Richard Schiff Has Known Dr. Glassman’s Fate Since ‘The Good Doctor’ Pilot

As production on The Good Doctor‘s second season begins to kick into high gear, fans are anxiously awaiting answers to some seriously stressful season 1 plotlines. First and foremost on that list is, without a doubt, the fate of Dr. Aaron Glassman (played by Richard Schiff).

At the end of The Good Doctor‘s first season, it was revealed in a shocking twist that Dr. Glassman was suffering from a rare form of cancer, and ultimately was dying. The finale episode centered around Dr. Shaun Murphy (played by Freddie Highmore) refusing to accept the diagnosis and researching how he could save his friend and mentor, by any means possible.

In a recent interview with Deadline, Richard Schiff was asked if he knew about the illness his character would be battling. As it turns out, Schiff knew right from the very first episode. He said:

[row]”Oh, I knew from reading the pilot. I think the first or second question I asked David Shore when we met was, ‘Is Dr. Glassman going to die?’ He said, ‘How did you know?’ I said, ‘Well there’s a clue.’ He goes, ‘Yes. Yes, he’s dying.'”[/row]

Did you catch the hidden clue relating to Dr. Glassman’s fate in the premiere episode? Last month, Schiff confirmed exactly where those clues were via Twitter:

In the pilot, Dr. Glassman tells Jessica “I won’t always be here to protect you” then in 109 he tells Shaun “I can’t always be there, I can’t always help you the way you need to be helped.” those were hints imo

— Massena1 (@Massena1) May 9, 2018

correct https://t.co/CS0ztKFiAY

— Richard Schiff (@Richard_Schiff) May 9, 2018

In the first season, Schiff knew what was going to happen to his character, so does he know what fate lies ahead in season two? Spoiler alert, he doesn’t. Schiff told Deadline:

[row]”You know, I don’t ask the writers’ room what they’re doing,” he said. “I did hear from David. We had a conversation, and I said, “Obviously I’m going to be sick, right?” You can’t not deal with that truthfully. You can’t get cancer and then not have it. So we’re going to have to deal with that, and I certainly suggested to David that it can really play into the way the relationship changes between Shaun and Dr. Glassman. I certainly imagine that the roles could even be reversed at some point and that Shaun might have to become the caretaker, and David said something which I certainly think is a good idea, which is that most doctors make horrible patients. So then yeah, we can go along with that, that’s a good idea. So, those are the things that I’m imagining, but we have to deal with it. I might have to shave my head, completely. And we’ll see how David and the writers want to move out of that. Who knows? Maybe I’m outta here.”[/row]

Let’s hope that’s not the case! Season 2 is said to focus on Dr. Shaun Murphy’s (Highmore) challenges at the hospital, as well as on his relationship with his love interest (and returning fan favorite character) Lea (played by Paige Spara). While that might be the case, according to Highmore himself, Shaun’s relationship with Dr. Aaron Glassman (played by Richard Schiff) is really the heart of the season two story.

The Good Doctor also stars Antonia Thomas, Nicholas Gonzalez, Beau Garrett, Hill Harper, Will Yun Lee, Fiona Gubelmann, and Christina Chang. The series is written by House creator David Shore who also serves as executive producer along with Lost and Hawaii Five-O alum Daniel Dae Kim.

The Good Doctor returns to ABC Monday nights this fall.

Are you excited about the upcoming second season of The Good Doctor? What are you hoping to see happen this season? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.