The Good Doctor didn’t want to end with Season 7, co-showrunner and executive producer Liz Friedman tells TV Insider. The medical drama starring Freddie Highmore is ending with Season 7 because, as Friedman says, “ABC told us it was time to end it.”
The Good Doctor stars Highmore as Dr. Shaun Murphy, a brilliant surgeon with Autism Spectrum Disorder whose neurodivergent thinking helps him create unexpected solutions to medical conundrums.
“Why end it now? Well, ABC told us it was time to end it,” Friedman tells TV Insider. While it’s not ending on their timeline, Friedman is happy the series can end on their terms.
“We are very grateful that they told us that in a timely manner, which allows us to decide the terms that we’re going to end it on to craft a great ending and a great culmination of Shaun Murphy’s story, but that’s how that came about,” she says.
Friedman and co-showrunner/EP David Shore didn’t have an end in sight prior to ABC’s decision. “I mean, I feel like I could tell stories about Shaun forever,” Friedman says. “Certainly, as long as the amazing Freddie Highmore was interested in playing him, I was happy to write for him.” In Friedman’s mind, Shaun’s story will go on even without the show continuing.
“To me, the way I look at this is Shaun Murphy’s adventures are going to continue in the universe. I just have to find a way to close the sense that he’s doing it for us,” she explains. “But in my mind, Shaun is going to be out there forever doing the amazing things that he does and seeing things in his totally unique way.”
The series’ end was announced on January 11 by ABC. Friedman, Shore, Highmore, and The Good Doctor cast expressed their sadness over the series’ impending end at the 2024 Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour on Saturday, February 10. Shore revealed during The Good Doctor panel that the final season will only be 10 episodes.
“It’s been a weird year, so only doing 10 episodes is unfortunate,” he said, seemingly referencing the Hollywood strikes of 2023. “But being able to go out on your own terms is such a blessing in this industry, and we’ve been fortunate. We’re excited about the lead-up to this, but watching this makes us very sad.”
“We were initially planning for 13, and then we ended up doing 10,” said Friedman. “But I think we’re going to be able to deliver a really good finale and do what we want to do.”
When asked if the show was naturally reaching an end or if its ending was solely a network decision, Shore and Friedman laughed. Shore asked, “You want to take that?” As Friedman responded, “No.”
“It was a bit of both, I guess,” Shore explained. “Years ago, when I was doing another show, I was asked, ‘Do you know how this show is going to end?’ I was asked that early on. And I said, ‘Yes, I know exactly how this show will end. One day, I will get a phone call from the network telling me the show is ending.’ And that they just will milk it for all it’s worth, but on that show and on this show, we’ve been lucky enough to be able to plan the ending we want to do.”
“We get to plan a great finale and do something that we think the fans will love, so we’re glad to have that opportunity,” added Friedman.
The Good Doctor‘s seventh and final season begins February 20 on ABC, now on Tuesdays instead of Monday nights.
