The Good Doctor, 5 Years and 101 Episodes Later
In 2017, The Good Doctor went viral before we even understood what “viral” meant. The opening scene of Dr. Shaun Murphy (Freddie Highmore) saving a boy with some guerrilla medic tactics is embedded in every viewer’s memory. The show, which is available in the Philippines on Amazon Prime Video, follows Dr. Murphy, a new surgical resident with autism and savant syndrome.
For five years, The Good Doctor’s delivered the right amount of drama and medical trivia without sensationalizing either, resulting in a feel-good series that’s survived a pandemic (on and off screen) and lasted the test of time.
“I don't think we could ever have expected getting to 100 episodes. Of course, we hoped that the show would find an audience and that people would like it. I guess it would be odd to go into a show hoping or assuming that it wasn't going to do well, but I think it certainly has surpassed all of the expectations that we could have had,” said lead star Freddie Highmore during a set visit in Vancouver.
The Good Doctor, which was developed for ABC by David Shore, is actually based on a K-Drama of the same name. From the get-go, the American version won everyone’s hearts by making their lead character a doctor with diagnosed autism.
Aside from giving people on the spectrum the representation they deserve, The Good Doctor’s always made a point of showing the diversity of their cast to mirror the reality of actual ERs. After all, what hospital would be complete without a Filipino nurse or doctor? In fact, Christina Chang, who plays Dr. Audrey Lim, happens to be one-quarter Filipino on her father’s side.
“In our industry, it's pretty rare to get to 100 episodes. The fact that we are here is incredible,” shared Fiona Gubelmann, who plays Dr. Morgan Reznick on the show.
“When I first started The Good Doctor I thought I was done after two episodes, and then they elongated Lea’s arc in season one… and then it kept going,” said Paige Sara, who’s played Lea Dilallo-Murphy since season one. “I just I couldn't believe we were making history at a time of streaming services, instant gratification, and cancellations. I still can't wrap my head around it.”
The 100-episode milestone is no easy feat, especially when more shows are canceled than continued in the first season alone. It just goes to show that the show’s producers, which include the Asian-American icon Daniel Dae Kim, knew what they were doing when it came to The Good Doctor.
Catch The Good Doctor on Amazon Prime Video now.
