The medical drama genre can be a tricky business. From the accuracy of medicine, diagnosis and treatment to how the lives of doctors who juggle hospital and home, there are many nuances to consider. ‘The Good Doctor’ took another challenge – its protagonist is a surgeon who is on the autism spectrum.
While ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ has ruled television as the most popular medical drama for decades, ‘The Good Doctor’ rivaled it, but is now in its seventh and final season. A series regular, Dr. Marcus Andrews played by Hill Harper left the show at the end of Season 6. Why did he leave and how will the show address his character’s exit? Here’s all you need to know.
Related: 5 Most Heartbreaking Moments In ‘The Good Doctor’ That Are Enough To Make An Adult Cry
Why Dr. Marcus Andrews Exited ‘The Good Doctor’ Before Season 7?
Hill Harper has been a regular on ‘The Good Doctor’ since Season 1. In his role as Dr. Marcus Andrews, he resisted Freddie Highmore Dr. Shaun Murphy’s hiring at the hospital due to autism but grew to respect and appreciate him. Andrews also climbed up the ranks due to his high ambitions and his character development was impressive.
Now that the show is in its seventh and final season, Andrews’ exit from the show came as a shock to fans. Well, the decision was to expand his career, but not in any acting role but as a U.S. Senate. Harper is currently in the running for political office in Michigan. He is up against Democratic Representative Elissa Slotkin. They are fighting for the position of senator that’s currently held by Debbie Stabenow.
Sharing the decision to leave ‘The Good Doctor’ for politics, Hill Harper’s campaign spokesperson told TVLine, “Hill Harper feels strongly that there is a crisis in American democracy — too often, government only works for the rich and powerful while the rest of us struggle to find a voice. Hill is dedicating his efforts full time to fixing that, and he’s running for the U.S. Senate as an active union member to give working people more of a voice in Congress.”
The statement further added credit to the show: “Raised in the Midwest by two doctors, Hill learned early on the importance of public service, and that the purpose of life was to make life better for everyone. Throughout his life, whether on the campus of Harvard Law School or on the set of The Good Doctor, Hill Harper always kept alive that passion for service.”
The show addresses Andrews’ departure as something he needed to do after his personal life didn’t seem to go anywhere after his divorce. He had resigned as the hospital’s president in Season 6, so he took to traveling in Season 7, as discussed by the show’s remaining characters. So, that explains his absence.
In case you missed: ‘Grey’s Anatomy’: Top 10 Most Shocking And Saddest Deaths
‘The Good Doctor’ Final Season
‘The Good Doctor’ premiered on ABC in 2017. It’s based on a Korean series of the same title and quickly gained a loyal audience and has consistently ranked high in ratings. However, the show has been canceled and Season 7 is to be its last even though the show’s executive producer Liz Friedman admitted she “could tell stories about Shaun forever“.
The show is very special to Freddie Highmore, who spoke to Variety about saying goodbye to Dr Shaun Murphy. He said, “Playing Dr. Shaun Murphy has been an immense privilege and one of the most remarkable and rewarding experiences of my life.”
Season 7 of the medical drama will have 10 episodes. Besides Highmore’s Dr. Murphy, the cast includes Richard Schiff as Dr. Aaron Glassman, Christina Chang as Dr. Audrey Lim, Paige Spara as Lea Dilallo, Fiona Gublemann as Dr. Morgan Reznick, Will Yun Lee as Dr. Alex Park, Bria Henderson as Dr. Jordan Allen, Chuku Modu as Dr. Jared Kalu, and Noah Galvin as Dr. Asher Wolke, New faces on ‘The Good Doctor‘s final season will be Kayla Cromer as Charlene “Charlie” Lukaitis and Wavyy Jonez as Dominick ‘Dom’ Hubank. However, Brandon Larracuente who played Dr. Danny Perez will not reprise his role.
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