Season 3

The third season of The Good Doctor was ordered on February 5, 2019 by ABC^[1] and premiered on September 23, 2019.^[2] It aired its season finale on March 30, 2020.

Synopsis[]

Dr. Shaun Murphy continues to use his extraordinary medical gifts at St. Bonaventure Hospital’s surgical unit. As his friendships deepen, Shaun works harder than he ever has before as he starts dating, while navigating his environment and relationships to prove to his colleagues that his talents as a surgeon will save lives.^[2]

Cast[]

Starring[]

Freddie Highmore as Dr. Shaun Murphy (20/20)
Nicholas Gonzalez as Dr. Neil Melendez (20/20)
Antonia Thomas as Dr. Claire Browne (20/20)
Fiona Gubelmann as Dr. Morgan Reznick (20/20)
Will Yun Lee as Dr. Alex Park (20/20)
Christina Chang as Dr. Audrey Lim (17/20)
Paige Spara as Lea Dilallo (14/20)
Jasika Nicole as Dr. Carly Lever* (15/20)
Hill Harper as Dr. Marcus Andrews (16/20)
Richard Schiff as Dr. Aaron Glassman (18/20)

Note: "*" denotes only credited as starring from "Fixation" through "I Love You" after last appearance in "Autopsy".

Guest Starring[]

Tamlyn Tomita as Allegra Aoki (1/20)
Sheila Kelley as Debbie Wexler (6/20)
Karin Konoval as Nurse Deena Petringa (5/20)
Brittney Wilson as Nurse Fletch (3/20)
Teryl Rothery as Jan Lancaster (3/20)
Dylan Kingwell as Steve Murphy (2/20)
Robert Sean Leonard as Shamus O’Malley (1/20)
Sharon Leal as Breeze Browne (2/20)
Michael Trucco as Ethan Murphy (1/20)
Joanna Going as Marcie Murphy (1/20)
April Cameron as Nurse Hawks (3/20)

Episodes[]

No.	Title	Director	Writer(s)	Original Airdate	Viewers (million)
1	Disaster"	Mike Listo	David Shore	September 23, 2019	6.26^[3]
		Following what he believes was a disastrous first date with Carly, Dr. Shaun Murphy proposes a radical surgery to save a newlywed woman’s life. Meanwhile, after the new chief of surgery, Dr. Audrey Lim, announces that the residents can lead surgeries, Dr. Morgan Reznick and Dr. Alex Park compete for the chance to operate on an elderly patient who has been diagnosed with cancer.
2	"Debts"	Mike Listo	Peter Noah	September 30, 2019	6.07^[4]
		As Dr. Marcus Andrews vows to help a good Samaritan who was injured while stopping a sexual assault, Dr. Audrey Lim faces a difficult decision when a young patient's parents suspect that Dr. Neil Melendez made a mistake. Meanwhile, Dr. Shaun Murphy fields advice following his disastrous date with Dr. Carly Lever; and Dr. Claire Browne gets a surprise visit from her mother.
3	"Claire"	Allison Lidl-Brown	Liz Friedman & Tracy Taylor	October 7, 2019	5.59^[5]
		Dr. Claire Browne faces complications at home and work as she prepares to lead her first surgery. Meanwhile, a sports fishing accident challenges the rest of the staff as they look to treat the fisherman’s injuries without damaging his prize catch.
4	"Take My Hand"	Tara Nicole Weyr	Doris Egan	October 14, 2019	5.73^[6]
		As a conspiracy theorist questions Dr. Neil Melendez's of his liver damage, Dr.Claire Browne treats a woman whose inability to feel pain is threatening both her marriage and her life. Meanwhile, Dr. Shaun Murphy and Dr. Aaron Glassman each face crises in their romantic relationships.
5	"First Case, Second Base"	David Hoselton	Rebecca Moline	October 21, 2019	5.54^[7]
		Dr. Shaun Murphy has been assigned his first surgery by Dr. Audrey Lim. However, Dr. Marcus Andrews questions whether he is really ready. Meanwhile as Dr. Claire Browne continues to avoid her complicated emotions about her mother, she and Dr. Morgan Reznick have a patient whose diagnosis has them doubting his story.^[8]
6	"45-Degree Angle"	Steve Robin	Sal Calleros	November 4, 2019	5.08^[9]
		While performing his first solo surgery, Dr. Shaun Murphy alienates a nurse, which puts his residency in jeopardy. Dr. Neil Melendez disagrees with Dr. Audrey Lim on a risky surgery, and Dr. Claire Browne spirals into self-destructive behaviors, causing negative ramifications in the workplace.^[10]
7	"SFAD"	Alick Riley	Jessica Grasl	November 11, 2019	5.93^[11]
		Dr. Shaun Murphy's unique ability to relate to a patient isolated by an immune deficiency yields an unexpected result. Meanwhile, Dr. Claire Browne, Dr. Morgan Reznick and Dr. Marcus Andrews treat a 12-year-old patient who is about to become blind, and tension builds between Dr. Neil Melendez and Dr. Audrey Lim.
8	"Moonshot"	X. Dean Lim	Dean Renaud	November 18, 2019	5.49^[12]
		Carly’s attempts at increasing her intimacy with Shaun are becoming more of a frustration than either of them expected. Meanwhile, Lim and Melendez struggle in their relationship as they work to separate their work from their personal life.
9	"Incomplete"	Marisol Adler	Brian Shin	November 25, 2019	5.86^[13]
		Shaun is ready for the next step in his relationship with Carly; however, he continues to struggle as they grow closer and more intimate, and is dealt some troubling news about a deeply personal issue. Meanwhile, a young patient must decide on a treatment that could save her life or possibly destroy her marriage.
10	"Friends and Family"	Mike Listo	Tommy Moran	December 2, 2019	6.11^[14]
		Dr. Shaun Murphy visits his father on his deathbed and the family reunion reveals unexpected results. Meanwhile, Dr. Neil Melendez, Dr. Alex Park, Dr. Morgan Reznick and Dr. Claire Browne treat an injured star NFL player with severe spinal damage; and Claire addresses her mental health.
11	'"Fractured"	Gary Hawes	Mark Rozeman	January 13, 2020	5.09^[15]
		Following his father's death, Shaun must deal with the effects his intimacy with Lea will have on his relationship with Carly. Meanwhile, the team operates on a patient who is refusing all anesthesia during surgery for fear of relapsing.
12	'"Mutations"	Nestor Carbonell	Liz Friedman & Tracy Taylor	January 20, 2020	5.44^[16]
		Dr. Audrey Lim, Dr. Shaun Murphy and Dr. Morgan Reznick treat a 25-year-old runner suffering from severe swelling; but when things take a turn for the worse, Dr. Shaun Murphy enlists the help of Dr. Carly Lever. Meanwhile, Dr. Alex Park, Dr. Claire Browne and Dr. Neil Melendez treat two 16-year-old cancer patients who are dating; and Dr. Shaun Murphy and Dr. Carly Lever work toward intimacy.
13	'"Sex and Death"	Doris Egan	Steven DePaul	January 27, 2020	5.69^[17]
		Dr. Shaun Murphy and Dr. Morgan Reznick grapple with a terminal cancer patient who is determined to live the last few months of his life without inhibition. Meanwhile, Dr. Reznick must confront her relationship with her mother when she comes in for a third opinion from Dr. Glassman; and Shaun and Carly's relationship reaches a new level of intimacy.
14	'"Influence"	Barbara Brown	Peter Noah & David Shore	February 10, 2020	5.59^[18]
		After Dr. Shaun Murphy treats a patient who is a social influencer, he deals with unwanted attention. Meanwhile, the team treats a woman who is in abdominal distress after an at-home fecal transplant; and Dr. Carly Lever’s efforts to separate Shaun from Lea are challenged.
15	'"Unsaid"	Mike Listo	Sal Calleros & Thomas L. Moran	February 17, 2020	5.23^[19]
		Despite everyone else’s doubts, Shaun is hopeful that Carly is truly fine with his friendship with Lea. Meanwhile, the team treats a young boy—born without a fully formed trachea and unable to speak—who may be a good candidate for an experimental procedure.
16	'"Autopsy"	David Hoselton	Freddie Highmore	February 24, 2020	5.63^[20]
		When Dr. Shaun Murphy makes an emotional confession, the result may not be as desired. Meanwhile, he becomes obsessed with performing an autopsy on a Jane Doe, which challenges his relationships at the hospital; and Dr. Claire Browne, Dr. Morgan Reznick and Dr. Marcus Andrews treat a male college student with a mysterious split personality disorder.
17	'"Fixation"	Lisa Demaine	Jessica Grasl & Debbie Ezer	March 2, 2020	5.66^[21]
		A patient with a mysterious and undiagnosed illness that has baffled other doctors for years forces Dr. Shaun Murphy and the team to take some big risks. Meanwhile, Dr. Claire Browne and Dr. Neil Melendez continue to cautiously navigate their feelings for each other as colleagues and friends.
18	'"Heartbreak"	Steven DePaul	Thomas L. Moran & David Renaud	March 9, 2020	5.75^[22]
		Dr. Claire Browne and Dr. Shaun Murphy treat a patient with a rare form of dwarfism. Meanwhile, Dr. Morgan Reznick, Dr. Audrey Lim and Dr. Alex Park treat a young man who had both arms torn off in a previous farming accident; and Shaun reacts to an emotional situation.
19	'"Hurt"	Mike Listo	Liz Friedman & Adam Scott Weissman	March 23, 2020	6.81^[23]
		In the first episode of the two-part season finale, the city of San Jose is rocked by a massive earthquake that puts the staff of St. Bonaventure Hospital on high alert as they race to assess the damage and account for the safety of their colleagues and friends. Meanwhile, Dr. Neil Melendez and Dr. Aaron Glassman are attending a charity event when their lives are threatened by the earthquake.
20	'"I Love You"	David Shore	David Shore & David Hoselton & Adam Scott Weissman	March 30, 2020	7.71^[24]
		In the second episode of the two-part finale, our doctors work against time and their own personal safety to save the lives of those around them.

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Trivia[]

On May 13, 2019 Sebastian Lee, one of the writers for the show revealed that writing was underway for season 3.^[25]
The next day on May 14, 2019 ABC unveiled their fall schedule at their upfronts, where it was revealed that the show would continue to air on Mondays at 10/9c.^[26]
On June 19, 2019 The official twitter account for the show confirmed that on this day, the cast and crew were beginning their first day of filming for Season 3.^[27]
On July 18, 2019, it was revealed that Jasika Nicole had been promoted to series regular and that Tamlyn Tomita had been demoted to recurring guest star.^[28]
On July 26, 2019 Sheila Kelley, who has played Debbie Wexler in the last two seasons confirmed her return via her official twitter account.^[29]
On July 29, 2019 Sheila also revealed she was officially on set.^[30]
On August 15, 2019 it was revealed that production is taking place outside the east Broadway campus of Vancouver Community College, and that the filming has been ongoing for about two months.^[31]
On August 24, 2019 there was some merch from The Good Doctor at the Hulu booth when this year's D23 Expo took place.^[32]
On August 28, 2019 George Pennacchio revealed via twitter that Nick Gonzales and Christina Chang share more scenes as their character grow closer.
- Apparently the great chemistry the two have can be attributed to the two knowing each other for about 18 years and counting!^[33]
On September 2, 2019 Will Yun Lee gave an interview to TVLine ahead of the Season 3 premiere, where he talked about how there's a new character that was introduced that comes to the forefront in the first episode that you see in the trailer.
- He also revealed that they tend to get scripts about a week or two in advance before they film the episodes. But from what has been shot so far, he thinks David Shore had added a lot of laughing and tear-jerker moments this season.^[34]
On September 7, 2019 it was confirmed that Season 3 will pick up right where the shocking Season 2 finale left off back in March.
- Freddie Highmore's Dr. Shaun Murphy will be going out on his first date with pathologist Dr. Carly Lever and things will not go perfectly.This will be an ongoing story-line for Shaun this season.
- It's clear that Carly will play a big role in Season 3 given Jasika Nicole's promotion to the main cast.
- Meanwhile, Dr. Audrey Lim will have to take a more upfront, "political" role as the new chief of surgery at St. Bonaventure Hospital.
- Whereas Dr. Aaron Glassman will also take on a new role at the hospital "in a slightly different capacity," Shore explained.Shore said that Glassman and Debbi Wexler will get married in a "unique" wedding ceremony, but not before they learn more about each other.
- For their part Dr. Neil Melendez's team will get more opportunities to lead surgical procedures themselves, Shore teased. Which will subsequently spark a competition between Dr. Morgan Reznik and Dr. Alex Park ^[35]
On September 10, 2019 it was revealed that Leonard will appear in the season’s third episode, which will air on Monday, Oct. 7 as Shamus O’Malley, an avid sports fisherman.
- It will be a Claire-centric episode, having the third-year resident “face complications at home and at work as she prepares to lead her first surgery,” while the rest of Melendez’s team tends to Shamus. He is rushed to the hospital following a fishing accident that challenges them “as they look to treat his injuries without damaging his prize catch,” according the official logline.
- It was also confirmed that there are no plans to bring back Lisa Edelstein who was brought in last season for a season-long arc as Glassman’s oncologist Dr. Marina Blaize at this time.^[36]
On October 25, 2019, it was announced that Michael Trucco and Joanna Going were cast as Shaun's estranged parents Ethan and Marcie Murphy, replacing Kirby Morrow and Rebecca Husain who portrayed them in flashbacks in Season 1.^[37]
On January 17, 2020, Nicholas Gonzalez announced that this season would have 2 additional episodes bringing the episode order to 20.^[38]
On February 14, 2020, to honor Valentine's Day, the show's official social media accounts released V-Day themed promotional images featuring some of the main characters.^[39]