With Nancy Drew wrapped on its final season, lead actress Kennedy McMann has been cast as the lead in another highly anticipated series, The Good Lawyer. Felicity Huffman (Desperate Housewives) is set as a co-lead in the proposed spin-off of The Good Doctor, ABC’s popular medical procedural.
ABC ordered an embedded pilot episode titled “The Good Lawyer,” which guest stars McMann and Huffman to introduce their characters, and is set to air March 6. In the episode, Dr. Shaun Murphy (Freddie Highmore) seeks legal representation to help him win a case and puts his faith in a promising, young lawyer, Joni DeGroot (McMann) who has obsessive-compulsive disorder.
The brilliant, funny, and self-aware Joni is new to her prestigious law firm when she takes Shaun’s case. Living with OCD, Joni has never wanted to be treated differently. While her symptoms take a toll on her personal and professional life, her attention to detail allows her to see cases through a different lens. McMann herself has OCD and has been open with her diagnosis of the disorder making her a prime choice for the character.
Huffman’s Janet Stewart is a highly regarded attorney and partner at the law firm with a fierce intellect and dry wit. A seasoned lawyer, Janet represented Dr. Aaron Glassman (Richard Schiff) in several legal matters over the years, so he turns to her to represent his beloved protégé. But when Shaun declares that he wants Joni to represent him, Janet is forced to let Joni take lead on the case.
