Fans of The Good Doctor may soon see their favorite medical universe step beyond hospital walls and into the courtroom — as ABC officially began developing a brand-new legal spin-off titled The Good Lawyer.
The potential new series comes from executive producers David Shore and Liz Friedman, the same creative minds behind the hit medical drama, and is designed to introduce an entirely new kind of hero — one who fights for justice not with a scalpel, but with the law.
Unlike its predecessor, which follows Dr. Shaun Murphy’s life inside St. Bonaventure Hospital, The Good Lawyer would shift focus to Joni — a brilliant young defense attorney living with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Her condition, while often challenging in both her personal and professional life, also allows her to notice details that others might miss, giving her a unique advantage in the courtroom.
Viewers were first introduced to this new legal world through a backdoor pilot episode embedded in Season 6 of The Good Doctor. In the episode, Shaun finds himself facing a malpractice lawsuit and ultimately turns to Joni for legal representation — believing she may understand him better than anyone else due to the way both navigate demanding careers while managing neurological differences.
The spin-off was set to be led by Kennedy McMann as Joni DeGroot, alongside Felicity Huffman as Janet Stewart — a seasoned and highly respected attorney who serves as both mentor and professional counterbalance to the younger lawyer.
Much like The Good Doctor, the planned series aimed to explore how individuals with neurological conditions navigate high-pressure careers, relationships, and societal expectations — but this time through the lens of the justice system instead of medicine.
By expanding the franchise into legal drama territory, ABC’s development of The Good Lawyer signaled a major step toward building a broader storytelling universe around Shaun Murphy’s world — one where compassion, intellect, and resilience remain at the heart of every case, whether in an operating room or a courtroom.
Would you watch a legal spin-off set in The Good Doctor universe?