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.
