Grading Fall Television’s Hits And Misses

ABC 

Photo Credit: ABC

The Good Doctor  — A+

Anchored by a strong performance from series lead Freddie Highmore, The Good Doctor has easily become the hit of the fall. Pulling in strong numbers since the premiere, the show has captured viewers’ hearts. The story focuses on a surgeon with autism and savant syndrome, Shaun Murphy (Highmore) who gets hired at a prestigious hospital in San Jose.

He’s helped my a cast of empathetic characters: his fellow surgical residents, a caring mentor, and his tough but fair attending surgeon. It’s easy to understand why America has fallen in love with the show and the cast because all of the characters have an easy charisma that makes them fun to watch.

Despite criticisms for the portrayal of autism throughout the series by a few viewers, the show has received universal acclaim by critics. After watching the first part of the season, one thing is clear: this is not a show for realists. It’s hard to buy that a hospital would take on the extra liability of having an autistic surgeon, much less one who isn’t having difficulty meeting people’s eyes or having breakdowns in his apartment over the water dripping from his faucet.

However, fans who are tired of watching all of their favorite characters get killed off on Grey’s Anatomy will enjoy a more hopeful series about perseverance. While it may not be the perfect series, it will certainly fill the medical void that a lot of fans were looking for since House ended.