ABC Orders New Medical Drama From House Creator
ABC has picked up a number of new series for the fall season, according to The Hollywood Reporter, including a new medical drama from House creator David Shore and another show from mega-producer Shonda Rhimes.
Shore's The Good Doctor stars Bates Motel breakout Freddie Highmore as Dr. Shaun Murphy, a surgeon with autism and Savant syndrome who lands a job at a prestigious hospital. Like Shore's most famous character Dr. House, Murphy struggles to emotionally relate to his patients but is brilliant when it comes to medicine. The series will try to answer the question, can a person who doesn't have the ability to relate to people actually save their lives? Richard Schiff, Antonia Thomas, Nicholas Gonzalez, Hill Harper, Irene Keng, Beau Garrett and Chuku Modu also star in the drama, which is executive produced by Shore and Hawaii Five-0's Daniel Dae Kim. You can watch a teaser for the show at the top of this article.
Rhimes' newest drama is called For the People. Described as a legal version of Rhimes' Grey's Anatomy, the drama is set in "The Mother Court" in the Southern District of New York Federal Court and follows brand-new lawyers working for both the defense and the prosecution on high-profile, high-stakes cases. The series will be run by Scandal's Paul William Davies, with Rhimes serving as an executive producer. Britne Oldford, Ben Rappaport, Anna Deavere Smith, Hope Davis, Vondie Curtis Hall, Rege-Jean Page, Susannah Flood, Wesam Keesh, Lyndon Smith, and Ben Shenkman star.
Other series include The Mayor, from Speechless' Jeremy Bronson and executive produced by Hamilton's Daveed Diggs, which follows an outspoke, idealistic rapper (Brandon Micheal Hall) who decides to run for mayor as a publicity stunt. When he actually gets elected, he begins to surprise everyone (including himself) by proving he actually has a knack for the job. The musical comedy also stars Lea Michlle, Yvette Nicole Brown, Bernard Jones, Marcel Spears, and David Spade.
The network also picked up The Gospel of Kevin, a light drama about a down-on-his luck man (Jason Ritter) who is tasked by God with a mission to save the world. Cristela Alonzo, JoAnna Garcia Swisher, India de Beaufort, Dustin Ybarra, Chloe East, and J. August Richards also star in the series, which comes from Agent Carter's Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters.
There is also a new Steve Zahn drama titled The Crossing, which revolves around refugees from a war-torn country who start showing up to seek asylum in an American town. The big twist? The country they're from is America, and the war they are fleeing is 150 years in the future. A local sheriff with a past, a federal agent, and a mother in search of her missing refugee daughter lead the conspiracy drama, which comes from Criminal Minds' Dan Dworkin and Jay Beattie. Sandrine Holt and Natalie Martinez also star.
Last up is a timely untitled new comedy from Scrubs star Zach Braff. Previously titled Start Up, the show will follow a brilliant radio journalist, husband, and father who decides to quit his job and start his own company– only to learn it's much harder than he ever thought. The comedy, written by fellow Scrubs alum Matt Tarses, also stars Tiya Sircar, Michael Imperioli, Hillary Anne Matthews, Chris Sacca, Elisha Heig, Audyssie James, and Austin Pendleton.
ABC has already canceled a number of series, including American Crime, The Catch, Conviction, Dr. Ken, Imaginary Mary, Last Man Standing, Notorious, The Real O'Neals, and Secrets and Lies. The network's other big draw for next season, aside from the American Idol reboot, is Marvel's Inhumans, set to debut its first two episodes in IMAX theaters before landing on the show's fall schedule for the remainder of its eight-episode run. While we wait for ABC's fall slate to premiere, see why Inhumans will be better than you think.