It seems The Good Doctor has no more good tales left to tell.
The finale episode of The Good Doctor Season 7 aired on Tuesday 21st May on ABC network. Unfortunately, this episode was the final episode of the series overall, as ABC will not be renewing the series for another season.
In January 2024, Deadline confirmed that Season 8 of The Good Doctor will not be happening and Season 7 will be the final one in the franchise. So, no the hit medical drama will not return for an additional season. Why? We have expanded on the reason below.
The Good Doctor was canceled by ABC in January
Solidifying this claim is a statement shared by Freddie Highmore, who plays the lead role of Dr. Shaun Murphy in the series (an autistic doctor who navigates hurdles in professional and personal life) also had some kind words for the audience and crew of The Good Doctor.
Speaking to Variety, Highmore shared, “Playing Dr. Shaun Murphy has been an immense privilege and one of the most remarkable and rewarding experiences of my life,” adding, “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!
Executive producers David Shore, Liz Feldman, and Eric Gunn through Variety in January doting back on the years of experience on sets said a thank you to the diligent fans who watched the procedural drama.
“The Good Doctor has been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but it’s time to say goodbye. We are incredibly proud of the work we’ve done and the message we’ve been privileged to be a part of. We look forward to giving our fantastic fans, the truly extraordinary Freddie Highmore, the rest of our talented actors (and friends), and the best crew in the business the series ending that you all deserve. Thank you, Sony; thank you, ABC; thank you all.”
In fact, The Good Doctor was not the only series on the menu to receive a cancellation after its seventh season. Popular dramas like Young Sheldon, Station 19, and SEAL Team were all subject to cancellation after their seventh season. This is because of certain universal budget issues that networks face after six or seven seasons of a well-received series.
Freddie Highmore’s contract was ending after Season 7?
According to insider information reported by Deadline, the source explained the series of cancellations that was taking place, saying, “A lot of it comes down to budgets for most series.” The outlet explained that beyond Season 6, the networks have to bear the cost of production for further seasons, so it makes it expensive for them to license series beyond Season 6. Additionally, the outlet confirms that most contracts drawn between networks and actors last six years, after which salaries are negotiated. The entire process becomes expensive to hire new actors after the Season 7 benchmark.
https://x.com/DEADLINE/status/1745494476150198390
Deadline also reported through an insider source that Highmore’s contractual agreement was extended only to seven seasons. According to the outlet, “Sony TV had expressed willingness to make a deal if more cuts were needed, including a reduced Season 8 order. (With strong international sales on shows like The Good Doctor or S.W.A.T., outside studios like Sony TV have been able to absorb network license fee reductions and still keep the series profitable.)” However, negotiations for an upcoming season were never reached.
Another reason why The Good Doctor ran for seven seasons was because of its stagnant location in Vancouver Canada, which kept the costs low. Additionally, Highmore and Richard Schiff, who plays Dr. Aaron Glassman, were the only series regulars that made cost-cutting. But now with Highmore’s contract up and Schiff’s character (spoilers) diagnosed with terminal cancer at the series finale, we highly doubt he would be back for another season.
Even though ABC’s decision to drop The Good Doctor was made in January, the fans did not rest easy.
The Good Doctor fans protest for Season 8 renewal
After the January cancellation announcements, fans started a petition on Change.org to save the series, which read, “Calling all fans of The Good Doctor! We need to let ABC Network know that we are going to fight for our show. Let’s make them hear our voices. It’s not time to say goodbye to our beautiful show and amazing cast,” adding, “I believe that even if there is a 1% chance of success it is worth fighting for our show rather than accept that there is no hope. We need to let the cast and crew know that we want The Good Doctor to continue after Season 7.”
Fans may think there is a good reason why this petition will convince the network to renew the show given their success at resurrecting S.W.A.T. and 9-1-1 through similar petitions. However, such renewals are an exception and not the rule, so getting our hopes up about an eighth season of The Good Doctor without an official network confirmation is not wise.
What about the spinoff show that was supposed to air last year?
ABC dropped The Good Doctor spinoff amidst Hollywood strikes.
https://x.com/THR/status/1722796244173742106
In conjunction with the stellar performance garnered by The Good Doctor, a spinoff series, The Good Lawyer, would explore the contours of the professional and personal life of Felicity Huffman as a lawyer with obsessive-compulsive disorder, and even starred as a backdrop pilot to the mother series in spring of 2023. However, when Hollywood was struck into a hiatus due to the dual strikes, production was halted, and even after the strikes were negotiated, ABC never picked up the series again.
All in all, The Good Doctor has had a good run with its 7 seasons and will not be returning for a Season 8. You can catch all seven seasons of the medical procedural drama on Hulu.