‘The Good Doctor’ Season 5: The New Characters and How to Watch
Returning from a trip to Guatemala in Season 4, the show lost Dr. Claire Browne, who decided to stay, but it picked up newcomer Dr. Mateo Rendon Osma while there. Shaun and Lea have big news to share while Morgan must deal with her worsening condition.
The ever-popular medical drama returns to ABC on Monday September 27, 2021, and here’s a rundown of everything you need to know before Season 5 of The Good Doctor starts.
Who Stars in The Good Doctor Season 5?
The biggest news after the Season 4 finale of The Good Doctor is that Antonia Thomas, Dr. Claire Browne, was leaving the show. In the last episode of Season 4 Claire decided to stay in Guatemala to continue helping those less fortunate receive medical care. Although she’s not due to appear in Season 5, her character’s fate leaves the door open for a return to the show.
The Good Doctor is adding three new regular cast members to Season 5. Noah Galvin and Bria Samoné Henderson both appeared last season as Dr. Asher Wolke and Dr. Jordan Allan—they’ll become permanent fixtures at the hospital in the upcoming season.
Oscaldo Benevides starred briefly as Dr. Osma, a love interest for Dr. Audrey Lim at the end of Season 4. He’s signed up to become a regular in Season 5.
In August, Deadline reported that Tony Award-winner Rachel Bay Jones (Dear Evan Hansen) is also due to get a recurring role in the new season. She’ll play the patient Salen Morrison.
Aside from the newcomers, series regulars Freddie Highmore, Hill Harper, Richard Schiff, Will Yun Lee, Fiona Gubelmann, Christina Chang and Paige Spara are all due to return.
What Happens in The Good Doctor Season 5?
Early trailer footage from The Good Doctor Season 5 shows Shaun and Lea sharing the good news with everyone that they’re going to get married. This is likely to be a major part of the early season as we also see the pair throw an engagement party and Lea struggles with planning a wedding.
We know that the pair do get to their wedding day, as is shown in the early promos for Season 5, but the footage stops short of them completing the wedding.
On the medical side of things, a young mother is brought to the hospital and the authorities are called when traces of anti-freeze are found in her child’s blood.
Executive producer Liz Friedman told Entertainment Weekly that Bay Jones’ character Salen is a smart, quirky, and occasionally irritating patient whose arrival at the hospital will have a surprising impact on all of the characters.
When Is The Good Doctor Season 5 on TV?
The Good Doctor Season 5 begins on Monday September 27, 2021, at 10pm ET on ABC. Each episode of the new season airs weekly on Mondays.
Episode 1 “New Beginnings” is followed by Episode 2 “Piece of Cake,” which will air on Monday October 4, 2021.
It isn’t currently known how many episodes there will be in total for Season 5. Seasons 1 and 2 has 18 episodes each, while Seasons 3 and 4 had 20 each.