The Good Doctor season 6 finale satisfied the fans for a while by tying up all the loose ends that had earlier confounded them. However, that does not mean that ABC’s hit medical drama won’t return for a seventh season.
The show will underscore the life of Dr Shaun Murphy (Freddie Highmore) and his new wife, Lea (Paige Spara), in the backdrop of St. Bonaventure Hospital for yet another season. This time, the medical drama will also explore a parental tangent as the new husband and wife become first-time parents in season 6.
Despite suffering from autism, which makes him awkward in social situations, Dr Murphy is a virtuoso in medical surgeries. His autism presumably becomes the cause of his out-of-the-box thinking, leading him to come to advanced medical diagnoses and treatments. He often reminds some fans of Dr House.
That being said, fans cannot wait to watch another season of The Good Doctor on the screens. Unfortunately, they will have to wait this out since The Good Doctor season 7 is not coming to ABC in September 2023. Here’s why.
When can we expect The Good Doctor Season to air on ABC?
On April 19, ’23, The Good Doctor was renewed for a seventh season by ABC. However, at the time of writing this article, the network has not revealed the official release date. As per the recent reports, The Good Doctor is confirmed to premiere in 2024. Following its predecessor, the new installment is expected to follow the Fall’24 lineup, as season 6 premiered on Monday, October 3, 2022.
However, this may not concretize into reality given the ongoing writers’ and actors’ strike, which will indubitably push the premiere date of ABC’s scripted drama. Consequently, this leads us to conclude that every scripted drama, including The Good Doctor season 7, is not expected to premiere until late 2024.
Sadly, if the premiere of season 7 is pushed further, it could prove to be the shortest season in the show’s history. Per the reports, if the show premieres in January, it will expectantly air 12-13 episodes. However, if it’s pushed further to the latter half of the year, it might only air 6-8 episodes. (One Chicago Center)
What is the production status of The Good Doctor season 7?
At the time of writing this article, the production schedule is postponed owing to the two strikes that have disrupted the production schedules of other high-grossing OTT shows, including Stranger Things, The Sandman, and more.
Per Variety, ABC has postponed the latest installment’s scripted content, thereby pushing further the release date as mentioned previously. Until a fair deal is reached, the production won’t resume.
What can we expect to happen in The Good Doctor season 7?
The Good Doctor season 6 finale, titled ‘Love’s Labour’ aired on ABC on May 1, 2023. The upcoming installment will undoubtedly pick up exactly from where its predecessor left off. It will underscore the trials and tribulations that parenthood entails, especially when both parents are working and are going through emotional turbulence in their relationship. Dr. Aaron Glassman (Richard Schiff), Shaun’s mentor and close friend, foreshadows by assuring him that he will be a great father, however, after going through various ups and downs (more of the downs, for sure).
Season 7 will also pick up the tangent of Dr. Glassman, who experiences memory impairment in season 6. This concerns Dr. Murphy and leads him to speculate the former’s brain cancer has returned. Fortunately, the scans conclude that he is still cancer-free; one reckons that he might be diagnosed with dementia instead. However, Dr. Murphy concludes that his mentor might be suffering from the irreversible side effects of a ministroke, which created a hole in his brain. That being said, season 7 will explore either of the tangents: Will Glassman cease to work as a medical surgeon? Or will he courageously bear the brunt of it?
Talking to Parade, Freddie Highmore elaborated on the parenthood tangent that season 7 would take. He said:
“It also makes you look towards the future, because it feels like this whole new reinvention of who he is. I’m not a father myself, but I can only imagine the way in which it will shake Shaun’s world and change him fundamentally as a person. So it will be really exciting in Season 7 to get to explore probably the biggest change in Shaun that we’ve ever had.”
Who are the cast members of The Good Doctor Season 7?
Since major changes have not been introduced in the core cast members of season 6, we expect the following to reprise their roles in season 7:
- Freddie Highmore as Dr Shaun Murphy
- Paige Spara as Lea
- Richard Schiff as Dr Aaron Glassman
- Fiona Gubelmann as Dr Morgan Reznick
- Christina Chang as Dr Audrey Lim
- Will Yun Lee as Dr Alex Park
- Nicholas Gonzalez as Dr. Neil Melendez
- Noah Galvin as Dr. Asher Wolke
- Bria Henderson as Dr. Jordan Allen
- Chuku Mody as Dr Jared Kalu
- Elfina Luk as Nurse Villanueva
However, per TVLine, Brandon Larracuente, who plays Dr. Danny Perez, will not return to the seventh season of this hit medical drama. Perez had shown up at St. Bonaventure Hospital at the beginning of season 6, owing to its acute opioid addiction. At first, it seemed he had everything under control, but he relapsed and overdosed in episode 9.
Hill Harper, as Dr. Marcus Andrews, announced that he’s running for U.S. Senate in Michigan. Due to this, many fans have speculated that his campaign will presumably interfere with his role on the show, and it is one of the prominent reasons why he won’t return in the new season.
Are there any latest updates regarding The Good Doctor season 7?
The latest turn of events might not be exciting for the fans of the show because the reports suggest that actor Hill Harper might not be reprising his role as Dr. Marcus Andrews in The Good Doctor season 7. In July 2023, Harper announced his campaign to run for the Senate for the state of Michigan. Announcing on Twitter, the actor also made clear that he will be going up against Representative Elissa Slotkin, thereby replacing the retiring Senator Debbie Stabenow.
Hailing from Harvard Law School and Brown University, Harper’s excellent academic background will hopefully work in his favor.
For more release date updates on The Good Doctor season 7, stay tuned to Web News Observer!