The Good Doctor delivers disappointing news about Season 7

Dr. Shaun Murphy and co. will be walking the halls of St. Bonaventure Hospital soon in The Good Doctor Season 7. While we’re excited for the start of the season, there is some disappointing news.

The Good Doctor will start its farewell season on Tuesday, Feb. 20 on ABC. Yes, you read that right. It’s the final season of the series.

TVLine confirmed the news that the series will bow out after seven seasons, joining ABC firefighter drama Station 19. There are certainly a lot of shows coming to an end with the upcoming seasons across the networks, including The CW’s Superman & Lois, whenever Season 4 of that series premieres.

Why is The Good Doctor ending with Season 7?

Is this an ABC decision or a show decision? That’s not 100% clear from the report. There is a statement from the EPs of the series, which makes it suggest that it is a show decision. It looks like the team wants the show to come to an end while it’s still on a high.

The news comes off the back that it won’t develop into a franchise. Kennedy McMann introduced her The Good Lawyer character in a backdoor pilot as Shaun Murphy faced losing his license for actions he took while treating a patient in the field. After months of waiting to hear about a decision during the strike action, ABC decided not to go ahead with The Good Lawyer.

It is possible that the decision over ending The Good Doctor came around the same time. This doesn’t sound like a snap decision looking at the statement from the EPs. The promo material out for the series even makes it clear that it’s the final season, suggesting there was plenty of time to make this decision. With some hope, there was enough time to ensure storylines are wrapped for each of the characters, including Chuku Modu’s Jared, who is a series regular for the final season.

The Good Doctor Season 7 premieres on Tuesday, Feb. 20 at 10/9c on ABC. Catch up on the series on Hulu.