A 12 months after its dad or mum present ended, I’m nonetheless mad that ABC canceled The Good Physician spinoff with out giving it an opportunity.
Community tv modified dramatically after the writers’ and actors’ strikes of 2023, so a variety of promising reveals — and a few outdated favorites — fell by the wayside.
Though I felt The Good Physician was previous its prime and deserved to be canceled, I used to be heartbroken that its spinoff suffered the identical destiny with out getting something greater than a backdoor pilot.
The Good Physician Spinoff’s Backdoor Pilot Was Far Extra Fascinating Than Its Dad or mum Present
The Good Physician spinoff, “The Good Lawyer,” acquired a backdoor pilot on The Good Physician Season 6 Episode 16.
I’d already began to lose curiosity in The Good Physician. By Season 6, it was not a present about an autistic physician discovering his place — the unique premise had been deserted in favor of cleaning soap opera-like drama surrounding Shaun and Lea’s relationship.
The backdoor pilot, nevertheless, made me bear in mind why I fell in love with the medical drama within the first place.
The backdoor pilot featured a lawyer with OCD whose boss didn’t assume she might deal with litigation.
Shaun was solely keen to rent her to defend him towards a malpractice go well with, not any of the neurotypical attorneys who had been supposedly extra outfitted to assist him.
Instantly, the main focus returned to tales about succesful neurodivergent characters who had been underestimated as a result of their variations made another person uncomfortable.
I used to be excited and filled with hope for what would occur when the spinoff premiered.
Then ABC quietly canceled it together with The Good Physician.
I don’t actually know the explanations, so I don’t need to speculate an excessive amount of about that, however it appeared just like the community determined that since The Good Physician was ending, there was no want for a Good Physician spinoff.
That appears counterintuitive — when a preferred present ends, you need spinoffs as a result of in the event you can hold the franchise going, you possibly can maintain onto the viewers that liked it.
Sadly, at the moment, cancellation choices usually appear random, and The Good Lawyer fell sufferer to unhealthy timing.
The Good Lawyer Would Have Added To Constructive Neurodivergent Illustration With a New Set of Characters
The very best factor about The Good Physician was that it tried to advertise constructive messages about neurodivergent folks.
It faltered in that mission typically (see all that nonsense with Charlie on The Good Physician Season 7, for instance), however it did change the TV panorama for autistic and different neurodivergent characters.
That’s the true motive I’m so pissed off that The Good Physician spinoff by no means acquired an opportunity. It will have expanded neurodivergent illustration by that includes a personality with OCD.
Joni’s OCD was depicted extra realistically than TV often does.
I liked Monk, however his OCD appeared extra like autism, and typically it fell into stereotypes. We didn’t have that with Joni.
The Good Physician reshaped the way in which TV depicted autism. We wouldn’t have reveals like Good Minds (which NBC must renew) if it weren’t for this present, imperfect because it was.
The Good Lawyer might have carried out the identical factor for folks with OCD.
It made an amazing begin throughout its backdoor pilot, with Joni’s boss standing up for her after a squeaky chair practically derailed Joni’s skill to attempt the case.
Sadly, that’s all we’ll ever get now.
Over to you, The Good Physician fanatics.
Do you want The Good Lawyer had gotten an opportunity to shine?
Hit the feedback along with your ideas.
Watch The Good Physician On-line
TV Fanatic is looking for passionate writers to share their voices throughout varied article sorts. Suppose you might have what it takes to be a TV Fanatic? Click on right here for extra data and subsequent steps.
