The Good Doctor is signing off.
With just one episode remaining of the ABC drama, which stars Freddie Highmore as a surgeon with autism and savant syndrome, cast members are saying their goodbyes. See their emotional parting words in the exclusive video above.
“We’ve always wanted this show to be more than just a television show,” says Highmore, who plays Dr. Shaun Murphy. “If, in some small way, we’ve been able to help challenge stereotypes surrounding autism, that would certainly be the thing that I’m most proud of.”
Other actors from the Golden Globe-nominated series weigh in, too, including Bria Samoné Henderson (Dr. Jordan Allen), Chuku Modu (Dr. Jared Kalu), Will Yun Lee (Dr. Alex Park), and Fiona Gubelmann (Dr. Morgan Reznick). Paige Spara, who portrays Lea Dilallo-Murphy, the best friend-turned-wife of Highmore’s Murphy, even tears up as she discusses what she hopes is the show’s lasting impact and thanks fans for their “love and support all of these years.”
The emotional moments come as the series, based on a 2013 South Korean show of the same name, concludes its seventh and final season. The premise of The Good Doctor is that Highmore’s character left life in the country to navigate a job at a bustling, prestigious hospital.
The show’s end was announced in January. Highmore said then that playing Dr. Shaun Murphy had been “an immense privilege and one of the most remarkable and rewarding experiences of my life.”
“The Good Doctor has been a once in a lifetime opportunity, but it’s time to say goodbye,” showrunners David Shore and Liz Friedman, plus executive producer Erin Gunn, said in a statement at the time. “We are incredibly proud of the work we’ve done and the message we’ve been privileged to be a part of. We look forward to giving our fantastic fans, the truly extraordinary Freddie Highmore, the rest of our talented actors (and friends), and the best crew in the business the series ending that you all deserve.”
The characters will say their own so longs in the episode titled, appropriately enough, “Goodbye.”
Just last week, beloved character Dr. Claire Brown, who’s played by Antonia Thomas, returned to San Jose St. Bonaventure Hospital as a patient. Per the official description of the finale, “As the doctors consider their futures, they work together to solve one of the most important cases of their careers.”
The final episode of The Good Doctor airs Tuesday, May 21 at 10 p.m. ET/PT, on ABC, and it’s available to stream on Hulu the next day.
