The Good Doctor Season 3 finale brings the exit of two series regular cast members who won’t return for Season 4

ABC’s The Good Doctor aired its Season 3 finale on Monday night, which revealed the shocking death of Nicholas Gonzalez’s Dr. Neil Melendez.

Gonzalez’s character had been with the show since the beginning, but in last week’s episode, the first half of the two-part finale, he was caught in the midst of a brewery collapse.

Another series regular, Jasika Nicole, who played Dr. Carly Lever since the first season, will also not be returning as a series regular, but she may return to the show in a much smaller capacity, according to TV Line.

During Monday night’s finale, Melendez ultimately succumbed to the internal injuries he suffered during the brewery collapse.
Before he passed away, he was able to say goodbye to Dr. Aaron Glassman (Richard Schiff), his boss, Dr. Audrey Lim (Christina Chang), is ex-girlfriend, and Dr. Claire Browne (Antonia Thomas), his current love interest.
‘It was a creative decision [that] just kind of came at a good time, you know? There’s a lot about this job that I loved and was honorable to do, and a lot of that came out of the family that we created behind the scenes,’ he said.

He added that he found out just after the new year, with about six episodes left to film, that Dr. Melendez was going to die, which he acknowledged that no ending was good enough, and he felt his death came a bit ‘early’ in the show’s run.

‘It was tough because I felt like nothing was good enough. It wasn’t going to be a good enough goodbye because, you know, I think it’s a little early… so I think that nothing was ever going to really feel appropriate,’ Gonzalez said.
The actor added that it was important to acknowledge his character’s previous relationship with Audrey Lim.

When it was mentioned that he didn’t get a final scene with the main character, Freddie Highmore’s Dr. Shaun Murphy, Gonzalez added, ‘Freddie was there for my final day, watching every scene from behind the camera in support.’

Fans were not too pleased though, including Twitter user @LifeLoveCats, who shouted, ‘THIS IS *NOT* HOW YOU CELEBRATE NATIONAL DOCTORS DAY.’

Another fan, @AmandaKihl, added, ‘I’m sitting here with tears streaming down my face. Melendez needed to continue with the show.’