Romance might be up in the air for Dr. Audrey Lim (played by Christina Chang) and Dr. Neil Melendez (played by Nicholas Gonzalez) on The Good Doctor, but things will quickly change for these two lovebirds in the third season. Showrunner David Shore hinted just as much in his most recent interviews.
Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Shore said that the choices Lim and Melendez made about their work would affect their personal relationship in The Good Doctor season 3. They could go back to lying about the status of their relationship with everyone at the hospital again just to protect what they share together.
Shore also told TV Line that the hospital administration would certainly have problems with "someone sleeping with their boss." As viewers have seen, Lim was made Chief of Surgery in the finale of The Good Doctor season 2, which means Melendez, once her equal, is now is her subordinate.
The Good Doctor writers took a year to decide who should be the new chief since both characters are good at their job. "After bringing the two of them together romantically, either choice would be great, but I think this opens the door to more interesting conflict and dynamics," Shore told EW.
Meanwhile, Dr. Jackson Han (played by Daniel Dae Kim) is out as the surgery chief for The Good Doctor season 3, at least for now. Shore confirmed that the character's story arc is definitely complete, but they are still open to Kim coming back to reprise his role.
The actor, after all, isn't going anywhere. Kim works behind the scenes on The Good Doctor since he's one of the show's executive producers.
Meanwhile, viewers may have been surprised that Dr. Shaun Murphy (played by Freddie Highmore) decided to ask Dr. Carly Lever (played by Jasika Nicole) out on a date. It's a preview of what viewers may expect of the character with autism in the third season.
Shaun's social life as an adult man will expand in The Good Doctor season 3 and Shore hinted that there could be other romantic possibilities for the character. Aside from Carly, viewers want Shaun to end up with either Claire (played by Antonia Thomas) or Lea (played by Paige Spara).
For the meantime, however, the focus will be more on his "small victories" as Shaun tries to pursue a social life. "Just seeing him ask anybody out is going to be a lovely victory," Shore said.
ABC has not yet set a schedule premiere date for The Good Doctor season 3 as of press time. The announcement, however, should come sometime in the summer.
