Freddie Highmore is a surgeon on the autism spectrum on “The Good Doctor.” (Liane Hentscher/ABC)

Freddie Highmore is a surgeon on the autism spectrum on “The Good Doctor.” (Liane Hentscher/ABC)

Why ‘The Good Doctor’ is fall TV’s only breakout show

  • By Verne Gay Newsday
  • Sunday, November 26, 2017 1:30am
  • Life

By Verne Gay / Newsday

“The Good Doctor” (Mondays at 10 p.m. on ABC/7) is a good show. Of equal note, it’s a hit show, and the only breakout of the fall season. About a surgical resident named Shaun Murphy (Freddie Highmore) who’s on the autism spectrum, “The Good Doctor” has been averaging more than 17 million viewers so far this season, beating out “This Is Us” and even prime-time champ “NCIS.”

How did this happen? Let’s count the ways:

It’s “House.” Of course, “TGD” is not exactly “House” — the huge Fox hit that ended in 2012 — because it’s based on a Korean show. But “House” is in its DNA. “House” showrunner David Shore developed this for ABC, and at least two “House” producers (Thomas L. Moran and David Hoselton) are among the executive producers. Then there are the comparisons between “House” star Hugh Laurie and Highmore: both English, both Cambridge graduates, both first-rate actors.

It’s about bias and prejudice. There’s never not been a good time to explore this subject, but “TGD” comes at it in a particularly novel way. The other residents at San Jose St. Bonaventure — including chief of surgery Marcus Andrews (Hill Harper) and attending surgeon who oversees the residents Dr. Neil Melendez (Nicholas Gonzalez) — have all had to overcome bias in their own lives and careers. Now they must wrestle with their biases against Murphy. The reversal neatly explores the concept of what a “good doctor” is (or is not) but also what a good person is.

It’s got cool graphics. Hey, who doesn’t love cool graphics? The special effects transpose Murphy’s thoughts onto the screen, and suddenly you’re inside his head. “House” and “CSI” perfected this technique long ago, but “TGD’s” sparkling graphics are at least educational.

It’s got cool dialogue. You actually learn stuff by watching “TGD,” or at least imagine you do. The dialogue is a constant patter of med-talk, much of it bracing if unintelligible. Last week we learned about a “reboa,” otherwise known as a resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta.

It’s got a terrific cast. First among equals is Richard Schiff — hospital president Dr. Aaron Glassman — who is the Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard) to Shaun Murphy’s Gregory House. Then there are the savvy veterans Hill and Gonzalez, followed by British newcomers Chuku Modu (who plays Dr. Jared Kalu) and Antonia Thomas (Dr. Claire Browne). Thomas — who starred in the Brit TV classic “Misfits” — is the big breakout here.

Its resolutions aren’t made-for-prime-time fairy tales. Patients die at St. Bonaventure, or their fates aren’t necessarily reversed. Recall the man who was refused a liver transplant because he had one glass of Champagne at his daughter’s wedding; or the little boy who reminded Shaun of his dead brother, and who would end up dying himself after the closing credits? Life’s tragic. So is “TGD.”

It’s about autism. “TGD” is a sensitive, intelligent exploration of someone on the spectrum.

Recall (for example) the episode where Shaun needed the leak in his apartment faucet fixed so that it would sound exactly like the leak in his childhood home back in Wyoming.

That particular bout of OCD in fact led to an inspiration for treating a patient — a plot twist that wasn’t about normalizing the way someone with autism thinks and feels, but about honoring it. That’s rare on TV, thankfully not unprecedented (see: Sundance’s excellent “The A Word”).

Heavy? Sure, at times, but there’s levity here, too. Example: Last week, Glassman wondered if Shaun wanted someone to love in his life.

Shaun, abruptly: “I don’t want love.”

Glassman, casually: “OK, you want breakfast?”

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Brandon Hailey of Cytrus, center, plays the saxophone during a headlining show at Madam Lou’s on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lynnwood-based funk octet Cytrus has the juice

Resilience and brotherhood take center stage with ‘friends-first’ band.

FILE - In this April 11, 2014 file photo, Neko Case performs at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. Fire investigators are looking for the cause of a fire on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, that heavily damaged Case’s 225-year-old Vermont home. There were no injuries, though a barn was destroyed. It took firefighters two hours to extinguish the blaze. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP, File)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Singer-songwriter Neko Case, an indie music icon from Tacoma, performs Sunday in Edmonds.

Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli
Tangier’s market boasts piles of fruits, veggies, and olives, countless varieties of bread, and nonperishables, like clothing and electronics.
Rick Steves on the cultural kaleidoscope of Tangier in Morocco

Walking through the city, I think to myself, “How could anyone be in southern Spain — so close — and not hop over to experience this wonderland?”

chris elliott.
Vrbo promised to cover her rental bill in Hawaii, so why won’t it?

When Cheryl Mander’s Vrbo rental in Hawaii is uninhabitable, the rental platform agrees to cover her new accommodations. But then it backs out. What happened?

The Moonlight Swing Orchestra will play classic sounds of the Big Band Era on April 21 in Everett. (submitted photo)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Relive the Big Band Era at the Port Gardner Music Society’s final concert of the season in Everett.

2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD (Honda)
2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD

Honda cedes big boy pickup trucks to the likes of Ford, Dodge… Continue reading

Would you want to give something as elaborate as this a name as mundane as “bread box”? A French Provincial piece practically demands the French name panetiere.
A panetiere isn’t your modern bread box. It’s a treasure of French culture

This elaborately carved French antique may be old, but it’s still capable of keeping its leavened contents perfectly fresh.

(Judy Newton / Great Plant Picks)
Great Plant Pick: Mouse plant

What: Arisarum proboscideum, also known as mouse plant, is an herbaceous woodland… Continue reading

Bright green Japanese maple leaves are illuminated by spring sunlight. (Getty Images)
Confessions of a ‘plantophile’: I’m a bit of a junky for Japanese maples

In fact, my addiction to these glorious, all-season specimens seems to be contagious. Fortunately, there’s no known cure.

2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited (Hyundai)
2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited

The 2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited is a sporty, all-electric, all-wheel drive sedan that will quickly win your heart.

The 2024 Dodge Hornet R/T hybrid’s face has the twin red lines signifying the brand’s focus on performance. (Dodge)
2024 Hornet R/T is first electrified performance vehicle from Dodge

The all-new compact SUV travels 32 miles on pure electric power, and up to 360 miles in hybrid mode.

Don’t blow a bundle on glass supposedly made by the Henry William Stiegel

Why? Faked signatures, reused molds and imitated styles can make it unclear who actually made any given piece of glass.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.