After seven successful seasons filled with emotional storytelling, complex surgeries, and the heartwarming brilliance of Dr. Shaun Murphy, The Good Doctor is taking a bold new step. But instead of another season inside the operating room, ABC is shaking things up with an unexpected twist: a brand-new spinoff titled The Assassin. Even more surprising? Freddie Highmore is back, and this time, the stakes are global.
In The Assassin, the world of The Good Doctor takes a dramatic turn, shifting away from hospital corridors and into a dark, international thriller. The series doesn’t abandon its roots, but it reimagines them in a new, high-stakes environment where identities blur, danger lurks around every corner, and nothing is as it seems. It’s a bold move—and it just might redefine the entire franchise.
The story begins with Shaun Murphy traveling to Geneva for an international medical conference. He’s set to present groundbreaking neurological research, continuing the legacy he built at San Jose St. Bonaventure Hospital. But during the event, a political figure is assassinated, and surveillance footage reveals a man who looks exactly like Shaun fleeing the scene. The twist? Shaun has no memory of it—and no idea why he’s being hunted by global intelligence agencies.
As panic sets in, Shaun is forced into hiding. Along the way, he meets a cast of mysterious allies and enemies, including a retired MI6 agent, a tech genius with secrets of his own, and a shadowy figure known only as “Eli”—who might not just resemble Shaun, but actually be him. Suddenly, Shaun is caught between two lives: the one he’s always known and another he never imagined.
Freddie Highmore’s dual performance as both Dr. Shaun Murphy and the elusive Eli is already drawing praise from early viewers and critics. Known for his emotionally rich and deeply layered acting in Bates Motel and The Good Doctor, Highmore rises to the challenge of portraying two vastly different characters: one a compassionate healer, the other a lethal enigma. The contrast is gripping and disturbing—and that’s exactly the point. The series explores questions of identity, morality, and the terrifying possibility that one man can live two lives without even realizing it.
The Assassin is not just a thriller—it’s a psychological exploration. What if your face, your fingerprints, your very DNA were being used by someone else? What if your reality wasn’t the only one that existed? For Shaun, whose autism has always shaped how he understands the world, the situation becomes even more overwhelming. He’s not just fighting for his freedom—he’s fighting to prove he’s still himself.
While The Good Doctor was known for its focus on empathy and ethics, The Assassin dials up the suspense. It trades the hospital’s steady rhythm for heart-pounding chases, cryptic messages, and high-stakes interrogations. And yet, the emotional core remains. Shaun’s humanity—the very thing that made him so beloved—isn’t lost. It’s just tested in a more dangerous arena.
The creative minds behind the series, including original Good Doctor showrunner David Shore, say the spinoff is less about leaving the old world behind and more about expanding it. Shaun’s journey continues, but this time, it forces him to confront not just professional challenges, but existential ones. Who is he beyond the hospital? Who is he when the world stops seeing him as a doctor and starts seeing him as a threat?
Joining Freddie Highmore in the cast are Archie Panjabi as Rina Shah, a former spy with secrets of her own, and Theo James as Agent Parke, a relentless investigator convinced Shaun is lying about his past. Ken Leung, who played Dr. Lim’s ex-husband in The Good Doctor, returns in a surprising twist—this time as a tech specialist who might hold the key to decoding Shaun’s mysterious connection to the assassin. Their dynamics bring a fresh layer of tension and depth, blending emotional storytelling with fast-paced intrigue.
Visually, The Assassin is a feast. Filmed across several European cities, it contrasts cold, clinical hospital settings with foggy alleyways, abandoned train stations, and elegant yet eerie hotel rooms. The change in tone is immediate. You feel the danger. You feel the urgency. But you also feel Shaun’s fear—and his determination.
Since the release of the first trailer, fans have been electrified. “Shaun as an assassin? This is insane—but I’m in,” wrote one fan on Twitter. Others were initially skeptical, worried that the grounded realism of The Good Doctor would be sacrificed for action. But early reactions suggest the show walks the line carefully. Yes, there’s espionage. Yes, there’s violence. But the emotional weight, the ethical questions, and Shaun’s vulnerability remain front and center.
