The Good Doctor premiered in 2017 and centers around Dr. Shaun Murphy, played by Freddie Highmore, a brilliant autistic surgeon with savant syndrome who is hired at the notable San Jose St. Bonaventure Hospital. The show follows Shaun's challenges as a surgeon and personal struggles with relationships. It is based on the Korean series of the same name, which premiered in 2013 and has been a hit for ABC.
The show features a variety of characters, mostly staff of St. Bonaventure, all with distinct personalities, from their strengths to their flaws. Some have always been friendly and warm, while others have been cold, only to surprise the audience and show tremendous growth when it matters most.
10 Dr. Marcus Andrews
Dr. Marcus Andrews is an attending plastic surgeon and was president of St. Bonaventure before he resigned at the end of Season 6. After some marital troubles, including struggles with fertility, he and his wife divorced, and Andrews later started a relationship with Nurse Dalisay Villanueva. He is played by Hill Harper.
Andrews butts heads with others occasionally, from questioning Glassman’s decisions to doubting Shaun’s skills — but he’s also gone as far as risking his job to save Shaun’s. He’s also a caring doctor who’s gone above and beyond for some of his patients.
9 Dr. Jordan Allen
Dr. Jordan Allen, played by Bria Henderson, is a third-year surgical resident. She is also very religious as a devout Baptist. She began to pursue a relationship with Dr. Danny Perez, a recovering opioid addict, who was hit by a car in the Season 6 finale and insisted on not being given opiates for pain. Jordan honored his request at first, then had to backtrack to save his life. Their relationship ends — or is put on pause — as Danny leaves to seek treatment.
Jordan can be blunt and straightforward, unafraid to tell it like it is. Her religious beliefs also sometimes cloud her judgment, leading her to argue with her superiors when she disagrees with their decisions. She’s also driven and determined to build her career.
8 Dr. Audrey Lim
Dr. Audrey Lim is Chief of Surgery at St. Bonaventure. After being stabbed in an attack, she was temporarily paralyzed from the waist down, which was particularly difficult for her as she was used to a very active, physical lifestyle. Because Shaun was her surgeon, she blamed him and lashed out with anger. Lim is played by Christina Chang.
Lim has a strong, fierce personality. She can be hard on hospital staff, but she’s kind and considerate with her patients and uses her experiences, especially her paralysis, to relate to them and help them work through their fears.
7 Dr. Aaron Glassman
Dr. Aaron Glassman, played by Richard Schiff and sometimes referred to affectionately as Glassy, is a neurosurgeon, mentor to Shaun, and one of his biggest advocates — he was fired after going against the board’s wishes to fire Shaun. Throughout the series, he’s battled brain cancer and Shaun’s concerns about the cancer possibly returning and impairing Glassman’s abilities created a rift between the two of them.
Despite occasional rough patches in their relationship, Glassman remains loyal to Shaun and knows him perhaps better than anyone else. He’s also a father figure to the rest of the staff at St. Bonaventure, always there to listen to their problems and offer his advice.
6 Dr. Morgan Reznick
Dr. Morgan Reznick, played by Fiona Gubelmann, is a resident at the hospital. Like some of her colleagues, she is estranged from her family, who are all artists. She decided to start a family of her own via IVF, but when a homeless single mother died, leaving her baby, Eden, orphaned, Morgan decided to adopt her when no other families would due to her diagnosis of Turner syndrome.
Morgan is focused and devoted to her job and child, making her feel like neither gets the attention they deserve. She can also be pushy and abrasive at home and work, especially when it comes to Shaun. Despite this, as she adjusts to life as a mother, her softer, more maternal side comes through.
5 Dr. Alex Park
Dr. Alex Park, played by Will Yun Lee, is the son of immigrants and spent 15 years as a cop before becoming a surgeon. After discovering his wife's affair, he left her and their son. After going through a divorce, he moved in with Morgan, and the two struck up a romance but broke up after she made a career decision without considering him. However, he also expressed a desire to raise her adopted daughter with her.
Park can be cynical because he has seen both extremes of people, good and bad. He’s also kind and helpful, willing to lend a hand when he’s able, including as Morgan adjusts to life as a new mom. Despite his strained relationship with his son, he strives to do better and work to improve it.
4 Dr. Asher Wolke
Dr. Asher Wolke was introduced in Season 4 and worked as a resident under Shaun. He was raised as an Orthodox Jew but is no longer religious and is gay, factors that led to his estrangement from his family starting when he was 18. He pursues a romantic relationship with Jerome Martel, who he confesses is his first love and is played by Noah Galvin.
Asher is opinionated and passionate, especially when it comes to standing up for what he believes in, whether that’s how to treat a patient or defending his personal beliefs.
3 Dr. Claire Browne
For the first four seasons of The Good Doctor, Claire, played by Antonia Thomas, was a resident at St. Bonaventure but decided to accept a position at a rural hospital in Guatemala in the Season 4 finale after the hospital staff went on a surgical mission. She reappeared in two episodes late in Season 5 as part of Shaun and Lea’s bachelor/bachelorette parties and wedding.
Claire was a fan-favorite character known for her emotional intelligence and the care and compassion she showed her patients, as evidenced by her departure for Guatemala. Claire was also known for her drive and her upbeat and friendly personality. She became good friends with Shaun in their years working together.
2 Dr. Shaun Murphy
Shaun is an attending at St. Bonaventure, and his skills as a surgeon have helped him diagnose countless ailments and save countless lives. During his difficult childhood, he found a mentor and parental figure in Dr. Glassman, and ultimately gained the respect of his colleagues and found love with Lea.
Although Shaun doesn’t always understand why certain things matter to people — like Lea’s lucky socks as she prepared to give birth to their son — and doesn't always know what to say or do, so he means well. Like Asher, he can also have strong opinions regarding medical decisions. But he also has his endearing moments and is empathetic, using his own experience with loss to help the loved ones of patients he’s lost.
1 Lea Dilallo
Lea is first introduced in Season 1 as Shaun’s neighbor. Throughout the series, the two started a romance, eventually getting married and having a son named Steve Aaron Murphy after complications and a prior pregnancy loss. Lea is played by Paige Spara.
Lea is an endearing character with a warm, caring personality. When the relationship between Shaun and Glassman became strained, Lea urged the two to make amends, and even when she was in labor with their child, she was putting others ahead of herself, urging Shaun to take on a surgery to save a little girl.