Why won't there be a season 8 of The Good Doctor?

Having been on our screens since 2017, the seventh season of the show is The Good Doctor's last, as it has been confirmed that the series will not be returning for anymore instalments.

Announced amid a wave of cancellations on ABC, co-showrunners David Shore and Liz Friedman and fellow executive producer Erin Gunn said in a statement at the time: "The Good Doctor has been a once in a lifetime opportunity, but it’s time to say goodbye."

The final episode saw a very emotional end for Shaun Murphy (Freddie Highmore), and some serious twists come in the form of some life-saving close-calls, a shock death and a time jump into the future.

But why won't there be a season 8 of The Good Doctor? Read on to find out.

Why won't there be a season 8 of The Good Doctor?

The news of The Good Doctor's cancellation came earlier this year, in January, when ABC also announced the cancellations of popular shows like Station 19 and the decision not to move forward with The Good Doctor's legal spin-off, The Good Lawyer.

"The Good Doctor has been a once in a lifetime opportunity, but it’s time to say goodbye," co-showrunners David Shore and Liz Friedman and fellow executive producer Erin Gunn said at the time.

"We are incredibly proud of the work we’ve done and the message we’ve been privileged to be a part of. We look forward to giving our fantastic fans, the truly extraordinary Freddie Highmore, the rest of our talented actors (and friends), and the best crew in the business the series ending that you all deserve.

"Thank you, Sony; thank you, ABC; thank you all."

The series is, of course, led by Freddie Highmore, who is also an executive producer.

Speaking about the show's cancellation at the time, he said: "Playing Dr Shaun Murphy has been an immense privilege and one of the most remarkable and rewarding experiences of my life.

"I will always be grateful to David, Liz and Erin, as well as the hugely talented — and lovely — cast, writers and crew who made this show possible. Caring deeply is what got us here.

"Thank you to Sony and ABC, and to everyone who has watched along at home. With love from Vancouver… tequila, stat!"

Now that the season 7 finale has aired in the US, co-showrunners David Shore and Liz Friedman admitted in an interview with Deadline that they did have ideas for future seasons.

Friedman revealed: "Oh, absolutely. I still wake up dreaming of Shaun Murphy and Good Doctor ideas. So yes, I had an idea what I wanted to do next season."

When asked whether she would be able to share any of those ideas, Friedman said: "I can’t. I want everyone to be happy with what is there, because I’m very happy."

Shore also said: "The nature of TV is, things evolve. I think we’re both very happy with how it ended and proud of all seven years and pleased with the ending. There are always things you wished you did, but I’m very proud of what we collectively did."

The final episode of The Good Doctor saw plenty of emotional moments unfold, not least the death of Glassman (Richard Schiff) after he previously found out his cancer had returned and was terminal.

Glassman ultimately decided not to pursue any further treatment, but helped save Claire's (Antonia Thomas) life after she contracted a post-operation infection. While it was touch-and-go for the episode, Claire had to undergo an arm amputation, which saved her life but ended her medical career.

Speaking about that final episode and the two major personal cases at the heart of the episode revolving around Glassman and Claire, actor Highmore said: "Yes, I think it was very special that, at the end, the only patients left for Shaun to work on and to help were people that he cared so deeply about and that the audience cared deeply about.

"I think on the Glassman side, it was a huge journey for Shaun to get the point — and we’ve seen him struggle with this over the years — but come to terms with the fact that at some point — and obviously in the finale, that comes sooner that they had hoped — he is going to have to navigate the world on his own without Dr Glassman, who has always been by his side but who has been able to set him up to be more independent and to move forward on his own without his guidance.

"But I think that was a huge moment for Shaun to get to, the acceptance of that - and the acceptance of it in a mature way, as well."

Ultimately, the episode ended on quite the high note with dramatic speeches, flash-forwards involving our main characters and plenty of callbacks to the original season's pilot episode. While that will sadly be the last episode of The Good Doctor, it definitely bowed out in style.

The Good Doctor season 7 continues in the UK on Sky Witness and NOW.

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