The Good Doctor is coming to an end, and Daniel Dae Kim won’t be there to see the finale. Kim is an executive producer who helped to launch the show from the beginning, and throughout season 2, he also starred as Dr. Jackson Han, a co-worker for Freddie Highmore’s Dr. Shaun Murphy. Han fails to understand Murphy, leading to the latter’s temporary demotion to pathology and Han’s eventual dismissal from both the hospital and the show. As the show prepares for its conclusion with season 7, Han’s return appeared to be somewhat inevitable.
With The Good Doctor season 7 only a few days away from its February 20 release, however, Kim is opening up about his availability. While speaking to Deadline, Kim admitted that he will likely be unable to return. He looks back on the show with extreme positivity and feels gratitude about its success, but prior engagements have limited his participation. Check out his full explanation below:
Seven years nowadays is actually saying a lot. This is actually the third series I’ve been lucky to be a part of that’s gone over 100 episodes. I know that’s rare, and I appreciate that for what it is. I’m grateful to everyone who has been a part of the show. I would love to come back, but I’ve got a few things I’m working on at the moment, so it’s going to be a little difficult for me.
Daniel Dae Kim Can’t Return To The Good Doctor
Kim is still an executive producer for The Good Doctor season 7, but that does not mean that he will have the time to participate as an actor. That would be a massive time commitment that Kim cannot afford, as he is currently engaged in multiple projects, and those commitments involve advertising his appearances, as well as taking part in filming. Even a cameo appearance would be a fairly major commitment with such a tight schedule.
Kim’s work currently includes Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender and the upcoming Butterfly, for which Kim is an executive producer. The latter is a TV show about a former intelligence officer desperately fighting for his life as he avoids an assassin. With high stakes, the filming process is typically arduous, which explains Kim’s absence. Additionally, his role in Avatar is as the primary antagonist, Firelord Ozai, which means that he has been forced to devote considerable time to marketing.
While Kim is indicating that he is unlikely to appear in The Good Doctor’s finale, there is always a chance that circumstances will change. Given his positive outlook on the show, he may work time into his schedule. Otherwise, a production might end quickly, or filming could cross over somehow with the final episodes of the medical drama. Even if he fails to appear again, the legacy that Kim has left on the show makes him an integral part of Dr. Murphy’s story.
