In the medical drama “The Good Doctor,” airing on ABC, Dr. Aaron Glassman serves as more than just a mentor to Dr. Shaun Murphy. Even when his friends questioned the autistic savant’s surgical prowess, Glassman has always advocated for Shaun. By including Shaun among the surgeons at San Jose St. Bonaventure Hospital, the neurosurgeon risks his reputation and standing in the medical community. He also shows up as the surgeon’s father figure during Shaun and Lea’s wedding. It makes sense given their relationship that Shaun is concerned about Glassman’s future. The sixth season’s nineteenth episode concludes on a cliffhanger over the neurosurgeon’s wellbeing. Will Richard Schiff’s possible departure from the series be facilitated by Glassman’s potentially declining health? Let’s investigate! Spoilers follow.
What Happened to Dr. Glassman?
After receiving a dire and nearly terminal brain cancer diagnosis in the first season finale, Dr. Glassman has fought death for a long time. It is determined during a biopsy that the neurosurgeon is battling a low-grade glioma. In the second season, the doctor receives the same treatment through surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy before eventually entering remission. In the seventeenth episode of the sixth season, Shaun requests that Dr. Jared Kalu, a first-year resident, perform ten stitches rather than eight after a patient loses blood following surgery as a result of inadequate sutures. Dr. Glassman made a rookie error, as revealed by Kalu’s admission to his attending that he was in charge of the sutures.
In the episode number eighteen, Shaun confronts Glassman about the symptoms and informs him that the neurosurgeon may still have brain cancer. Shaun is certain that Glassman should at least affirm the same, despite his attempts to do so, because he doesn’t want to lose his “father” just as he is about to become one. When Glassman eventually gets a test to see if his brain cancer has come back, the results show that it hasn’t.
Shaun is certain that Glassman is not entirely healthy, despite the fact that he does not have brain cancer. Glassman builds a cot for Shaun’s child in the nineteenth episode of the season, however he forgets to use a few screws. Shaun views this as proof that Glassman may have a hidden brain disorder. If so, will Glassman’s illness force him to leave St. Bonaventure? Is Richard Schiff quitting the theatre about medicine? We’ll see.
Is Richard Schiff Leaving The Good Doctor?
Richard Schiff and ABC have not yet made any announcements regarding the actor’s exit from “The Good Doctor.” First of all, Dr. Glassman, played by Schiff, has not yet been identified as having a neurological disorder. Glassman may have missed two sutures or screws, but this is not necessarily a sign of a brain disorder. Shaun may be worrying excessively about the neurosurgeon since to the former, the latter is nothing less than a father. Shaun’s concern for his one and only “relative” is understandable, and his professional decisions as a doctor must be influenced by his personal worries.
Even if Glassman has a neurological disorder, that might not provide Schiff with a route out of the medical drama. The following episodes of the show might focus on his treatment and rehabilitation if he is diagnosed with a condition, similar to how the second season focused on his recovery from brain cancer. Considering Shaun’s involvement in Glassman’s storyline and other factors, the prospective narrative progression may have been intended to demonstrate the depth of their “father-son” bond as well.
The sixth season of the show focused on establishing the depth of the bond between Glassman and Shaun, particularly during Glassman’s subsequent stay in the same flat as Shaun. Another method to illustrate the same depth is to imagine the attending surgeon fearing Glassman’s demise. Additionally, Schiff has been regularly posting updates from the medical drama’s set, which appears to ensure his participation in the season’s final episodes. Taking into account these elements, we predict that Schiff will continue to appear in “The Good Doctor.”
