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A schmaltzy drama? Just what the doctor ordered.
The biggest hit of the fall is ABC's new drama The Good Doctor, where Freddie Highmore plays a brilliant, autistic surgeon. Ratings have already surpassed last year's hit This is Us, and perpetual comedy juggernaut The Big Bang Theory.
By Michael Schneider • • 4m ListenCritics are just so-so on The Good Doctor, but the show, in a surprise to some, has connected with a massive audience. The drama is super sappy and sentimental, which perhaps is what people are craving as the rest of the world seems to be descending into dark times. The series is also being praised for Freddie Highmore's performance and for the way autism is portrayed onscreen, something that's also happening with the Netflix show Atypical. Now the tough part will be hanging on to those viewers in the age of ADD TV. Designated Survivor -- last year's biggest hit on ABC -- lost half its audience from Season 1 to 2.