TV Show review
Review basis: 7 seasons · through May 21, 2024
September 25, 2017 · TV-14 · Ended
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
The Good Doctor is an American medical drama adapted from a South Korean series. It follows Shaun Murphy, a young surgeon with autism and savant syndrome, as he joins a prestigious San Jose hospital, saves lives through brilliant diagnoses, and slowly builds relationships despite social challenges. The seven-season run centers on weekly medical cases, Shaun’s personal growth, and hospital team dynamics. Two episodes feature transgender patients with affirming portrayals and trans actors in the roles, alongside occasional social dialogue that prompted some viewer pushback.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for The Good Doctor.
Woke representation / casting
Diverse supporting cast matches the San Jose hospital setting without forced mismatches or heavy signaling; trans characters appear in two episodes with authentic casting, creating limited visible identity emphasis.
Woke political dialogue
Gender identity explanations occur in two specific episodes; minor references to social dynamics appear occasionally, but the vast majority of dialogue stays on medicine, ethics, and personal relationships.
Identity-driven story themes
Autism forms the central ongoing thread as a personal and professional challenge rather than celebratory identity politics; two transgender patient stories add affirming queer elements with dedicated focus, noticeable to viewers but not series-defining.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Hospital bureaucracy and bias against Shaun’s autism drive core conflicts; early subplots touch sexism or racism as individual issues without broader modern activist framing of patriarchy, systemic power, or cultural institutions.
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Online complaints specifically call out transgender episodes as agenda-pushing, gender identity “lessons,” and scattered political references; these appear in Reddit discussions and blogs but stay niche rather than widespread.
Creator track record context
Lead developer David Shore and original creator maintain low activist profiles from prior procedural work; a few contributors show mild progressive or representation leanings, with directors adding slight elevation through social justice comments, but no dominant identity-driven pattern across the team.
Production
