‘Good Doctor’ Renewed for Season 2 at ABC

After a successful freshman season, America will see more of Freddie Highmore on its TV screens, as The Good Doctor has been renewed for season 2.

Highmore stars as the young Dr. Shaun Murphy, a surgeon with autism and savant syndrome. As Dr. Murphy learns more about the everyday decisions he must make in his position, his co-workers learn more about interacting with someone on the autism spectrum.

In addition to Highmore, the series stars Antonia Thomas, Nicholas Gonzalez, Chuku Modu, Beau Garrett, Hill Harper, Richard Schiff and Tamlyn Tomita.

The undisputed freshman hit of the 2017-2018 season, The Good Doctor currently averages a 1.8 rating in adults 18-49 and 9.8 million viewers per episode in the Nielsen Live+Same Day ratings, making it the second highest-rated show on ABC, behind only Grey's Anatomy.

"The Good Doctor's message of inclusiveness resonates with our viewers and is a hallmark of what we aim to accomplish here at ABC," Channing Dungey, president of ABC Entertainment, told Variety. "This series has quickly joined the zeitgeist and broken records in the competitive television landscape. We are thrilled to announce that Dr. Shaun Murphy will be back for another season."

Tomita exclusively told PopCulture.com late last year that cast and crew were "hopeful" the show would be renewed for a second season.

"Just to know that we have one of the highest-rated programs of the season, it really humbled me," she said in December. "And I can say, I think it does humble the writers, the creative staff as well as the cast, because it makes us want to work harder, because we know we're expected to be a good show."

The series is produced by Sony Pictures Television and ABC Studios. David Shore, the creator of House, serves as writer and executive producer. Daniel Day Kim and Sebastian Lee are also executive producers. Seth Gordon, who directed the pilot, is also an executive producer.

Tomita said Kim and Shore were "conscientious" of who they brought onto the project that turned into a breakout.

"I think they were very conscientious in assembling a crew and a cast and a set of producers and creators, writers, who were kind and good-hearted," she said.

"My first impression [on set] was how incredibly kind everybody was, especially the cast," she said. "I think it was something that Daniel Dae Kim and David Shore were very interested in assembling, because the subject is sensitive. It's vulnerable. It's something that really makes people feel and think, and think and feel."

Other freshman fall broadcasts to be renewed include the Big Bang Theory prequel Young Sheldon on CBS, as well as Seth Macfarlane's The Orville, the Marvel series The Gifted and Ryan Murphy's 9-1-1.