As a person who watches tv shows–some might say too much–I have come to have high standards for shows which were all met by “The Good Doctor”. It is a drama but it also spins together romance and comedy to deliver a feeling of renewed interest after each episode.

As you can guess from the name of the show, it is a hospital drama. Despite the fact that I am not a fan of these types of shows, I enjoy watching this one as it focuses more on the characters and social issues as opposed to overdramatic scenes, romance and killing off your favorite characters. The show features real world problems and tackles things such as discrimination in the workplace and the complex issue of mental disorders, which are issues that are a wide issue in today’s world. By far my favorite aspect of the show is the main character.

The main character is a young autistic man named Shaun Murphy who is a surgeon with savant syndrome. Shaun is a case of highly functioning autism; however, it still shows throughout several places during the show. For example, he cannot handle large crowds without a crutch or something to occupy him, and he has tendencies of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).

I highly suggest this show to everyone as to what it portrays and covers throughout the show. Shaun is a character who has been created to capture our hearts and he certainly has mine.

The reason why everyone needs to watch this show is because of how accurately it portrays autism through Shaun. This show can help everyone understand what autistic individuals have to deal with on a day-to-day basis and how much potential they carry within themselves. “The Good Doctor” is an amazing show that all ages enjoy, me and my mother enjoy watching it together. You can educate your kids at an early age using this show, but I would suggest that you block their eyes for the surgery scenes. Each episode can leave you feeling extremely emotional and wanting more and more.

The show’s main premise is about Shaun proving himself as an effective surgeon as some of the people working at the hospital believe having an autistic surgeon is a huge mistake. The show bounces between Shaun’s past and the present time explaining why he does what he does, and how he has come to be who he is today.

I love how the show showcases how individuals like Shaun are discriminated against in today’s world and the hoops they have to jump through in order to get where they want to.  Even though Shaun is higher functioning, it does not change the fact that people are still going to discriminate against him because he is who he is. Several surgeons try to belittle him, but Shaun comes back every time to prove to them he deserves to be working in a hospital.

This show is simply well written. I watch it on a weekly basis with my mother and it simply captures our interests and hearts each time we watch it. By watching this show we have learned to better understand individuals, and we have been impressed by Shaun and everything he has done.

Shaun has a practically perfect memory, which allows him to know how everything operates. So in layman’s terms, anything that he reads about surgery procedures and types, and anything medically related or just about anything he does in general. His savant syndrome allows him to analyze a situation and visualize where everything would be if he were to cut it open; however, his mental drawback is his disability. Shaun lacks emotional response and understanding of the hidden meaning of words such as sarcasm or a play on words. We learn about Shaun’s mental capabilities as the show goes on, and we see how he functions in everyday life despite having this mental disability.  

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) Shaun meets all of the standards of autism, meaning that they have effectively portrayed a character with a mental disorder without being insensitive. I think that as time goes on, more and more shows like this one will be introduced which will lead to people being able to understand this complex issue of mental disabilities. I most certainly say it is one of the best shows I have seen in my life thus far because of the positive messages it blends in with the amazing writing.

A new episode airs every Monday on ABC at 9, so mark it down in your calendar.