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The Good Doctor star leaves show to run for U.S. Senate

By Danilo Castro

THE GOOD DOCTOR - ÒOld FriendsÓ - Dr. Jared Kalu (Chuku Modu) makes a surprise return to San JoseÕs St. Bonaventure Hospital with his billionaire patient. Meanwhile, Park must treat the man his wife had an affair with and try to find a way to forgive him. MONDAY, MARCH 6 (10:01-11:00 p.m. EST), on ABC. (ABC/Jeff Weddell)NOAH GALVIN, HILL HARPER, FREDDIE HIGHMORE
THE GOOD DOCTOR - ÒOld FriendsÓ - Dr. Jared Kalu (Chuku Modu) makes a surprise return to San JoseÕs St. Bonaventure Hospital with his billionaire patient. Meanwhile, Park must treat the man his wife had an affair with and try to find a way to forgive him. MONDAY, MARCH 6 (10:01-11:00 p.m. EST), on ABC. (ABC/Jeff Weddell)NOAH GALVIN, HILL HARPER, FREDDIE HIGHMORE /
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The fall TV season is back for the winter. All of the shows that were supposed to air during the final leg of 2023 have been pushed back to 2024 due to the actors strike, which means all the typical aspects of an off-season have been compressed into a couple weeks. Fans are getting updates on a daily basis, and The Good Doctor is the latest show to make a major change.

The medical drama, which will premiere its seventh season on February 20, has announced that longtime cast member Hill Harper will be leaving. There was speculation about Harper’s future with the show prior to the actors strike, but TV Line confirmed that we’ve seen the last of his character, Dr. Marcus Andrews.

Why is Hill Harper leaving The Good Doctor?

While cast departures are nothing new for primetime television, the circumstances under which Harper is leaving is pretty unique. The actor, who has been part of The Good Doctor from the start, has decided to run for U.S. Senate in his home state of Michigan.

A spokesperson for Harper’s campaign issued a statement to the outlet, explaining the reason for his Good Doctor exit. “Hill Harper feels strongly that there is a crisis in American democracy — too often, government only works for the rich and powerful while the rest of us struggle to find a voice”, the statement read. “Hill is dedicating his efforts full time to fixing that, and he’s running for the U.S. Senate as an active union member to give working people more of a voice in Congress.”

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – OCTOBER 20: Actor and U.S. Senate candidate Hill Harper engages the audience during the State of Our Democracy: Voter Apathy in the Black Community panel on day two of the 2023 37th Annual NOBCO Economic Development Conference at The Westin Charlotte on October 20, 2023 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images for NOBCO)
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – OCTOBER 20: Actor and U.S. Senate candidate Hill Harper engages the audience during the State of Our Democracy: Voter Apathy in the Black Community panel on day two of the 2023 37th Annual NOBCO Economic Development Conference at The Westin Charlotte on October 20, 2023 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images for NOBCO) /

Harper will be going up against Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin for a seat currently held by outgoing senator Debbie Stabenow. It will mark his first official foray into politics after two decades of being in popular television shows like CSI: NY (2004-13) and Limitless (2015-16). For the former, he won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series for three consecutive years between 2008 and 2010.

According to MSNBC, however, Harper is longtime friends with President Barack Obama, and was appointed to The President’s Cancer Panel back in 2012. The Panel was assigned to work with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and make recommendations to the White House around cancer policy.

Fortunately, The Good Doctor was a step ahead of this career change. In the season 6 finale, Dr. Marcus Andrews resigned as the president St. Bonaventure, meaning his absence has already been explained in the world of the show. Hopefully he can make a cameo at some point in the future.

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