From pilot to finale: A look back at 'The Good Doctor' with Freddie Highmore

LOS ANGELES -- Since 2017, Freddie Highmore has portrayed Shaun Murphy, a young surgeon with autism, in "The Good Doctor."

The series has had a successful seven-season run, and On The Red Carpet has been with Highmore through it all.

As we near the finale episode this Tuesday, we take a look back at the run of the show, starting with Highmore's first press interview for the series.

"People have just seen the pilot and most people watching this won't have seen anything, and you're like, 'It'll be good. I promise. It'll- Just watch it!'" he said of the show.

As "The Good Doctor" moved through its next season, Highmore spoke about exploring "Shaun's love story as the season comes to an end and what the repercussions of the feelings he may be having for someone will entail."

Shaun learns to come out of his shell, and Highmore notes, "we've seen him become more comfortable in and more confident in terms of expressing his opinions and his ideas."

Between seasons one and two, actress Paige Spara moved from recurring to a main character, and the spark between her character, Lea, and Shaun grew further. "I think everyone loved both Paige and Lea." He went on to say it was "everyone, individually and collectively saying it would be lovely to have her back."

With Shaun's medical skills developing, so did his leadership skills. "He's going to be a boss this year. He's got to be responsible for other people, and that doesn't just mean giving them the right textbook, or giving them the right piece of medical information. It means helping them, helping them as people," Highmore described as the show moved into its fourth season.

Throughout seasons four and five, we see Shaun and Lea's relationship budding, eventually concluding the fifth season with a long-overdue wedding, complete with a harrowing medical emergency.

Along with his romantic developments, season-six-Shaun also takes on more responsibilities in the hospital. "He's going to be an attending. He's got, you know, his sort of boss side on. He's got his office. There's a couple of new residents coming in that he's going to have to teach," Highmore explained.

As we near the finale of "The Good Doctor," Freddie Highmore reflects on the evolution of Shaun and how the show has impacted both him and the audience.

We sat down with Highmore earlier this year, ahead of the final season's premiere, where he spoke about Shaun's newfound fatherhood. "We left off season six with Shaun and Lea's newborn baby. We're going to be following Shaun as he has the joys and also the struggles of fatherhood."

Looking back over the series, he said, "It's been a crazy journey. I think as you move forward to the end, it's... Yeah, you look back at, not only the sort of milestones on the show in terms of the work, but also just the more personal aspect of working with this, you know, amazing group of people every single day."

Most recently, we asked what viewers can expect of Tuesday's finale episode.

"I think it will remind us of the pilot. It will bring things full circle in a way that I think great finales do, but it also will be a meaningful conclusion for everyone on the show," he hinted.

Don't miss the series finale of "The Good Doctor," Tuesday, May 21 at 10p|9c on ABC and stream the next day on Hulu, and then watch it all again. All seven seasons are now streaming on Hulu.

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