As the curtain closes on The Good Doctor after seven seasons, it’s an opportune moment to reflect on the show’s legacy, particularly its portrayal of autism. For years, the ABC medical drama captured audiences with the story of Dr. Shaun Murphy, a young surgeon on the spectrum. While the show achieved mainstream success and sparked conversations about autism, it also faced scrutiny from the autistic community. For those wondering about The Good Doctor New Episode, it’s important to note that the series has concluded, marking the end of an era for this particular representation of autism on network television.
From its inception, The Good Doctor positioned itself as a groundbreaking series, bringing an autistic character to the forefront of a primetime drama. However, despite its good intentions, the show often missed the mark in authentically representing the autistic experience. As an autistic culture writer, I, along with many others in the community, found the portrayal of Dr. Murphy, played by Freddie Highmore, to be a mix of competent drama and frustrating stereotype. The absence of openly autistic voices in the writer’s room and cast contributed to a character that often felt like a collection of non-autistic perceptions rather than a genuine depiction of an autistic individual. This disconnect created a sense of alienation for many autistic viewers who struggled to see themselves in Dr. Murphy, despite the character’s popularity among a broader audience.
KAYLA CROMER, CHUKU MODU, FREDDIE HIGHMORE, CHRISTINA CHANGA promotional image featuring Kayla Cromer, Chuku Modu, Freddie Highmore, and Christina Chang from “The Good Doctor”, highlighting cast diversity and character dynamics.
The show’s popularity, exemplified by its status as the highest-rated new show in its debut season and consistent top rankings, underscores a crucial point: audiences were eager for stories that touched upon neurodiversity. Yet, the praise often felt misdirected, as if viewers were applauding a fictionalized concept of autism rather than engaging with the realities of autistic lives. This became starkly clear in conversations where non-autistic individuals would proclaim The Good Doctor as educational and empathy-building, while simultaneously displaying a lack of interest in real-life autistic individuals or the stories we wished to share. It’s as if the fictional Dr. Murphy served as a convenient stand-in, allowing viewers to feel enlightened without truly confronting their own biases or engaging with actual autistic voices.
Even moments of supposed progress within the show were often overshadowed by missteps. The introduction of Kayla Cromer, an autistic actor, as Charlie Lukaitis in the final season was lauded as a step towards genuine inclusion. The potential for exploring the diversity within autism through two regular autistic characters was promising. While Shaun and Charlie’s interactions offered glimpses into the complexities of autistic relationships, showcasing both conflict and understanding, these moments were often diluted by сценарии that reinforced stereotypical tropes or non-autistic anxieties about autism.
One particularly jarring example was the comparison Charlie made between support for autistic children and gastric sleeve surgery. Such analogies reveal a fundamental misunderstanding of the autistic experience and the nature of support needed. Similarly, the storyline about Shaun’s anxieties regarding his infant son’s autism screening echoed common parental fears rather than the nuanced perspectives of autistic parents themselves. Given the underrepresentation of autistic parents on screen, these plot points felt like a missed opportunity to offer meaningful insights.
WILL YUN LEE, WAVYY JONEZ, FIONA GUBELMANN, CHRISTINA CHANG, ELFINA LUK, CHUKU MODU, BRIA SAMONÉ HENDERSON, ANTONIA THOMAS, PAIGE SPARAEnthusiastic audience members reacting to Dr. Shaun Murphy’s Ted Talk in the series finale of “The Good Doctor,” capturing a moment of emotional connection and audience engagement.
The series finale, culminating in a TED Talk by Dr. Murphy about living and working with autism, encapsulated the show’s complex legacy. While intended to be inspirational, the scene, with audience members beaming as if witnessing a trained animal, highlighted the show’s tendency to present autistic individuals as objects of fascination rather than complex humans. The finale, much like the series as a whole, felt like a performance for a non-autistic audience, reinforcing existing perceptions rather than challenging them.
However, the conclusion of The Good Doctor, alongside Young Sheldon, might signal a shift in how autistic characters are portrayed on television. These shows, while popular, represent a phase where autistic-coded characters were often simplified and consumed by non-autistic audiences. Looking ahead, there’s cautious optimism for more authentic and nuanced representations.
Streaming platforms are offering glimpses of this potential shift. Shows like Heartbreak High, featuring Chloé Hayden’s acclaimed portrayal of an autistic student, A Kind of Spark, based on Elle McNicoll’s book and offering insights into autistic lives, and Dinosaur, co-created by and starring Ashley Storrie, demonstrate a move towards authentic autistic storytelling. These series, while still emerging, are considered by many autistic viewers and critics to be significant improvements in representation.
These emerging shows are just the beginning. With a growing understanding of autism prevalence and the diversity within the autistic community, there’s a vast untapped potential for storytelling. Autistic individuals represent a significant audience and talent pool, bringing diverse perspectives and experiences that can enrich television and film. Moving forward, the hope is that the space The Good Doctor created for an autistic character on screen can be expanded to include autistic creators, writers, actors, and consultants, ensuring that future portrayals are not just about autism, but genuinely from the autistic perspective. Perhaps then, viewers will move beyond admiring a fictional “good doctor” and embrace the diverse realities of autistic people in the world around them.
