The legions of fans looking for “The Good Doctor” to make their Mondays worthwhile got wonderful news this week. Deadline covered the final-day visit by the cast and creator of the ABC drama at New York's Comic-Con on October 11. On October 12, a Season 4 teaser peek was the perfect way to tweak viewer passion for the November 2 premiere, as Yahoo noted.

Just like the rest of the world, the residents of San Jose St. Bonaventure Hospital on “The Good Doctor” are catapulted into the darkest, most unknown period of their lives. No amount of inventive surgical wizardry from Dr.

Shaun Murphy (Freddie Highmore) can defer this situation. Lea (Paige Spara) proclaimed her love for her former roommate, but Shaun and his flighty love cannot physically be together. The distance that separated them in the Season 3 finale is now a required necessity.

There are many more difficult decisions that await favorite characters of “The Good Doctor,” and a new character joins the team. Creator David Shore assures that not every episode will be consumed by the impact of the virus, but the season starter will leave fans with much to think about.

A subject that had to be on the screen for ‘The Good Doctor’

Hope, inclusion, and acceptance are central themes of “The Good Doctor,” and David Shore and his sublime cast certainly wanted to convey those core ideas in the first episode of the season, “Frontline.” While the intent was to salute the countless known and unknown heroes on the frontline during the current crisis, Shore defends that “it would've been so false” to not bring the true reckoning of the situation to the storyline.

“This has taken over every aspect of our lives for an unbelievable amount of time,” contends the creator/writer/producer. The impact was personal for “The Good Doctor.” The medical drama’s executive producer and Season 2 star, Daniel Dae Kim, was stricken and became among the first donors of convalescent plasma for the cause.

Shore feels that the world “will go back to what we viewed as normal,” but that “it would have been dishonest not to deal with this story.” He asserts that the episode reaffirms the show’s ethos to portray “real people who do heroic things.”

Long-distance love isn't the only thing Dr. Murphy has to deal with on ‘The Good Doctor’

Freddie Highmore was joined by castmates Antonia Thomas, Christina Chang, Fiona Gubelmann, Hill Harper, Will Yun Lee, and Paige Spara at the event.

In the teaser preview, the actor is seen exchanging a warm “Good Morning” from his pillow with Spara, who returns the greeting from her own bed, with the big-screen TV of “The Good Doctor” being their virtual love line. In another scene shared by Yahoo, the lovebirds are separated by a wall, with Paige Spara wistfully resting her head in Shaun’s direction. An emotional scene further depicts Highmore as Murphy, relenting that “I want this over!” Viewers are left in suspense about the specific reference, of course.

Many cheerleaders of “The Good Doctor” are fervently holding onto hope that Nicholas Gonzalez may somehow return to his role as Dr. Neil Melendez. Freddie Highmore assures that while “Dr.

Melendez is no longer with us on the show, he will still be very much a part of it.” The surgical mentor who shaped so many of his residents succumbed to sepsis after internal injuries from falling debris in the Season 3 finale. The actor himself has played a pivotal role in serving frontline workers, serving as a spokesman for #Masks4Farmworkers.

Antonia Thomas and Christina Chang play the roles of Dr. Claire Brown and Dr. Audrey Lim, Chief of Surgery on “The Good Doctor.” Both women were loved, and in love, with Dr. Melendez, for very different reasons and each in their own way. They will be grappling with a medical crisis beyond all proportion while processing deep grief. Christina Chang described how her character’s habit of not processing things “right away” may become problematic to her healing.

Fiona Gubelmann brilliantly conveys the self-absorption, the brilliance, the dedication, and the glimpses of humanity that embody Dr. Morgan Reznick. The actress loves that “she's such a great character,” but she is also one that has her own dilemmas in the new season. She looks forward to the journey in which her character experiences what it is to “lose your purpose” from the ravages of rheumatoid arthritis, and rediscover how to “pick yourself up and move forward.” Dr. Glassman (Richard Schiff) can definitely play a part in this powerful plotline on “The Good Doctor.”

New roles and a new resident on ‘The Good Doctor’

Dr. Shaun Murphy will continue to be the central protagonist on “The Good Doctor,” but he's still fighting old battles, besides the current health crisis.

In one vignette, the surgeon explains: “I want to be known as a good doctor, not a good autistic doctor.” Everything old becomes new again, but one new role for the brilliant resident is supervisory.

For the first time, Dr. Murphy will be given leadership responsibilities. Now that his group of residents is rising in their professional know-how, he will have oversight of some new arrivals. “I'm excited to examine Shaun trying to be a boss, and what he does with responsibility,” Highmore mused. The actor also yearns to see “how he tries to reach people and help them develop.”

Will Yun Lee portrays the straightforward and empathetic police officer turned physician, Dr. Alex Park. His character, too, remains with his work but is confronted by a very personal truth in these times.

Does he continue to treat patients and risk the health of his family? Dr. Park made the decision to move closer to his loved ones in Phoenix at the close of Season 3, but will he sacrifice his entire surgical career? Only future episodes will tell, but Lee relishes that his character’s decision is “a very real one for many frontline workers” beyond the set of “The Good Doctor.”

There's nothing like a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed new resident to keep everyone on their toes. Season 4 will welcome the arrival of Noah Galvin of “The Real O’Neals” to “The Good Doctor.” The “Dear Evan Hansen” Broadway star will portray first-year resident, Dr. Asher Wolke. His character is an Orthodox Jew who leaves the belief system before medical school.

Galvin is part of a group of new stars playing first-year residents. They are vying for only one open position by the end of the season. Each reflects different social and faith perspectives as they enter this phase of their vocational training. Once more, “The Good Doctor” embodies principles of acceptance and inclusion of those considered “different” by accepted standards and stands out among TV Shows.
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED