Heading into Doc season 3, we knew that there would be at least one key member of the show’s ensemble who would not return. It was widely reported that Felicity Huffman would not be back for season 3, with her character Joan being killed off the show off-screen in the season 2 finale. What we did not expect was that Huffman would not be the only cast member to exit the show ahead of season 3.
In the season 3 premiere, it was revealed that Richard had left Westside Hospital and accepted a job at Eastside Hospital because he wanted to start fresh. The reveal came via a quick one-off conversation between Amy and Gina about trying to get to the bottom of a mysterious string of medical cases that would end up being caused by mass hysteria.
There was no appearance from Richard in the episode, and the moment left fans wondering if we had really seen the last of Scott Wolf’s polarizing doctor. Sadly, this was by design as Wolf will not be back as a series regular or recurring player in season 3.
Executive producer Hank Steinberg confirmed to TV Insider that while the show loves having Wolf around, they felt that Richard’s redemption storyline had reached a natural end. As a result, the decision was made to write Richard out of the show, feeling that the character had run his course.
“We love Scott. We love the character of Richard. We felt that that story had come to a really natural conclusion with his redemption at the end of last season and with Amy kind of indirectly forgiving him. And while we adore him and love the character, we felt that the dramatic possibilities had kind of exhausted themselves at that point without taking a bit of a break.”
The decision to write Richard out of the show was not one that the show took lightly, but it seems this was a creative decision and not the result of Wolf wanting to exit the show. Steinberg noted that there were a lot of discussions about how Richard could fit into the season’s narrative; however, at the end of the day it didn’t feel right to have the character go backwards into making him an antagonist again, but couldn’t see a way forward for the character that would allow for dramatic storytelling.
“There was a lot of time spent wrestling with, if we did bring him back, what would be the new role? And it felt like we’d be either have to go backwards into trying to find a way to make him an antagonist again, which didn’t feel right. And if he was just sort of in a, they’ve forgiven each other and he’s an ally [situation], it didn’t feel like there was a lot of dramatic possibility without taking a break and finding some new circumstances to shift things. And that can happen. You see people on series — they come, they go, and then they come back again, and it can be very exciting.”
While the show has written Richard out of the main narrative, Steinberg noted that the door has been left open by design, which is why they chose to have him transfer to a hospital in the same city. This leaves the door open for Wolf to return, though it has not been confirmed whether we’ll see him pop up for a guest appearance in season 3.
Doc season 3 airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on FOX.
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