A 12 months after its mother or father 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 whole lot of promising reveals — and a few previous 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 Father or mother Present
The Good Physician spinoff, “The Good Lawyer,” received 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 now 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, nonetheless, 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 suppose she may deal with litigation.
Shaun was solely keen to rent her to defend him in opposition to a malpractice swimsuit, not any of the neurotypical attorneys who have been supposedly extra outfitted to assist him.
Immediately, the main focus returned to tales about succesful neurodivergent characters who have been underestimated as a result of their variations made another person uncomfortable.
I used to be excited and stuffed 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 wish 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 well-liked present ends, you need spinoffs as a result of when you can maintain the franchise going, you’ll be able to maintain onto the viewers that liked it.
Sadly, these days, 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
One of the best factor about The Good Physician was that it tried to advertise optimistic messages about neurodivergent individuals.
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 actual motive I’m so pissed off that The Good Physician spinoff by no means received an opportunity. It might have expanded neurodivergent illustration by that includes a personality with OCD.
Joni’s OCD was depicted extra realistically than TV normally 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 best way 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 may have completed the identical factor for individuals with OCD.
It made an amazing begin throughout its backdoor pilot, with Joni’s boss standing up for her after a squeaky chair almost derailed Joni’s capability to strive 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.
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