It’s official: U.S. Senate hopeful Hill Harper will not return to The Good Doctor for Season 7, TVLine has confirmed exclusively.
“Hill Harper feels strongly that there is a crisis in American democracy — too often, government only works for the rich and powerful while the rest of us struggle to find a voice,” Harper’s campaign spokesperson tells TVLine. “Hill is dedicating his efforts full time to fixing that, and he’s running for the U.S. Senate as an active union member to give working people more of a voice in Congress.”
Neither ABC nor Sony Pictures Television could be reached for comment.
Official word of his departure comes four months after the actor announced his candidacy. He is running for political office in the state of Michigan, where he will challenge Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin for the seat currently held by outgoing senator Debbie Stabenow.
Harper, who played Dr. Marcus Andrews, was one of three remaining series regulars from The Good Doctor Season 1, including leading man Freddie Highmore (who stars as Dr. Shaun Murphy) and Richard Schiff (who plays Shaun’s surrogate father, Dr. Aaron Glassman).
In the Season 6 finale, Andrews resigned as St. Bonaventure president, setting up Harper’s exit.
Harper is one of two cast members departing the ABC medical drama ahead of Season 7. As previously reported, Brandon Larracuente, who scrubbed in last fall as surgical resident Dr. Danny Perez, will not be back following the Season 6 finale.
Harper is a lawyer-turned-actor who graduated from Brown University (with Latin honors) and Harvard Law. Prior to The Good Doctor, he starred as Dr. Sheldon Hawkes on the long-running CBS procedural CSI: NY, which ran for nine seasons and ended in 2013.
The Good Doctor Season 7 premieres on a new night, Tuesday, Feb. 20 at 10/9c on ABC.
