It’s time to say goodbye to your favorite doctors before they scrub out for good. ABC’s long-running medical series, The Good Doctor, is nearing its end after seven years. Find out when The Good Doctor is returning on ABC and how to watch the show’s final chapter.
The Good Doctor premiered on ABC in 2017 and consistently ranked as the number one series in the Monday 10 p.m. slot in the adults 18-49 demographic, according to ABC. Based on the 2013 South Korean series of the same name, The Good Doctor stars Freddie Highmore as Dr. Shaun Murphy, a gifted and autistic surgical resident at the San Jose St. Bonaventure Hospital. Chuku Modu, Richard Schiff, Will Yun Lee, Fiona Gubelmann, Christina Chang, Paige Spara, Bria Samoné Henderson, and Noah Galvin also make up the cast of the hit medical series.
In January 2024, ABC announced The Good Doctor was canceled after six seasons and the upcoming season would be its last. “Playing Dr. Shaun Murphy has been an immense privilege and one of the most remarkable and rewarding experiences of my life,” Highmore said in a statement at the time, per Variety.
The lead star, who played Dr. Shaun since the show’s inception, continued, “I will always be grateful to David, Liz, and Erin, as well as the hugely talented – and lovely – cast, writers, and crew who made this show possible. Caring deeply is what got us here. Thank you to Sony and ABC, and to everyone who has watched along at home. With love from Vancouver… tequila, stat!”
Ahead of Season 7, executive producer Liz Friedman and co-showrunner/EP David Shore didn’t have an end to The Good Doctor in mind before ABC canceled the show. “I mean, I feel like I could tell stories about Shaun forever,” Friedman told TV Insider. “Certainly, as long as the amazing Freddie Highmore was interested in playing him, I was happy to write for him.”
Friedman continued, “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 explained. “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 show’s cancelation came after ABC also axed the anticipated The Good Doctor spinoff, The Good Lawyer, before the show even began. The series earned a backdoor pilot order last year and was set to star Kennedy McMann and Felicity Huffman.
The next season of The Good Doctor is moving from its regular Monday night slot to Tuesday nights after The Rookie. Find out everything about Season 7, including the return date, cast, and episodes, below.
When Does The Good Doctor Return?
The seventh and final season of The Good Doctor returns on Tuesday, February 20, 2024, at 10 p.m. ET/PT on ABC. Episodes will also be available to stream on Hulu one day later on Wednesday.
In the premiere, “Shaun and Lea adjust to parenthood as they debate the importance of schedule and routine for Steve; Shaun takes on his first case back at the hospital with two baby patients in need of the same heart,” according to the episode description.
How To Watch And Stream The Good Doctor
The Good Doctor airs on Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on ABC. New episodes will also stream on demand for Hulu subscribers the next day.
If you want to watch ABC without cable, the channel is also available on TV streaming services, including Hulu+ Live TV, DirectTV, fuboTV. Sign up for Hulu+ Live TV’s seven-day free trial to watch The Good Doctor live for free.
How Many Episodes Will Be In The Good Doctor Season 7?
There are reportedly 10 episodes of The Good Doctor Season 7. TV Line reported in November 2023 that ABC was looking to make 10 episodes following the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes that pushed production for months.
If Season 7 of The Good Doctor only has 10 episodes, it would mark The Good Doctor’s shortest season since the series premiered in 2017.
Who Is In The Good Doctor Season 7 Cast?
Most of the Season 6 cast are expected to return for Season 7, including Freddie Highmore, Richard Schiff, Christina Chang, and Paige Spara. However, there are a few major cast changes to note. First, Hill Harper (aka Doctor Marcus Andrews) will not be coming back as the U.S. Senate hopeful focuses on his campaign.
“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 told TVLine in November 2023. “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.”
