Dr. Jared Kalu is not going anywhere this time! Original cast member Chuku Modu has been promoted to a series regular for Season 7 of ABC’s The Good Doctor following his return in Season 6. Keep reading for all the details on the casting shakeup.
The Good Doctor is ABC’s medical drama following Dr. Shaun Murphy (Freddie Highmore), a young, autistic surgical resident at the fictional San Jose St. Bonaventure Hospital. Despite skepticism from his colleagues, Murphy use his extraordinary gifts and unique talents to save lives. The series first premiered in September 2017 and is currently on its seventh season.
Modu starred as surgical resident Jared Kalu during the first season and the Season 2 premiere. His character had a brief relationship with fellow resident Claire Brown (played by Antonia Thomas), however, the pair had broken up by the end of Season 1. Kalu was written off in the Season 2 premiere; he lost his job at St. Bonaventure after he assaulted surgical attending Dr. Matt Coyle (played by The Rookie star Eric Winter), who had previously harassed Claire. He then moved to Denver to finish his residency at a different hospital.
Chuku reflected on his departure in a since-deleted Instagram post, writing: “Nothing but love love love love love, I’m filled. If only you knew the good vibes and energy that’s in constant motion when the cameras aren’t rolling. Thank you all for teaching me more than you will ever know. Thanks for the love my peoples, on to the next one.”
Fans did not expect to see the hunky doctor ever again, but Chuku returned to the show in a recurring capacity during Season 6. In his first episode back, viewers learned that Kalu was three years into his residency when he left Denver Memorial to become a concierge doctor. After working with Murphy again, he came to regret his decision and decided to restart his residency at St. Bonaventure, this time working under Murphy.
While it was unclear at the time how big of a role Kalu would have on the show going forward, fans can definitely expect to see more of him in the new season, as Chuku has been elevated to a series regular, according to TVLine. His promotion comes at the heels of Hill Harper’s departure. Harper starred as attending plastic surgeon, and later, the president of St. Bonaventure Dr. Marcus Andrews during seasons 1-6. His exit was announced in November 2023, with his reps revealing that the actor wanted to focus on his real-life senate run in Michigan.
With this casting shakeup, fans are hoping to see a relationship develop between Kalu and third year resident Jordan Allen (Bria Samoné Henderson). The two had a few flirty moments during Season 6, but Allen also had a connection with Danny Perez (Brandon Larracuente). Larracuente is not returning to the show, however, which leaves room for a possible romance with Kalu and Allen. The dynamic between Murphy and Kalu will likely be further explored as well, with Murphy continuing to figure out how to be Kalu’s boss and his friend.
