The Good Doctor, the popular medical drama branded “the ultimate comfort TV”, is trending right now on Netflix in the UK. From House creator David Shore, the show sees Freddie Highmore portray Shaun Murphy, a young surgical resident with autism.
Following a troubled past, Shaun relocates from a quiet country life to begin working at the fictional San Jose St. Bonaventure Hospital, with the logline teasing that he faces “scepticism from both the patients and staff” despite his evident talent.
Joining Highmore in the main cast are Nicholas Gonzalez, Antonia Thomas, Chuku Modu, Richard Schiff, Hill Harper, Christina Chang, Paige Spara, Fiona Gubelmann and Will Yun Lee.
After premiering in 2017, the show ran for seven seasons and 126 episodes before coming to end in 2024. But it has now found a new lease of life on Netflix, with the series currently sitting at #8 in the streamer’s UK TV chart (via FlixPatrol).
Though not widely reviewed by critics, the first season of the medical drama has a solid approval rating of 63% on Rotten Tomatoes from 43 reviews, with many pundits praising Highmore’s performance.
Getty Images
Related: Best streaming services UK 2025 — including Disney Plus, Netflix, iPlayer and Apple TV
“The Good Doctor is a wild TV show. It’s both conventional and predictable and somehow wilfully free of any obligation to realism. It’s the ultimate comfort TV, and I’m here to explain the joy of it to you,” wrote Vulture.
The Daily Telegraph was similarly positive, writing: “Sensitively portrayed by Bates Motel star Freddie Highmore, the character is extraordinarily gifted but often underestimated by those around him.”
“There have been few storylines that stand out beyond the typical medical drama; this one’s just done well enough to make you buy in, thanks especially to Freddie Highmore’s committed, layered turn,” said IndieWire.
Jeff Weddell//ABC
TV Insider was also complimentary regarding Highmore’s performance, opining: “The Good Doctor is in great hands with the mesmerizing star performance of Freddie Highmore as the soulfully determined Dr Shaun.”
Variety was less enthusiastic, however, writing: “The problem with The Good Doctor is that it doesn’t trust Highmore’s versatile and substantial acting skills. Every other aspect of the show is either overwrought or frustratingly simplistic.”
Seasons 1-5 of The Good Doctor are streaming on Netflix.
The new edition of Living Legends, celebrating music icon Dolly Parton, is here! Buy Dolly at 80 in newsagents or online, priced at just £8.99.
Reporter, Digital Spy
Harriet is a freelance news writer specialising in TV and movies at Digital Spy.Â
A horror enthusiast, she joined Digital Spy after working on her own horror website, reviewing films and focusing largely on feminism in the genre.Â
In her spare time, Harriet paints and produces mixed-media art. She graduated from the University of Kingston with a BA in fine art, where she specialised in painting. She also has an MA in journalism from Birkbeck University.