Move over, Ally McBeal; there’s another lawyer show on the way. Deadline has reported that ABC is developing The Good Lawyer, a potential spinoff of The Good Doctor which will be introduced as a backdoor pilot in the upcoming sixth season of the medical series.
The Good Doctor spinoff will revolve around Joni, a brilliant, twenty-something lawyer who battles OCD. Joni will be introduced in an episode of The Good Doctor‘s sixth season as part of Dr. Shaun Murphy’s (Freddie Highmore) legal defence team “Relatively new to her upscale law firm, Joni, who is funny, eager, self-aware and a bit anxious, is part of Shaun’s (Highmore) legal defence team,” reads Deadline’s description. “Despite breezing through law school and her Bar exam, Joni’s OCD symptoms take a severe toll on her personal and professional life. Living with OCD, Joni has never wanted to be treated differently and is often embarrassed of her symptoms. She is a great lawyer but was forced to threaten to sue the firm (for violating the Americans with Disabilities Act) when they tried to fire her because of her peculiar behaviors.” David Shore and Liz Friedman, executive producers and co-showrunners of The Good Doctor, will write and executive produce the spinoff series.
In addition to Joni, The Good Lawyer will also feature Janet, a highly regarded attorney and partner at Joni’s law firm. “A seasoned veteran, Janet has represented Dr. Glassman (Richard Schiff) in several legal matters over the course of 30 years; so Glassman turns to her to represent his protégé Shaun (Highmore),” reads the character description. “Having seen it all, Janet has developed a cynical side, which contributed to her attempt to fire Joni. But when Shaun declares that he wants Joni to represent him, Janet is forced to give Joni the rope to possibly hang both of them.” The sixth season of The Good Doctor will debut on October 3rd.