After five years of playing murderous Norman Bates on A&E's Bates Motel, actor Freddie Highmore (pictured above) is switching gears and playing a character known for saving lives rather than ending them. In his latest project, ABC’s new fall drama The Good Doctor, Highmore stars as Dr. Shaun Murphy, a brilliant young surgeon with autism and savant syndrome who has difficulty connecting with those around him. It’s a role that is drawing comparisons to another TV doctor, Gregory House, the title character played by Hugh Laurie in the long-running Fox series House and one long suspected of also being on the spectrum.
“There was speculation as we went along about Dr. House, and we certainly didn't shy away from that,” David Shore, the creator and executive producer of both shows, said during his appearance at the Summer 2017 Television Critics Association tour, where many critics picked The Good Doctor as the most promising of ABC's upcoming fall dramas. (Shore is pictured below, third from left, with the stars of the show.) “The characters ultimately couldn't be more different and yet, in a sense, [they are] asking many of the same questions. They're asking why we do the things we do.’