Since its 2017 debut, ABC’s The Good Doctor has said goodbye to a whopping 10 series regulars. Some actors left on their own accord, while others were written out once their storylines reached their natural conclusion. Either way, saying so-long is never easy. Take, for instance the response to Nicholas Gonzalez’s departure after Melendez died of internal injuries sustained in the San Jose earthquake of 2020, or when Antonia Thomas made the decision to part ways with her role as Claire ahead of Season 5.
Below, TVLine has compiled a comprehensive guide to all the cast members who have bid the medical drama adieu since the end of Season 1, from least to most significant. Review our rankings to see who topped our list, then hit the comments to tell us which goodbye hit you hardest and who you miss the most!
10. Osvaldo Benavides (as Mateo Rendón Osma)
Benavides was elevated to series-regular status ahead of Season 5, at which point Mateo relocated from Guatemala to San Jose, Calif., to pursue a relationship with Dr. Audrey Lim. But just three episodes later, poof! Mateo was gone! His character’s swift departure didn’t sit well with Lim — dude left her a note! — but Benavides wasn’t around long enough for us to care that Mateo was never seen again.
9. Tamlyn Tomita (as Allegra Aoki)
Let’s face it: The writers never quite knew what to do with Allegra. The show seemed to be setting up a romance between the board member and a charming businessman at the end of Season 1, but the storyline was dropped after a single episode. Allegra occasionally consulted with Glassman and Andrews, but she never really existed outside the hospital. Tomita was demoted from series regular to recurring guest star after Season 2, but returned only for a cameo in the Season 3 premiere.
8. Brandon Larracuente (as Danny Perez)
Larracuente was charming as surgical resident Danny, but his character never amounted to more than a walking PSA about the dangers of drug use. We never knew much about him beyond his struggles with addiction, which made it hard to invest in his potential romance with Dr. Jordan Allen. Both his residency and their relationship fizzled out in the Season 6 finale, once Dr. Perez suffered extensive internal injuries in an ambulance crash. In the aftermath, Jordan made the difficult choice to forgo the recovering addict’s wishes, and gave him fentanyl to prevent a fatal cardiac arrest. He’ll return for a single episode in Season 7.
7. Hill Harper (as Marcus Andrews)
Once Harper announced his candidacy for United States Senate, Andrews’ time was up. After six seasons as St. Bons’ on-again/off-again president, Andrews resigned and was replaced by Drs. Glassman and Lim.
Alas, the series never had a handle on Andrews’ personal life. At one point, Andrews was married and wanted children. Then he and Isabel grew apart. Then he and Isabel divorced off screen. Then he got together with Salen Morrison. Then they broke up. Then he and Isabel were reunited on a case, and it seemed like there was still a spark. Then he pursued a different romance with Nurse Dalisay Villanueva. It was a lot for a character with limited screen time.
6. Beau Garrett (as Jessica Preston)
Garrett’s role as St. Bonaventure’s in-house attorney never really came into play, and Jessica’s romance with Dr. Neil Melendez fizzled out after a dozen-or-so episodes. The show did well establishing Jessica as Dr. Glassman’s surrogate daughter, but as soon as Glassman began chemotherapy for an aggressive form of brain cancer, she was gone. We assumed she’d been retconned, but she resurfaced (via Zoom) for a brief cameo in the COVID-themed Season 4 opener, suggesting that Jessica still worked at St. Bons. (If only The Good Lawyer had moved forward, perhaps there would’ve been a place for her there….)
5. Chuku Modu (as Jared Kalu)
Sure, the series might have written itself into a hole by having Jared assault an attending, then play the race card to get his job back, which didn’t sit well with Drs. Melendez and Andrews. But it’s also the only storyline involving Jared’s first stint at St. Bons that we can recall without the use of Wikipedia, so it’s not really a surprise that Modu scrubbed out after a single season. Jared left San Jose to continue his residency in Denver, and none of his colleagues (not even ex-girlfriend Claire!) spoke of him again — that was, prior to his Season 6 return. Jared was a sight for sore eyes after so much cast turnover, and the writers found better use for him working as a resident under Shaun.
