Doc season 2 had a major change for the cast, but it turns out season 3 will have a key character departing as a regular!
Caution: This article contains SPOILERS for Doc season 2
The Doc season 2 finale was a dramatic one as a virus struck Westside Medical, with Amy (Molly Parker) among those afflicted. She recovered, but tragically, her mentor Joan (Felicity Huffman) passed away after overexerting herself helping out.
Now, Deadline reports that another regular, Charlotte Fountain-Jardim, who has played Amy’s daughter Katie since the series premiered, will no longer be a regular in season 3. The character was a pivotal one as she and Amy had grown distant over the years, but Amy’s amnesia from a car accident gave them a second chance to reconcile.
Season 2 had more drama for the character as she handled the relationship with Amy and her ex-husband Michael (Omar Metwally), which included a “road trip” that had Katie helping save a couple in trouble.
Speaking to Deadline, co-showrunner Hank Steinberg related that Fountain-Jardim won’t be a regular but will make occasional guest appearances with Katie heading to Northwestern University.
“Katie’s off to college, and that’s a different chapter for Amy and Michael, which is appropriate and a good shift. Empty nest is a whole other psychological, emotional challenge for people, especially for Amy, who doesn’t remember all that time.”
Steinberg hinted that there may be a time jump as season 3 begins with Amy settling into a new life, Katie checking in from college and the occasional trip home. “We love the character, and we adore Charlotte, so she will be in the show, but she will not be living at home; she’ll be off in Chicago at school. So she will be in the show as needed.”
That takes care of one name, yet another cast regular’s status is up in the air.
Is Richard coming back for Doc season 3?
The Doc season 2 finale did introduce new cast member Blair Underwood as Ben Grant, who is expected to join full-time as the new chief. What the audience knows, although Amy doesn’t yet, is that Amy and Ben had an affair, which Amy, of course, doesn’t remember.
Fans are also wondering about Richard (Scott Wolf). Season 1 revolved around Richard taking advantage of Amy’s amnesia to throw her under the bus and make Amy believe she was responsible for the death of a patient when it was really Richard’s fault. That led to him being fired.
Season 2 saw Richard managing to wheedle his way back to the hospital. The season 2 finale had Richard affected by the virus, which seemed to open his eyes to his behavior and make him want to make amends. That leads to wondering if he’ll be back in season 3.
Steinberg revealed that “Richard, we are leaving up in the air. We love Scott, we love the character, we will see If there’s a way to bring him back in a way that makes sense. We love him, and the audience loves him.”
It would be fun to bring Richard back, now truly trying to change himself and help the patients while still held back by his past actions. The idea of him and Amy bonding over having a second chance to redeem themselves would lead to fun storylines.
So far, there’s no word of other cast shifts, yet it looks like Doc season 3 might end up being bigger and better than before.
Doc is streaming on Hulu.
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