David Shore, creator of House, debuts a new medical drama on Monday, September 25th at 10 pm on ABC. The show is based on a South Korean format and executive produced by Hawaii Five-0 co-star Daniel Dae Kim.
Freddie Highmore stars as Dr. Shaun Murphy, a young surgeon with autism and savant syndrome, recruited into a pediatric surgical unit of a prestigious hospital.
Speaking on a panel, the show’s executive producer, David Shore explained the steps the show took to portray autism. “We saw a lot of doctors, we consulted with people, we’ve got people on the spectrum who we’re working with,” Shore said, according to Deadline Hollywood. “But he is a specific character, he’s not there to represent autism, he’s there to represent Dr. Shaun Murphy.”
Dr. Murphy exhibits savant traits, which are a highly unusual aspect of autism, but Shore assured reporters the show would work hard not to contribute to stereotyping. “Savant syndrome is rare, even within the community of people with autism,” he said, “I think it’s a legitimate question, and we want to make sure that we don’t represent him as being representative in any way.”
Take a look at the trailer:
According to the Hollywood Reporter Daniel Dae Kim, said “The primary thing that made me really want to purse this show and bring it to American audiences is the fact that the character of Shaun is someone who was born with a set of obstacles — the obstacles were not put in his own way by his own choices. And in so many dramas that we see today, we see people getting in their own way. But Shaun is not one of those people,” Kim explained. “Shaun is trying to overcome his challenges in a way that I wholeheartedly root for. And that is a really positive message that I think is particularly resonant given these political times.”
We would love to hear your thoughts on the trailer and if you will be tuning in next month to watch.