed just about as upset as Shaun after the tragedy, even though they expressed their sorrow and anger in very different ways. While Shaun dealt with his feelings in the pharmacy, Lim confronted Salen and told her up front that a baby died because the hospital didn’t have meds due to Salen cutting costs. She told the hospital owner to call her lawyers for when Alma woke up and found out what happened, prompting Salen to advise “discretion” so that this tragedy wouldn’t “derail everything we do here.”

Now, Salen was clearly emotionally affected by the death, so The Good Doctor didn’t paint her as a cackling villain. And Lim seemed to acknowledge that they all had exposure from what happened, including Lim herself and the residents. It was a very loaded scene between the two women, and while it looks like Lim isn’t about to go to the press or spell everything out for Alma, it also seems safe to say that she’s not going to give Salen the benefit of the doubt moving forward. If anything, she’d probably be on board with Glassman if he wanted to stage an administrative coup! 

Shaun Could Face Consequences

Shaun was doing more than just raging at Glassman and Lea down in the pharmacy; he was also destroying all of the expired meds that he found and quite literally making a big mess. He did stop before causing too much chaos, but it’s possible that his outburst could cause some trouble. The pharmacist was present, so it’s not like the situation could just go away with Lea and Glassman keeping it quiet. Could Shaun face some consequences for his reaction? 

Well, the top person who could punish Shaun for destroying the expired meds is Salen, and Salen seemed pretty shaken by what happened to the baby, so maybe she'd be lenient. Lim of course outranks him as well, but I think Lim would definitely be on his side when it comes to venting frustrations about everything that happened. Hopefully he won’t have to deal with any professional repercussions, considering all of the personal and emotional complications he has to deal with moving forward. 

Only time will tell on that front, and there are even more variables to consider. Dr. Andrews is all-in on his relationship with Salen, and Morgan has gone the extra mile to form an alliance with the new hospital owner. For his part, Park is committed to his relationship with Morgan. It would be interesting to see where the lines would be drawn if it comes down to taking sides for or against Salen in the aftermath of the tragedy. 

Unfortunately, fans are in for a bit of a wait before The Good Doctor returns. The show was not on the list of series that have received midseason premiere dates from ABC, and isn’t expected to return with new episodes until the spring. It should be interesting to see whether or not The Good Doctor includes a time jump between the November midseason finale and when it picks up again in several months. For now, stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more of the latest in entertainment news as the 2021 fall TV season winds down. 

Nearly all of the biggest shows on network television returned with new seasons this fall, but some of them are doing much better than others when it comes to the ratings and the size of the audience. Network TV ratings still matter even in an era of streaming services, so the shows that have disappointing numbers right after episodes air can make fans nervous. That said, there is a fair amount of nuance to ratings and viewership from the big four networks (ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC) that prove that some big shows are actually doing a whole lot better than they seem. Case in point: ABC’s The Rookie, among others. 

Now, the numbers for ratings and viewership can be kind of a lot to look at, especially since I think it’s safe to say that most of us don’t watch television because we want to do math. So, read on for a breakdown of the shows that are getting big boosts in the numbers after the live episodes, and a look at the trends they indicate. Because as it turns out, in the era of delayed DVR viewership and online viewing, the earliest numbers aren’t the only ones that matter. Let’s start with the first round of ratings and viewership from people who watched late! 

Ratings And Viewership After Three Days

The first batch of ratings and viewership numbers after the earliest that really matter are the ones calculated three days after an episode airs, called Live+3. These reveal which shows got the biggest boosts from the initial numbers from the night of episodes airing, called Live+Same Day. The biggest ratings winner like NCIS and The Masked Singer generally don’t appear on the lists of shows that got the big boosts, which is a good thing for shows that turn in disappointing initial ratings. 

And for the sake of the most accurate delayed numbers, we’ll look at the primetime lineup for the last week of October, via SpoilerTV. I’ve pulled the shows that received boosts of more than 70% for ratings and viewership, and we’ll start with ratings. 

• The Rookie: 100% rise from 0.3 to 0.6
• A Million Little Things: 100% rise from 0.3 to 0.6
• The Good Doctor: 100% rise from 0.4 to 0.8
• New Amsterdam: 75% rise from 0.4 to 0.7
• Chicago P.D.: 71% rise from 0.7 to 1.2

In the ratings, Chicago P.D. rose to the highest spot, but actually received the smallest boost of these top five. It was a three-way tie between The Good Doctor, A Million Little Things, and The Rookie in doubling their initial ratings, although The Good Doctor ultimately wins for ending up with the highest ratings of those three. But ratings are only half the story, and the viewership of shows with boosts of over 70% is different. 

• The Rookie: rise of 98% from 2.64 million to 5.24 million
• A Million Little Things: 95% rise from 1.93 million to 3.76 million
• CSI: Vegas: 74% rise from 3.34 million to 5.83 million

In audience size, The Good Doctor drops below 70% while The Rookie and A Million Little Things jump up to the Top 2, with The Rookie pulling ahead. As for CSI: Vegas, it didn’t break 70% in the ratings for Live+3, but rose by an impressive 74% in viewership. 

The Live+3 ratings for the last week of October paint an interesting picture of the shows that are doing much better than they seem with Live+Same, but we’re not out of figures yet before we get into the trends.

Ratings And Viewership After Seven Days

The second important batch of ratings and viewership numbers after Live+Same are those that can be tallied seven days after an episode airs, called Live+7. In some cases, shows that got big boosts from Live+Same to Live+3 drop off when it comes time to look at a week’s worth of numbers, while others jump significantly higher. There is certainly some overlap, but also some new shows that make it above 70%. 

And just like with Live+3, let’s look at the Live+7 numbers (via SpoilerTV) from the last week of October, starting with the ratings.

• A Million Little Things: rise of 133% from 0.3 to 0.7
• The Rookie: rise of 133% from 0.3 to 0.7
• The Good Doctor: rise of 125% from 0.4 to 0.9
• Bull: rise of 100% from 0.3 to 0.6
• The Blacklist: rise of 100% from 0.3 to 0.6
• Chicago P.D.: rise of 86% from 0.7 to 1.3
• CSI: Vegas: rise of 75% from 0.4 to 0.7
• New Amsterdam: rise of 75% from 0.4 to 0.7
• Chicago Fire: rise of 71% from 0.7 to 1.2

Let’s welcome Bull, The Blacklist, CSI: Vegas, New Amsterdam, and Chicago Fire to the list of shows that jumped by more than 70% in Live+7 ratings! Like before in Live+3, Chicago P.D. ended with the highest rating, but was lower when it comes to the size of the rise. Chicago Fire eked its way onto the list with 71% to join sister series Chicago P.D., but Chicago Med didn’t make it above 70%. So what kind of story do the viewership numbers tell after seven days?

• The Rookie: rise of 122% from 2.6 million to 5.8 million
• A Million Little Things: rise of 121% from 1.9 million to 4.2 million
• CSI: Vegas: rise of 92% from 3.3 million to 6.4 million
• The Good Doctor: rise of 82% from 4 million to 7.4 million
• New Amsterdam: rise of 79% from 3.5 million to 6.3 million
• Bull: rise of 73% from 4.3 million to 7.4 million

Several of the shows that rose more than 70% in the ratings didn’t make it to 70% of a rise in audience size, but every show that rose by 70% in viewership also rose in ratings by 70%. What do all of these numbers tell us about the series that are doing much better than they seem? Let’s dig into it.

Breaking Down The Trends For The Week

There is a particularly interesting trend that holds true for most of Live+3 and Live+7 (albeit with some outliers) that concerns the time slots for these shows. With the exceptions of The Blacklist and Chicago Fire, every single show that rose by upward of 70% airs at 10 p.m. ET. And it’s a trend that holds true across all three networks that made this list. ABC has The Rookie, The Good Doctor, and A Million Little Things; CBS has CSI: Vegas and Bull; and NBC has New Amsterdam and Chicago P.D. The trend is clear: people are more likely to watch the 10 p.m. shows at a later date, suggesting that some viewers simply prioritize sleep. 

And there are some possible explanations for The Blacklist, which airs on NBC at 8 p.m. ET on Thursdays, and Chicago Fire, which airs on NBC at 9 p.m. ET on Wednesdays, as outliers. The Blacklist actually aired on Friday nights for several years before getting a different night and time at the end of Season 8 and beginning of Season 9. Fans who watched on Fridays may simply have other things to do (or watch) in its new time slot, and prefer to wait to check out new episodes. With The Blacklist moving back to Fridays in 2022, it should be interesting to keep an eye on any changes. As for Chicago Fire… well, it only just made it over 70% in only one category. 

The Rookie’s big jumps in delayed viewership may have to do with its time slot as well, as the show airs on Sundays. The Nathan Fillion show’s numbers could be a sign that fans simply don’t want to sit down in front of ABC on Sunday nights, but are happy to watch over the next week. CSI: Vegas getting boosts could also have to do with the fact that it airs on CBS in the same slot on Wednesdays as Chicago P.D. on NBC; it’s unlikely that CSI: Vegas will ever beat P.D. in Live+Same, so it makes sense that its viewership boosts are bigger than P.D.’s. Plus, Chicago P.D. is traditionally a big winner in delayed numbers, so those numbers aren't shocking.

At the end of the day, fans of some of the shows that don’t get the best numbers immediately after episodes air don’t need to despair. Some series simply thrive in delayed viewership with rises of over 100%. Few shows are ever completely and totally safe from cancellation, but hopefully the delayed numbers are comforting to any who look at the initial ratings and start to get worried. Even if these shows aren’t necessarily destroying the competition, they’re holding their own in Live+3 and Live+7. Keep on tuning in to your favorites as the fall TV season winds down, and stick to CinemaBlend for more in television and movie news. 

The Good Doctor is only a few episodes into its fifth season, but there have already been big changes to the status quo, and now another one is one the way when it comes to a series regular. Shortly after Antonia Thomas departed The Good Doctor in the Season 4 finale, the show’s newest series regular is departing as well. Fans will have to say goodbye to Osvaldo Benavides as Dr. Mateo Rendón Osma. 

Osvaldo Benavides made his debut on The Good Doctor to close out Season 4, when the doctors of St. Bonaventure flew to a rural town in Guatemala to help patients in need. He was a guest star at that point, but was later promoted to series regular for Season 5 to fill the vacancy left by Antonia Thomas’ Claire Browne, who decided to stay in Guatemala and continue the good work there. TVLine reports that Benavides is leaving The Good Doctor.

Although Osvaldo Benevides is the newest series regular with the fewest major attachments to the rest of the hospital (and still dealing with some red tape despite his relationship with Christina Chang’s Dr. Audrey Lim), his reported departure is still a big deal for the show. Mateo’s romance with Lim was a big step forward for her, as she – like Claire – was deeply affected by the death of Dr. Melendez, and she got pretty serious about Mateo pretty quickly. Depending on how The Good Doctor handles the character’s departure, he could have a lasting impact on her, at least. 

At the time of writing, production studio Sony Pictures Television has not commented on the reports of Osvaldo Benavides leaving, nor has ABC. For his part, Benavides hasn’t weighed in via a statement or social media just yet either. The show has still been working to incorporate Mateo into the story at St. Bonaventure, so news of the actor leaving comes as a surprise. 

That said, the uncertainty about Mateo’s future could make it easier to find a reason to write him out, in case the departure came as a surprise on set. For now, only time will tell what reason will be given (if any) for the series regular leaving shortly into his first season on the hit ABC show. It’s not clear at this point when the decision was made or how many episodes remain with Osvaldo Benavides. 

Hopefully, the show will have the time to give him an on-screen goodbye, even though his exit undoubtedly wouldn’t pack the same emotional punch as Claire’s when she left as an original series regular. The news comes after The Good Doctor took two weeks off, and just hours before the fourth episode of Season 5 debuts. The show premiered around the same time as plenty of other big shows back in September, but the two weeks off means that it’s a couple of episodes behind some of the other biggest series on television. 

The Good Doctor returns with new episodes starting on Monday, October 25 at 10 p.m. ET on ABC, following a new episode of Dancing with the Stars in the fall TV lineup. More change is coming to St. Bonaventure, so be sure to tune in!

While Freddie Highmore is currently busy saving lives as Dr. Shaun Murphy on ABC’s The Good Doctor, it looks like the actor is also heading to The CW for a different type of series. The network has picked up Italian period drama Leonardo, which co-stars the Bates Motel alum.

TVLine reports that the network famous for the Arrowverse, teen dramas and supernatural dramas has picked up Australian teen pregnancy comedy Bump as well as the biographical drama Leonardo, which centers on famous painter Leonardo da Vinci. The latter stars Poldark’s Aldan Turner, as well as Freddie Highmore and Matilda de Angelis from The Undoing. With more historical Highmore one the way, what exactly does this mean for The Good Doctor? 

If you’re a fan of the ABC medical drama, there shouldn’t be any need to worry. Leonardo is one of several international acquisitions that The CW has ordered as a way to keep its schedule filled while its own original series are on hiatus. The Italian series has already filmed and it’s only eight episodes, with Highmore not even seeming to be a lead in the series. As such, nothing should hinder him from filming The Good Doctor if the medical series gets picked up for another season.

The Good Doctor centers around Freddie Highmore’s autistic Dr. Shaun Murphy at St. Bonaventure Hospital in San Jose, and there likely wouldn’t be a show anymore without him. A second season of Leonardo has been commissioned, to be sure, but if Highmore has to fly across the world to film it, it’s likely that series would just work around his Good Doctor schedule, or would simply film scenes that he’s not in. It wouldn’t be the first a show had to work around its lead, as Melissa Benoist was on maternity leave when Supergirl’s final season began production.  

There’s currently no confirmation on when Leonardo will make its U.S. debut, but most of The CW’s series acquisitions air in the summer, when the majority of their original programming are on hiatus. So it’s very likely we won’t be seeing Leonardo until sometime next year. 

The Good Doctor is in the midst of airing its fifth season, which sees the hospital under new ownership. Freddie Highmore’s performance as Dr. Murphy is a unique one and it would be greatly surprising if ABC made any changes with the hit series due to his relatively small role in The CW's Italian import.

Hopefully there really isn’t anything fans of The Good Doctor have to worry about, but I’m still very excited to watch Leonardo! Its plot, following the painter and his abundant curiosity, mystery and passion, is an intriguing one for sure. Fingers crossed we get a premiere date soon! 

In the meantime, catch The Good Doctor on Mondays at 10 p.m. EST on ABC! Check out CinemaBlend’s 2021 fall TV schedule to see what other shows to watch!

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When I think of shows that have truly become a phenomenon over the last several years, one I always think of immediately is Grey’s Anatomy. From the romantic relationships to the dramatic moments to everything in-between, the medical drama has truly cemented itself in TV history, with Grey’s Anatomy Season 18 premiering in the not-so-distant future.

However, what if you’re craving something different, but sort of similar? There are plenty of TV shows you can watch that might remind you of Grey’s Anatomy, from some of the show’s creator, Shonda Rhimes', work, to other shows that just have the same sort of atmosphere. If you’re looking for a new show to binge that you’ll get just as obsessed with, check out these picks.

Scandal (Hulu)

Created by Grey’s Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes, Scandal is about a former White House Communications Director, who starts her own crisis management firm only to realize that her clients aren’t the only ones with secrets to tell or to hide.

If you’re looking for an amazing political thriller, then Scandal has you covered, and it’s perfect for Grey’s Anatomy fans because it’s created by the same woman and has highly dramatic plots that will have you wanting to watch every episode ASAP. Kerry Washington is brilliant as Olivia Pope, and deserves all the praise that she got for playing the role. With seven seasons, Scandal is a truly scandalous show to binge.

Stream Scandal on Hulu.

Private Practice (Netflix)

In this medical show (also created by Rhimes), Private Practice takes place at Seaside Health & Wellness Center, and chronicles the life of Dr. Addison Montgomery when she leaves Seattle Grace Hospital and joins a private practice, hence the title, in Los Angeles.

Private Practice is literally a spin-off from Grey’s Anatomy, which makes it perfect for fans of the show - especially if you loved the character of Addison, since that is who you follow throughout the series. It has everything you could want, from dramatic cases to heartbreaking stories to romantic moments, except this time, it’s in L.A.

Stream Private Practice on Netflix.

Station 19 (Hulu)

Oh, look. Another Shonda Rhimes-produced spinoff. Station 19 focuses on the lives of the men and women who run Seattle Fire Station 19, set in the same city as Grey’s Anatomy.

Station 19 is perfect for Grey’s fans because, while it is another spinoff, it isn’t as medically focused as Private Practice. Instead, it’s solely focused in on the lives of the firefighters, offering another look into one of the most important jobs there is. What’s really cool about Station 19 is that there are a lot of crossovers, as well, since it takes place in the same city as its predecessor, so you’ll end up like that Leonardo DiCaprio meme pointing at the TV when you recognize someone. It’s a great watch, and still going on now.

Stream Station 19 on Hulu.

How To Get Away With Murder (Netflix)

Did you think we were done with Shonda Rhimes yet? No, sir, because now we have How To Get Away With Murder, which was executive produced by her. In this series, we follow a group of law students and their professor, played by Viola Davis, as they become involved in a murder plot that could change the course of their lives.

First off, Viola Davis is freaking amazing in How To Get Away With Murder and deserved all the awards for her role. But, secondly, for fans of Grey’s Anatomy, I believe you’ll really like this series because while it’s definitely not as light-hearted as Grey’s can be, you’ll really enjoy the twists that this show offers. I’d say that it’s even more dramatic than Grey’s Anatomy - and that’s saying something.

Stream How To Get Away With Murder on Netflix.

House (Peacock)

In House, we follow Dr. Gregory House, an unconventional, misanthropic medical genius who leads a team of diagnosticians at a fictional hospital - while also relying on pain medication to make it through his days.

What I love about House for fans of Grey’s Anatomy is that the cases in this show are absolutely bonkers crazy. You think that some of the cases that show up in Seattle are dramatic? Wait until you watch House. This is a classic medical drama for a reason, and was popular for many, many years with the great House cast, so if you haven’t given it a shot yet, now’s the time to do so. The investigations into these mysterious cases are what make this show tick.

Stream House on Peacock.

Psych (Peacock)

The popular crime drama, Psych, is all about a novice sleuth who is hired by the police when he cons them into thinking that he has some sort of psychic powers to help solve crimes. With the help of his best friend, they take on incredibly complicated cases.

Now, I know that Psych might not be entirely like Grey’s Anatomy, but I do feel that fans of the show would enjoy it. The dramatic medical cases on Grey’s often remind me of the crazy crimes that are involved in Psych, but with a humorous twist. It’s a heck of a lot funnier than a lot of other crime series, and has complex friendships and relationships that will remind you of your favorite medical drama. The series spawned several films, and the Psych cast is so much fun - it’s truly a great time to watch.

Stream Psych on Peacock.

Suits (Amazon Prime)

Suits is set at a fictional law firm in New York City, and follows college dropout Mike Ross, who ends up working as a law associate for Harvey Specter, despite never attending law school prior to working there.

What’s great about this legal drama for fans of Grey’s Anatomy are its cliffhangers - my God are there so many cliffhangers in Suits. It’s like you’re rewatching Grey’s, but instead of it being in a hospital, it’s in a court room, and you’ll be going through episodes like there’s no tomorrow because you’ll enjoy it so much and want to know what happens next. It’s a fun series with a great cast - including Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex.

Stream Suits on Amazon Prime.

The Good Doctor (Hulu)

In The Good Doctor, we follow Shaun Murphy, a young, autistic surgeon with savant syndrome and a troubled past, who relocates to San Jose, California to work at the prestigious San Jose St. Bonaventure Hospital.

The Good Doctor and Grey’s Anatomy have a lot in common - a shared network, surgeons saving lives, and stories that will make you cry for hours. I am not joking, I’m pretty sure I’ve cried more watching this series with some of the moments that have happened than any other TV show. The Good Doctor not only has a talented cast, but plenty of moments that will be pulling at your heartstrings and bringing tears to your eyes.

Stream The Good Doctor on Hulu.

E.R. (Hulu)

In E.R., we follow the lives of the emergency room doctors, nurses and staff at the County General Hospital, a fictional trauma center in Chicago, looking at the daily lives of the workers there, and the life-or-death decisions that the staff have to face constantly.

If you have any show to thank for Grey’s Anatomy existing, it’s E.R. With fifteen seasons, complex stories, and a crazy talented E.R. cast, it was one of the most popular medical dramas of all time. Plus, there were guest stars on this show like Jessica Chastain, Aaron Paul, Thandiwe Newton, and so many others. If you’ve never seen E.R., give it a shot. It’s just as dramatic and intense as Grey’s is.

Stream E.R. on Hulu.

Scrubs (Amazon Prime)

In Scrubs, we follow the professional life of John Dorian, a young doctor who is struggling to move his medical career forward as he tries to deal with the hospital’s intense staff, crazy situations, and memorable patients.

For fans of Grey’s Anatomy, Scrubs shares a similar medical setting to that series, focusing in on the lives of doctors and surgeons and nurses, but Scrubs is way funnier. It’s one of the best TV comedies out there, in my opinion. Sometimes when you watch a medical show, you don’t need to cry all the time, you know? I feel like with Grey’s, it’s nice to sit down and really enjoy the intensity of it, but sometimes you need a show like Scrubs to chill out with - and it also helps that the Scrubs cast is super funny.

Stream Scrubs on Amazon Prime.

Out of all of these awesome shows, which one are you thinking of binging? Better get to it soon because Grey’s Anatomy Season 18 is premiering soon with the 2021 fall TV schedule - I think I can fit in a good binge of Psych before then. Gotta get started now!

The Good Doctor has taken Freddie Highmore's Dr. Shaun Murphy on a wild ride of some very high highs and some very low lows over the years, and his evolution has kept fans hooked for four seasons and counting. Moving in with Lea in Season 4 was a big step and came with plenty of complications, but as the deleted scene (seen above) proves, there was also plenty of humor and heart to be found from Shaun enjoying a sex life...and over-sharing about it over breakfast with Dr. Glassman.

This deleted scene of a classic breakfast between Shaun and Dr. Glassman (played by Richard Schiff) comes as part of the bonus features from The Good Doctor's Season 4 DVD set available now, and it's worth at least a couple of rewatches just to really absorb Glassman's reactions to Shaun's matter-of-fact reveals about breaking in the new mattress.

Of course, Dr. Glassman is more than used to these conversations with Shaun, and his commendation of Shaun for just going with what Lea wants is downright endearing. While some things have changed over the years of The Good Doctor, their dynamic remains one of the pillars of what keeps the action at St. Bonaventure grounded.

That St. Bonaventure action took a twist in Season 4, and not just because the season opened with a powerful two-parter that addressed the COVID pandemic as well as the loss of Dr. Melendez at the end of Season 3. As a fourth-year resident, Shaun had to begin supervising a new set of residents, which presented some new challenges and introduced some new characters, even if not all of those newcomers were fated to stick around in the long term.

While the doctors of St. Bonaventure rose to the occasion and tackled the challenges that fell in their path, Season 4 certainly wasn't without tragedy, with the staff losing one of their own all the way through to Shan and Lea's heartbreaking miscarriage. The Good Doctor even lost a longtime series regular in a tearful farewell, although at least in this case, the tears were happy as well as emotional. Antonia Thomas' departure came about with a wonderful final story for Dr. Claire Browne, and one that could be revisited in the future.

You can find a "Farewell to Antonia Thomas" segment on the DVD bonus features to go with the deleted scenes, as well as a blooper reel and of course all twenty episodes of Season 4. The DVD set is available starting on Tuesday, August 31, and the timing couldn't be much better considering the beginning of fall TV season. The Good Doctor returns for Season 5 on Monday, September 27 at 10 p.m. ET on ABC.

It will be the first season without Antonia Thomas on board as a series regular, and Shaun could well be called upon to show more leadership without her on hand. Fortunately, both Shaun and Lea got a very happy ending to Season 4, despite their earlier loss. As of the end of the fourth season, they are engaged to be married, and hopefully will continue to hit positive milestones moving forward.

Warning: spoilers ahead for the Season 4 finale of The Good Doctor on ABC, called "Vamos."

The fourth season of The Good Doctor has come to an end. While "Vamos" wasn't as deadly for the main cast of characters as last year's Season 3 finale that saw the death of Dr. Melendez, the episode nevertheless said farewell to a series regular who has been in the mix from the very beginning. News broke ahead of the finale on June 7 that Antonia Thomas, who has been playing the compassionate Dr. Claire Browne since the series premiere, would leave the series after the Season 4 finale. Here's how the show said goodbye to Claire, and whether Thomas could come back.

As the mission trip continued with the main players from St. Bonaventure performing surgeries down in Guatemala, Claire was really thriving despite not speaking the language, working in very different circumstances from the hospital where she had spent her entire career, and without the kind of oversight from more experienced surgeons that she was used to. The work clearly meant a lot to her, and it only took a little bit of encouragement from Shaun for her to follow her instincts and save a life.

Claire made quite an impression on one of the people at the hospital in Guatemala that the St. Bonaventure team was working with, and the woman approached Dr. Lim (off-screen) about asking Claire to stay. Lim encouraged Claire to take the job since it seemed like something she needed, although she was clearly sad about the prospect of saying goodbye to her friend. Claire dropped some reasons why it would be a bad idea, ranging from not speaking the language to just starting a relationship with her previously estranged father.

But ultimately, staying and continuing the work in Guatemala was what felt right for Claire, and she made her decision with enough time to spare in the Season 4 finale for some touching goodbyes. Tears were shed, but only because the characters would miss each other, and Shaun even gave Claire a hug despite usually avoiding hugs. The episode ended for Claire with her in the OR in Guatemala, rising to the challenges ahead of her and poised to do a lot of good.

Although it's sad to lose the character after so many years on the series, the upside of The Good Doctor saying goodbye to Claire Browne comes courtesy of Antonia Thomas, despite the fact that the actress is the one who made the decision to leave the series a couple of years before her six-season contract was up. In an interview for the Season 4 finale, Thomas weighed in on the possibility of returning as a guest star and reuniting with Freddie Highmore and the rest of the remaining cast members, telling Deadline:

Since Claire wasn't killed off or sent on the run or deprived of her medical license, there's no reason why Antonia Browne couldn't reprise her role in Season 5 or beyond. If The Good Doctor can come up with a reason for Claire to visit St. Bonaventure, or for some of the characters to head back down to Guatemala, the show could check in on Claire. And hey, since Shaun and Lea got engaged after all their Season 4 heartbreak, maybe Claire can pop back up to New Mexico for the wedding! There doesn't seem to be any bad blood tied to Thomas' departure, after all.

The Good Doctor has also added to the ensemble to make sure that Claire's absence doesn't leave a gaping hole in the cast. Noah Galvin and Bria Samoné Henderson, who play new residents who joined St. Bonaventure in Season 4 and actually stuck around, were promoted to Season 5 series regular status in May. Then, news broke just hours ahead of the Season 4 finale that The Good Doctor's newest doc will be a regular when the show returns as well. It's just a matter of waiting for The Good Doctor to come back from hiatus for Season 5. For now, you can check out our 2021 summer TV premiere schedule for some shows to help pass the time during hiatus.

Ahead of the Season 4 finale of ABC medical drama The Good Doctor, news broke that a new doctor is officially joining the St. Bonaventure team. The move is a big one, as this character was just recently introduced. Dr. Mateo Rendón Osma isn’t going anywhere, except San Jose, California.

According to Deadline, Osvaldo Benavides is joining the cast of The Good Doctor as a series regular for the upcoming fifth season. Benavides’ Dr. Osma was introduced during the two-part Season 4 finale as an incredibly skilled trauma surgeon who has spent years working in Guatemala for a Doctors-Without-Borders type organization. He was first introduced in last week’s first part of the finale to assist the St. Bonaventure team with a surgical mission. A series regular option for Benavides for Season 5 came with the two-episode arc.

Osvaldo Benavides joins Noah Galvin and Bria Samoné Henderson, who were also recently announced to be series regulars for Season 5 after they were recurring guests for Season 4. Galvin portrays Dr. Asher Wolke while Henderson is Dr. Jordan Allen, and both are surgical residents at St. Bonaventure Hospital. With Benavides being upped to a series regular, it will be interesting to see how Dr. Osma will be recruited to St. Bonaventure, considering his whole life is in Guatemala. Since he’s been getting closer to Christina Chang’s Audrey Lim, it’s possible she will have something to do with it and fans will see more of their relationship in the upcoming season.

Season 4 of The Good Doctor has been like no other. While it wasn’t the only show to not fully include the COVID-19 pandemic, it was one of few medical dramas to not include it as a major storyline. The season began with the height of the pandemic, before fast forwarding to afterwards. The characters also dealt with the aftermath of Dr. Melendez’s death in the Season 3 finale, as well as some more individual and personal problems.

Claire reunited with her estranged father, Shaun and Lea felt all kinds of emotions during their short pregnancy before a heartbreaking miscarriage, and Morgan and Park’s relationship has been going back and forth. This season has been an emotional roller coaster and while some characters deserved better, it will be nice to see a few more scrubbing in.

The news of Osvaldo Benavides’ promotion comes after two series exits this season, following Nicholas Gonzalez’s exit after appearing early in Season 4 despite his character's death, and Antonia Thomas’ just-announced exit after the finale. Thomas has portrayed Dr. Claire Browne since the very beginning so to see how her journey comes to an end, as well as how Dr. Osma’s will just begin, will be something to look forward to in the Season 4 finale. Part 2 of the Season 4 finale of The Good Doctor airs Monday, June 7 at 10 p.m. EST on ABC.

While some networks have recently confirmed the futures of some of their longest-running series like NCIS on CBS and Grey's Anatomy on ABC, Sony TV boss Jeff Frost is looking ahead to potential spinoffs of certain series. With Sony expanding more into streaming territory with The Boys and its new upcoming spinoff, Jeff Frost talked about popular broadcast series The Blacklist and The Good Doctor, both of which are still going strong with plenty of questions, and the possibility of more follow-up series.

Both ABC's The Good Doctor and NBC's The Blacklist have been renewed for another season, The Blacklist for its ninth season (although no one is probably surprised by that) and The Good Doctor for its fifth season, and it really doesn’t look like there is an end coming in the near future for either series. According to Deadline, Sony TV President Jeff Frost says that it is his hope that both series would continue on and there would be “many more seasons of both shows”.

The Blacklist has already expanded into one spinoff with The Blacklist: Redemption, although it only lasted one season. Even though the spinoff didn’t end up being a longterm series, it doesn’t sound like future spinoffs have been ruled out. Jeff Frost says that while they need to see how the next season of the main series goes, "anything is possible" when it comes to potential future spinoffs.

The Good Doctor, on the other hand, does not yet have any spinoffs. This could be because it is a younger show, or that the network just isn’t ready to expand on that particular series yet. Whatever the reason may be, the Sony boss isn’t ruling that possibility out either. He says that not only is it “always a possibility”, but that he would actually love to do a The Good Doctor spinoff in the future. Even with the desire there, Frost stresses the importance of not wanting "to do anything that is going to impact the mothership" in a negative way.

It sounds like the life of the series Sony TV already has going is pretty important to the company, but Jeff Frost does indeed make it seem like the company sees great value in franchises, and if given the opportunity, would make a number of new spinoff series. For right now, though, it seems they are focusing their efforts on expanding their streaming presence with the renewal of The Boys and its upcoming spinoff series.

Although there isn’t yet a release date for Season 3 of The Boys or its spinoff series, fans of the other Sony TV series The Blacklist and The Good Doctor will be pleased that both have been renewed and are expected to return in the fall.

Ahead of the Season 4 finale that arrives in a couple of weeks, hit ABC drama The Good Doctor is giving two actors promotions for the next season. Noah Galvin and Bria Samoné Henderson will both continue their residencies as Drs. Asher Wolke and Jordan Allen at San Jose St. Bonaventure Hospital in Season 5 but now, they'll be series regulars.

Noah Galvin and Bria Samoné Henderson’s series regular roles will take effect when the show returns for its new season this fall, according to TVLine. The two were introduced as recurring guest stars in the third episode of Season 4, “Newbies,” alongside Summer Brown’s Olivia Jackson and Brian Marc’s Enrique Guerin as St. Bonaventure’s new group of junior residents, following the two-part, COVID-19-centric season premiere of the medical drama.

Before playing the role of Dr. Asher Wolke, who was formerly part of an orthodox Jewish sect and made the choice to separate himself from his former beliefs to attend medical school, Galvin was known for his starring role as Kenny on former ABC series The Real O’Neals. And in film, he's known for portraying George in the Olivia Wilde-directed comedy Booksmart. Meanwhile, Henderson played Ms. Magazine editor Margaret Sloan in FX on Hulu’s Mrs. America, before landing the role as caring, committed and faithful Baptist Jordan Allen, whose sole goal is to build her career as a medical professional.

This season has been an emotional roller coaster and has proved to be a tough year for the doctors at St. Bonaventure. Since dealing with COVID-19 in the premiere, Claire had to reconnect with her estranged, dying father, Shaun and Lea are coping with the loss of their unborn child, and everyone has been recovering from the death of Dr. Melendez after the earthquake in the Season 3 finale. The season has tested everyone, including the new residents. With Asher and Jordan being the last ones standing from their resident group, it’s no question as to why they were the right picks to continue at the hospital.

The Good Doctor’s season finale is still a few episodes away, and it’s not yet known how things will end. Last year, the beloved doctors were in the midst of saving people, and some of their own, from an earthquake. As mentioned, one did not make it, and it broke hearts everywhere. This season, based on how emotional it’s been, may stray from breaking hearts yet again, especially if Shaun and Lea are still grieving over their baby girl, which will most likely continue on in Season 5.

Asher and Jordan have been such great additions this season and have proved that they belong and deserve to be doctors. Seeing their journey continue in Season 5 and having them figure out what kind of doctors they want to be will be something fans can look forward to in the fall.

The final episodes of Season 4 of The Good Doctor air Mondays at 10 p.m. EST on ABC.

Warning: spoilers ahead for Episode 15 of The Good Doctor Season 4, called "Waiting."

The Good Doctor delivered a heavy hour of television with "Waiting" as the doctors tried to save the lives of two young boys who had been shot at a political protest, and the odds weren't looking great for them. The doctors were struggling with the weight of their decisions, the mothers lashed out, and Lea wound up in the mix in the waiting room. Everything seemed wrapped up nicely by the end of the hour, however, complete with both boys surviving. So, when Lea collapsed as a cliffhanger, it raised many more questions. The biggest: is The Good Doctor setting Shaun and Lea up for a tragedy?

While the ending before Lea's collapse was so unexpectedly uplifting (at least compared to the previous 50 minutes or so) that I perhaps should have been more aware of a possible unfortunate twist, Lea's seeming clean bill of health made her collapse while walking out with Shaun all the more surprising. She went from smiling and chatting with him to clutching her belly and falling to the ground, clearly in a lot of pain and very frightened as she curled up into herself. The episode ended with Shaun desperately calling for help, but evidently (and understandably) not willing to leave her lying on the ground to go get any himself, so the episode ended without dropping any details.

And unfortunately, Lea's collapse could indicate a miscarriage, which would deliver a serious emotional blow to her and Shaun (and plenty of viewers) as they've looked forward to becoming parents. The Good Doctor isn't really a baby-friendly show, so I've always wondered how it would work if the show gave them a child, but it's possible Shaun and Lea as parents isn't an arc that The Good Doctor intends to explore in Season 4. That said, there are significant reasons to be optimistic that the end of "Waiting" was not Lea losing her pregnancy.

And that is thanks to the promo for the next episode, as well as the official ABC episode description! Spoilers for the preview content lie ahead. The next episode of The Good Doctor is called "Dr. Ted" and will air on May 10, revealing that the show will be taking another week off in between episodes. According to the episode description, this is what's in store on the Shaun and Lea front:

Of course, "complications" arising with Lea's pregnancy certainly isn't a good thing, but the episode description also doesn't indicate that the hour is going to be one big tragedy for the couple. Besides, the show has been stressful enough this season! The description also doesn't give away any details about what happened to Lea at all beyond that it is indeed related to her pregnancy, and therefore not her appendix or anything else. The episode description not reading as a total tragedy is even more reassuring when combined with the promo for "Dr. Ted" that aired following the latest episode. Take a look:

Well, the good news is that Claire (who hasn't had an easy season herself) refers to Lea's pregnancy in the present tense in the promo, and Lea is upright and alert in her hospital bed, so she won't be in pain like she was at the end of "Waiting" in the whole next episode. Claire also confirms that Lea will need surgery, which is bad news for Lea but makes sense for The Good Doctor as a show primarily about surgeons. None of the doctors reveal what's wrong or why Lea needs surgery, but both she and Shaun are scared, and Shaun brought out the toy scalpel from his brother.

See what happens for Shaun and Lea in light of Lea's medical emergency when "Dr. Ted" airs as the next episode of The Good Doctor on Monday, May 10 at 10 p.m. ET on ABC. Hard as it may be to believe, the current TV season is almost at an end, so be sure to check out our rundown of major TV finale dates so far.

Spoilers ahead for Episode 14 of The Good Doctor Season 4, called "Gender Reveal."

The Good Doctor returned after a brief break for the reveal that Shaun and Lea are going to have a daughter, although they ran into some new obstacles when it came to Lea's birth plan vs. what Shaun didn't think she needed. While they were considering their future as parents of a girl, Morgan and Park were bantering back and forth about their relationship status (or lack thereof), leading to what was basically more of the same for Morgan with some growth for Park, and I for one am ready for Morgan (and actress Fiona Gubelmann) to get more when it comes to story in Season 4.

Most of the major characters of The Good Doctor have undergone some lasting growth in the fourth season, for better or worse, but Morgan is still up to her old habits that were already frustrating me back in November, less than half a dozen episodes into Season 4. She crosses lines, like with pranking earlier in the season and in "Gender Reveal" posting a picture of Park that she took without his knowledge for personal reasons, and she goes out of her way to make sure that there are no strings attached about as bluntly as she can.

And there's nothing wrong with those kind of character beats, but we've seen variations of them time and again with Morgan, frequently after she has gone through major ordeals that should have resulted in some change. Again, for better or worse. As awful as it was for Morgan to have to give up on her dream of surgery, I was interested in the story potential of The Good Doctor changing her to an internist, especially in light of her heroic actions at the end of Season 3 leading into Season 4. But she's still the same old Morgan whenever she can get away with it.

Park has been stuck in the same rut, and in fact his storyline with her is part of what really made me realize that she deserves more than she has gotten, because his story felt like it came to a standstill when it was entwined with hers. His has bothered me less, because The Good Doctor has given him a cumulative journey, and he learns from his experiences and moves on, as the end of "Gender Reveal" reminded. Morgan has her smaller arcs, but defaulting back doesn't work for me in a show where everybody else is changing. Just looking at how Shaun and Claire have changed, contrasted with Morgan, makes it all the worse.

As things stand now, I can't love Morgan or love to hate her. She just feels like a coworker that I 100% would not want to have and somebody who sometimes has great episodes and plot twists to break up her relative lack of the kind of development that sticks. Yes, her hand issues that forced the move from surgery to internal medicine stuck, but that was something physical rather than emotional or personal.

Fiona Gubelmann has shown that she can show off more sides of her character, and she deserves the chance to do so more often, like the rest of the cast. And I'm not even against that happening with Park, and there were glimmers of Morgan getting too attached to Park for her own comfort in "Gender Reveal." I just want her to be able to change and grow in some way or other so that she can at least keep up with the rest. I can't be invested in Morgan/Park if it doesn't result in anything changing.

See what happens next for Morgan and the rest with the next new episode of The Good Doctor on ABC Monday, April 26 at 10 p.m. ET. The show has said goodbye to a number of characters already in Season 4, so it should be interesting if the cast remains the same for the time being or if more changes are in store.

The Good Doctor is one of several medical dramas that got off to a late start in the 2020-2021 TV season, a few debuting later in fall than usual, and two not premiering until winter. The COVID-19 pandemic was responsible for the prolonged hiatuses, and each of the shows has dealt with incorporating COVID into the story in different ways. And now that we're well into the current TV season, I'm ready to say that for me, The Good Doctor Season 4 is beating the likes of Grey's Anatomy, Chicago Med and more in addressing the pandemic.

As a refresher, The Good Doctor wasted no time in taking the storyline into pandemic territory, even more or less ignoring an in-depth exploration of how Season 3 ended so as to track the COVID spread in the United States over the early months to the late fall. In the opening two-parter of Season 4, the doctors of St. Bonaventure were slowly but surely worn down by the stress of handling the pandemic, and nurse Deena Petringa was killed off. It was a tragic way to start the season, but The Good Doctor also moved past COVID after that opening two-parter.

Yes, in the Good Doctor universe, the pandemic was more or less resolved after the action caught up to the present, allowing the show to get back to business as usual with the plot without focusing on COVID on a weekly basis, or hiding the characters behind masks whenever they were at work. The Good Doctor managed to explore the devastation of the pandemic without actually becoming a show about the pandemic. And for me personally, that has been a relief and sent The Good Doctor to the top of my list for medical dramas handling the issue.

Television can be a solid form of escapism, and never has escapism been more appreciated than over the past year or so. While The Good Doctor hasn't been my favorite of the medical dramas to hit the airwaves in the 2020-2021 TV season, I do find the way that it addressed and then moved on from the pandemic to be superior to how Grey's Anatomy, Chicago Med, New Amsterdam, and The Resident have handled it.

Grey's Anatomy picked up Season 17 just about where Season 16 left off in the show's timeline, and the protagonist of the series spent most of the season so far unconscious and on a ventilator due to COVID while the rest of the characters dealt with her illness on top of everything else. Season 17 has actually been great in my book, but also bleak and definitely not escapism. The recent death certainly didn't help!

Chicago Med addressed the pandemic in particular in the first couple episodes, and not just in the form of Will Halstead not getting a haircut for quite a while. That said, the show kind of just stopped dealing with the pandemic at a certain point but never fully resolved it beyond the doctors getting vaccinated. COVID is now mostly just referenced via mentions of patients being tested and occasionally sending April back to the COVID ICU ward.

Of course, Med had to keep consistent with Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D., but Med mostly moving past the pandemic without the pandemic being solved has been a bit distracting for me, even as the vaccine started to be distributed in the show. Again, Season 6 of Chicago Med has been pretty great, but how it dealt with COVID beyond the first episode or two doesn't elevate it above The Good Doctor in that aspect for me.

The Resident actually handled COVID similarly to The Good Doctor, insofar as it started the latest season with the doctors and nurses dealing with the pandemic, then ultimately jumped forward to a time when the pandemic had been resolved. To get a bit nitpicky, I appreciated The Good Doctor going for a two-parter rather than a one-off to cover the crisis, as it allowed the series to really explore the impact of the pandemic on the characters from an emotional standpoint as well as the impact on the world and hospital.

New Amsterdam was the last of the major broadcast network medical dramas to premiere in the 2020-2021 season. It too addressed the thick of the pandemic in the premiere before mostly moving on in subsequent episodes, even as the doctors continued to deal with the trauma of what they went through on the frontlines and lingering danger of coming to the hospital for elective reasons.

That said, New Amsterdam primarily dealt with the pandemic at its worst in a montage that opened the Season 3 premiere, and while it definitely packed an emotional punch, it also mostly skipped over what The Good Doctor spent two episodes exploring. Viewers saw the effects of the pandemic as things were getting better, and I'm not ashamed to say that I shed a few tears when it looked like Dr. Kapoor was going to die. Like the rest of the medical dramas mentioned here, New Amsterdam hasn't done a bad job at dealing with the pandemic.

But for me, The Good Doctor is the clear winner when it comes to handling the pandemic at its worst and then delivering some escapism afterward, despite the fact that The Good Doctor would actually be toward the bottom of the list if I was going to rank my favorite medical dramas of the 2020-2021 TV season.

There are a number of ways that I think The Good Doctor could spice itself up, not the least of which is exploring its new characters rather than introducing and then dismissing them. But I know what isn't going to happen, and that's fine by me. Just as I know tuning into Grey's Anatomy means more COVID, I know that watching an episode of The Good Doctor will deliver plenty of drama of the non-pandemic variety.

And of course, I say all of this as somebody who is indeed watching plenty of medical dramas this season, so the heavy focus on the pandemic on Grey's Anatomy and Chicago Med only kinda sorta continuing to address COVID obviously haven't ruined the shows for me. By this point, more than halfway through the traditional TV season, though, I have to commend The Good Doctor as the standout for addressing this particular real-world issue and then moving on while giving an in-universe reason for it.

The matter is somewhat simpler for The Good Doctor than for Grey's Anatomy and Chicago Med specifically, as The Good Doctor stands alone while the other two exist in a multi-show universe on their own networks, and The Resident and New Amsterdam not premiering until winter 2021 as opposed to fall 2020 means that comparisons between them and The Good Doctor can be apples to oranges to a certain extent. Still, as somebody who watches a lot of TV for my job, I give the top spot to The Good Doctor in this particular area.

New episodes of The Good Doctor air on Mondays at 10 p.m. ET on ABC, and they deliver plenty of dramatic twists without the pandemic. The unplanned pregnancy that Shaun and Lea are moving forward with is bound to only get more complicated, while the return of Claire's father didn't exactly result in an overjoyed reunion. As for how it compares to the other medical dramas of the season, be sure to vote in our poll below!

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