Summary

• The Good Doctor showrunners tease that the series finale will be emotional.
• The series finale will have to address Claire and Dr. Glassman's cancer diagnosis.
• The finale episode will air on May 21, ending the hit medical show after seven seasons.

The Good Doctor showrunners preview the storylines in the emotional series finale. The medical show stars Freddie Highmore as Dr. Shaun Murphy, a surgical resident with autism at San Jose St. Bonaventure Hospital. It will end after seven seasons, with the series finale "Goodbye" set to air on May 21, 2024. The Good Doctor season 7, episode 9 ended with two cliffhangers, as Claire's (Antonia Thomas) cancer treatment initially seemed to work before collapsing on the beach following a wedding. Elsewhere, Dr. Glassman (Richard Schiff) met with Shaun, and it was revealed that Glassman's brain cancer had returned. The episode's ending built up to what could be an emotionally devastating finale.

In an interview with TV Insider, David Shore and Liz Friedman spoke about the finale's emotional storylines. They warned that the finale would be a tearjerker, with the episode focusing on taking care of Claire and Glassman and learning a great deal about the characters. Check out Shore and Friedman's comments below:

Friedman: “You are going to watch Shaun and all the characters at St. Bon’s deal with two of the most emotionally important patients they’ve ever handled before, and at the same time."

Shore: “Bring your Kleenex, but it won’t just be about crying. These episodes are what you think they will be. That doesn’t mean you won’t be surprised and you won’t be moved and you won’t have twists and turns, but the episodes are about what you think they’re about. It’s about striving to take care of Claire and Glassman, and then taking it further. It is a finale. It is absolutely a finale, and you will learn a lot about the characters."

Will Claire & Glassman Die In The Good Doctor's Final Episode?

The Cancer-Stricken Fan Favorites Will Face Their Mortality In The Series Finale.

With Claire and Dr. Glassman having cancer, the odds of a potential death in the finale are very likely.

The Good Doctor's penultimate episode set up two major cliffhangers that need to be concluded in the series finale. With Claire and Dr. Glassman having cancer, the odds of a potential death in the finale are very likely. Glassman's fate seems the most ominous since he seems to come to terms with it, telling Shaun "I'm dying." His possible demise would bring the second major death in season 7, following Asher's shocking mid-season death.

Claire's fate seems less clear, as she only returned to the show in the penultimate episode. It seems unreasonable to kill her character off after bringing back a fan favorite for limited development. As a result, there is a likelihood that Claire could survive by the end of the finale. However, one of the themes of The Good Doctor is that sometimes life isn't a happy ending, but the world continues to turn. If Claire does end up dying, its impact on Shaun and the other characters would play a formative role in their future lives and careers.

With the show coming to an end, the other characters might need to prepare for the loss of their friends and colleagues, as they rally to save two of their own. The Good Doctor is a show that has always carried strong dramatic and emotional storylines, and the final episode promises to be one of the most emotional the show has produced.

The Good Doctor finale episode will air on Tuesday, May 21 at 10 pm ET on ABC.

Source: TV Insider