This show dives into life of Dr. Shaun Murphy. He is a young surgeon with autism and savant syndrome. He faces challenges of being a doctor and connecting with others. Themes of compassion and empathy run deep. Characters tackle medical cases and personal struggles. It is heartwarming and real, even if it gets a bit dramatic sometimes.

Meet the characters from The Good Doctor

Dr. Shaun Murphy

Okay, Shaun is the weirdly perfect hurricane of brain and heart — brilliant surgeon, literal as heck, and somehow both painfully awkward and totally endearing. He obsesses over routines and facts (like, he will know the exact size of a graft and the year a dinosaur went extinct), but also has this sudden childlike joy at tiny things — stickers, trains, whatever — which makes him impossible not to love. He struggles with social stuff and sometimes says the blunt truth at the worst possible times, yet his moral core is unshakeable and he genuinely wants to help people, even if he forgets to say “hi” first. Oh and nitpick: he hates surprises but will occasionally surprise you by doing something spontaneous; classic Shaun.

Dr. Neil Melendez

Melendez is all steel-tipped sarcasm and surgical precision — a chef-level control freak who runs the OR like it’s his kitchen and his temper can sear you, but he’s actually deeply committed to excellence. He’s the kind of guy who critiques your technique and then quietly covers your back when things go sideways; very protective in a grumpy, low-key way. Under that perfectly pressed scrubs vibe there’s a soft spot — for food, for standards, and apparently for small, unexpected acts of kindness (don’t tell him I said that). He’s stern and elegant and then suddenly will do something surprisingly silly, like hum a random tune, which throws you off every time.

Dr. Claire Browne

Claire is sunshine with a scalpel — empathetic to the point of bursting, always first to sit with a scared patient and also prone to overthinking everything to the nth degree. She’s messy in the best way: notebooks everywhere, half-drunk tea, stickers on her laptop, but somehow never misses a detail in a chart when it counts. You can tell she hates confrontation but will jump into it for someone else without blinking; big heart, big mess. Also, she insists she doesn’t like being the center of attention but will definitely make a dramatic speech when the moment hits (and cry quietly after).

Dr. Jared Kalu

Jared is the charming, easygoing one who can disarm a tense room with a grin and a well-timed dumb joke, but don’t be fooled — he’s sharp, attentive, and quietly ambitious. He’s like that friend who brings snacks to the shift and remembers your weird dietary restriction, then aces a complex procedure like it was nothing. He’s romantic in a low-key way (flowers, cheesy playlists? maybe), and also occasionally forgetful about his own needs because he’s too busy taking care of everyone else. Fun fact (or not): he hoards mugs — color-coded, obviously — and will fight you for the best one.

Dr. Marcus Andrews

Marcus is big-time ambition wrapped in a shiny white coat — political, competitive, and ridiculously good at chess-like maneuvers both in the OR and the boardroom. He’s the “get things done” guy who wants to build a legacy, which makes him powerful and, frankly, terrifying sometimes; he’ll make cold decisions that sting but are calculated to save more lives long-term. Beneath the armor there’s a person who loves old sitcoms and keeps a chain of childhood photos in his office for reasons he’d never explain in a meeting. He’s strict and sentimental, which is a weird combo, but it makes him layered and way more interesting than a one-note boss.

Dr. Aaron Glassman

Glassman is the grumpy-yet-wise dad figure who will scold you, bribe you, and then fix your emotional life with a single, impossibly human comment. He’s brilliant, stubborn, and protective to a fault — he’s the one who remembers your grandmother’s birthday and also the one who’ll lecture you about life choices like it’s 1978. He’s very fond of old movies and crosswords and tends to misplace his keys while never forgetting a single important patient detail, which is somehow infuriatingly adorable. Also, he’ll act like he hates modern music but will secretly hum along to whatever’s playing, then deny it fiercely.

Dr. Alex Park

Alex is the steady, dependable type who makes clever jokes at bad times and actually listens when people talk, which is rare and precious in a hospital. He’s practical and detail-oriented — the friend you want in your corner during an on-call shift — but he can also surprise you with how stubbornly optimistic he is about people. He has this habit of binge-watching cooking shows and then attempting a disaster-level recipe at home (burnt lasagna, don’t ask). He’s neat in the lab but somehow has a perpetually messy car full of takeout containers; very relatable.

Dr. Morgan Reznick

Morgan is scissors-sharp ambition and confidence, someone who walks into a room and owns it, then proceeds to out-plan you before you’ve had coffee. She’s ruthless on paper — perfectionist, competitive, surgical prodigy — but there are these glimpses (very brief, like a hiccup) of vulnerability that make her way more human: she cares what people think, she wants to be seen. She’ll elbow you out of the way to get a case and then quietly help you with sutures because she actually respects skill, even if she’ll never say it outright. Also, she claims not to like glitter and then once had sparkly nail polish for a week; contradiction forever.

Dr. Audrey Lim

Audrey is poised, principled, and quietly fierce — the kind of leader who makes tough ethical calls and can stare down chaos without breaking a sweat. She has this calm, controlled exterior but she’s not devoid of humor; dry jokes, very occasional eye-rolls, and a weakness for a very specific loose-leaf tea. She’s meticulous and fair, which makes her a natural mediator, yet she also hoards tiny office plants for stress relief and forgets to water them (classic). She’s competent and cool and yes, sometimes she’ll surprise you by dancing in the OR when nobody’s looking — I swear.

Dr. Carly Lever

Carly is organizational brilliance with a dash of anxious energy — think color-coded life plans, spreadsheets for feelings, and a sincere desire to make the hospital run smoother than a Swiss watch. She’s great at smoothing over crises, calming the press, and juggling a dozen people’s panic all at once, then collapsing into a documentary about bees later that night (randomly specific, I know). She’s outwardly composed but carries a low hum of frenetic energy, like a phone that’s always buzzing; it’s exhausting and kind of heroic. Also, she swears she hates social media but has a secret meme folder that’s shockingly curated.

Dr. Jordan Allen

Jordan is sharp, ambitious, and a little bit like a contained storm — confident in the OR, quick with a quip, and competitive in a way that pushes everyone to be better. He wants respect and will work for it, sometimes a little too hard, which makes him both impressive and occasionally a smidge annoying (in the best soap-opera way). He’s the colleague who keeps score but will lend you the exact tool you need at 3 a.m. and then roll his eyes like he didn’t just save your life. Secret quirk: he claims he’s allergic to small talk but will happily debate the minutiae of craft beer for an hour.