The Good Doctor was one of the hottest new shows of the 2017-2018 TV season when it debuted, and the stories have kept viewers engaged ever since. Unfortunately, only one episode of the first season is left, and there's no saying how long we'll be waiting before any new episodes air. The previous episode ended on a cliffhanger that saw Dr. Glassman (Richard Schiff) suffering from neurological issues when he found himself unable to find the right words to express himself while out to dinner. He was visibly panicking, and he had his date ask the waitress to call 911 for help. Obviously that ending did not bode well for Glassman, but there was no sign of what exactly was wrong with him. The trailer for the season finale revealed what's up, and it's not good:
According to the trailer, Dr. Glassman is suffering from the most aggressive form of brain cancer, and the symptoms didn't present themselves until it was too late for conventional treatment. The footage shows Glassman apparently at peace with his diagnosis until Shaun (Freddie Highmore) begins to insist that he's not going to die. Glassman gets angry when Shaun won't accept the prognosis, which seems to be a sign that perhaps he's not dealing with his own looming demise as well as he'd like. The trailer does end on just about as a high a note as is possible for 30 seconds of video about a character dying from a brain tumor, with Shaun telling Glassman that he loves him and he's going to live.
The good news is that The Good Doctor has shown Shaun and the team of doctors at St. Bonaventure have achieved what seemed like the impossible throughout the first season, and we can be bet that they'll be motivated after the news that Dr. Glassman is dying. The bad news is that the brain trust at St. Bonaventure haven't been able to save everybody, and the trailer for the finale indicates that the brain tumor has already advanced beyond the point of conventional treatment or surgery. The Good Doctor could be killing off Dr. Glassman.
That said, a death sentence for Dr. Glassman in the finale doesn't necessarily mean that Richard Schiff won't be back for Season 2. The Good Doctor delivers flashbacks to Shaun's days prior to coming to St. Bonaventure, and Glassman was in his life during those days. Also, it's possible that Glassman's tumor will be one that lets him live for a while before killing him. Sure, the doctors could talk him into a risky surgery and he dies on the table, thus removing him from the show ahead of Season 2. Still, Dr. Glassman's death sentence doesn't have to mean the end of Richard Schiff as Glassman as soon as the end of the Season 1 finale.
Tune in to ABC on Monday, March 26 at 10 p.m. ET for the Season 1 finale of The Good Doctor. For what you'll be able to watch once The Good Doctor has come to an end for the 2017-2018 TV season, take a look at our midseason TV premiere schedule and our 2018 Netflix guide. If you're not 100% up on the shows that have gotten the axe so far, be sure to swing by our rundown of TV cancellations and renewals.
