Sorry, The Good Doctor season 8 is not happening at ABC

The medical staff from ABC's endearing and poignant drama The Good Doctor will say their final goodbyes and depart San Jose's St. Bonaventure Hospital following the May 21 series finale and after seven seasons. It's heartbreaking, to say the least, because The Good Doctor was gifted with multidimensional characters and engaging story-telling that brought out the show's magic.

It's disheartening that the series will not return for a season 8 because not only did the mentioned elements make the show memorable, but Freddie Highmore's performance as Dr. Shaun Murphy, who happened to be autistic, was the guiding light. His portrayal raised much-needed awareness about the neurological spectrum and created one of the first television leads with a disability.

In a recent interview with People, Highmore emphasized that Dr. Murphy's challenges could be a hopeful change in breaking down the "stereotypes" surrounding autism and helping shape Highmore as a better individual. He said that his personal mission of his character was to emit authenticity regarding Shaun's autism. The actor also praised The Good Doctor's goal of addressing his character's narrative and arc in an impactful direction.

"That's been the thing that's most and has always been, most important to me in playing the role [of Shaun Murphy]. If there is anything I hope the show has done, I hope that in some small, tiny little way, it has helped challenge stereotypes [and] change people's perceptions about autism. That would be the thing that certainly makes me most proud, and that was always our aim and intention.”"

On May 14's episode, also the second-to-last before the series finale, "Unconditional," we learned the beloved Dr. Claire Browne (Antonia Thomas) was diagnosed with breast cancer. Despite a successful surgery to remove all suspicious tissue, Claire wasn't out of the woods as initially believed. Following her much-needed reconnection with Dr. Jared Kalu (Chuku Modu), Claire took a turn for the worse and has been readmitted for additional treatments following surgical complications.

A brief recap of The Good Doctor series finale

In the finale, "Goodbye," it's another tear-jerking hour as we discover Claire is fighting a life-threatening infection and Dr. Glassman's (Richard Schiff) brain cancer has returned. Despite Shaun's brilliant treatment plan curated for Dr. Glassman, the elder doctor refused it as he already accepted his fate.

After accepting Dr. Glassman's decision, Shaun shifts his focus to saving Claire. Again, her treatment plan was a brilliant one, and its effects saved her life, allowing her to continue her medical career and marry Dr. Kalu. It was Shaun's gift to her as Claire was among the first people to believe in him and his aspirations.

Shaun's dedicated colleagues found inspirational paths following their tenures at St. Bon's. Claire and her family remained close to the young doctor, who founded The Dr. Aaron Glassman Foundation for Neurodiversity in honor of the late Dr. Glassman. Along with the foundation, Shaun achieved Chief of Surgery at St. Bonaventura.

The finale was a beautiful and uplifting conclusion to The Good Doctor. We witnessed Shaun's most significant accomplishments and vulnerabilities over the years. While it's hard to say goodbye, the ending was beyond satisfying.

Why The Good Doctor isn't getting a season 8

Season 8 of The Good Doctor isn't happening at ABC for a few reasons. Like several shows from other networks, it was impacted by the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, resulting in a reduced episode block from the initial thirteen to ten. Then, if the show were to be greenlit for season 8, the higher budgeting would factor in. Once a show gets past seven seasons, it gets exponentially more expensive to license and negotiate cast contracts for higher raises.

The medical drama wasn't the only show across ABC that was canceled. Not Dead Yet and Station 19 will not return for the 2024-2025 season, leaving many fans disappointed. Additionally, The Conners will end next year after seven seasons and a very short episode order of six.

It's to be said that aside from The Good Doctor's farewell, the show gave a rare conclusion that ended on its own terms, and had it been canceled on a cliffhanger, then we wouldn't be able to get Shaun's happy ending.

You can stream all seven seasons of The Good Doctor on Hulu!