‘The Just Doctor’ Creator David Shore On Season 4 Opener: COVID-19 Pandemic & New Residents Arrive As Shaun & Lea Space Up House – Q&A

SPOILER ALERT: This article contains foremost points from tonight’s episode of ABC’s The Just Doctor.

In The Just Doctor’s two-part Season 4 opener, the residents of St. Bonaventure Successfully being facility are thrust onto the “Frontline” of the coronavirus pandemic.

Spanning a selection of months, the episodes opt up early in 2020, when small changed into once identified about COVID-19, staring at as the virus involves meet San Jose with lethal pressure. “This episode of The Just Doctor is a made-up tale about an actual battle quiet being fought,” the gap title cards be taught. “Honor the heroes … a bunch of whom hang given their lives. Attain your part. Wear a conceal.”

Premiering tonight, “Frontline, Fragment 1” examines the exhaustion, stress and frustration that comes with working on the front traces of an epidemic. Whereas Dr. Lim (Christina Chang) struggles to create the COVID tests, PPE and varied scientific presents significant to confront the effectively being disaster, Dr. Glassman (Richard Schiff) is pressured to develop a residing from dwelling, attributable to his age and underlying scientific prerequisites. Like his mentor Glassman, young autistic surgeon Shaun Murphy (Freddie Highmore) is galled by the unpredictability of the virus, for which there isn’t very any longer but a vaccine, and his diminutive ability to abet others in the face of it.

One other source of frustration for all predominant characters has to enact with relationships and the contrasting ways all via which they’re tormented by the pandemic. On the one hand, there’s Glassman, who suffers from a small too worthy time at dwelling alongside with his wife, Debbie (Sheila Kelley). On the lots of, there are these laid low with too small connection at some stage on this time.

Dr. Andrews (Hill Harper) sleeps in the garage to discontinuance far off from exposing his family to the virus, while Dr. Park (Will Yun Lee) temporarily strikes in with Shaun to enact the the same. And while Shaun has sooner or later secured a relationship with Lea (Paige Spara), he takes the same precautions, despairing over the truth that he can’t safely be in the the same room with the lady he loves.

Then, there’s Drs. Lim and Browne (Antonia Thomas), who mourn the demise of their shared colleague and luxuriate in hobby, Dr. Melendez (Nicholas Gonzalez), in the earthquake that ended Season 3.

Toward the quit of “Fragment 1,” Dr. Reznick (Fiona Gubelmann) learns that she unintentionally has been exposed to COVID-19, alongside nurse Deena Petringa (Karin Konoval). And following this cliffhanger revelation, the spirit of Melendez approaches Browne in the effectively being facility, to guarantee her that — in spite of all evidence to the contrary — the entirety will likely be OK.

Produced by Sony Photographs Tv and ABC Studios, in affiliation with Shore Z Productions, 3AD, and Entermedia, The Just Doctor will likely be relieve for one other 20-episode season this autumn, in spite of the challenges imposed on production by COVID security protocols. Beneath, showrunner/exec producer David Shore breaks down “Frontline, Fragment 1,” teasing tendencies to advance relieve in Shaun and Lea’s relationship, unique roles for the residents of St. Bonaventure and unique characters who will join them in Season 4.

DEADLINE: In March, The Just Doctor Season 3 closed with a two-part finale centered on a catastrophic earthquake. Spherical the the same time, the precise-lifestyles catastrophe of the coronavirus pandemic emerged, ushering in a unique frequent. At that time, you knew you’d hang to commerce direction in Season 4 and judge out a methodology to home the pandemic. But how traumatic changed into once it, as a creator, to invent the leap from the season you’d at the foundation envisioned to the one which you can shoot?

DAVID SHORE: Fortunately, I even don’t hang the leisure planned, so it’s easy to modify. [Laughs] In point of fact, here’s correct so overwhelming. The truth of events is so overwhelming that it correct dictated that here’s what we hang to enact.

So, I judge the methodology we checked out it, to a pair of extent. … This is never any longer a hundred percent valid, but I in my notion felt treasure lifestyles had been placed on have, treasure somebody pressed cease on the arena. That changed into once the finest-case challenge. Worst-case challenge, you bought sick, but for the comfort of us, we’re correct staying in and waiting — and that’s no longer the case for scientific doctors. But quiet, in a undoubtedly precise sense, the entirety correct bought placed on have.

So all the stuff from the quit of ultimate one year, none of it mattered. … You understand, that’s no longer valid. Someone changed into once uninteresting. But there changed into once stuff on our plate that we had to home. There changed into once a truth on the planet that these scientific doctors had to home, and so we approached it from that time of scrutinize — that they’re carrying the burden of ultimate one year, but they can’t take care of it till the entirety else gets sorted out.

Now, that doesn’t imply that it’s no longer inspiring them up inside of and churning away at them. But it completely does imply that they don’t hang the luxurious to engage time and detect a unique relationship or detect effort or detect challenging to at least one other metropolis? None of that changed into once accessible to them because of precise-world events dictated what they had to home wonderful now.

DEADLINE: Obviously, the effectively being disaster we’re facing is unparalleled. But hang you ever ever confronted a challenge treasure this on your occupation? Sooner than COVID-19, changed into once there ever an actual-world tournament so profound in its impact that you wrote it staunch into a series?

SHORE: No longer to the the same extent. I resolve if I changed into once working on a gift in 2001 that changed into once jam in New York, or one thing treasure that, it will most likely hang had to hang acknowledged one thing, and there hang clearly been precise-world events which hang been foremost.

But undoubtedly on this gift, and most of the reveals I enact, I blueprint end to home non-public stories. I blueprint end to home particular person stories. I judge they’re very relatable. The in kind facet of an particular person tale, and the in kind facet of particular person struggles, that’s what I blueprint end to home. I don’t blueprint end to home politics and world events — and in addition you recognize, politics and world events advance dwelling, but no longer treasure this did. This correct changed how we’re residing our lives. So, I will’t judge of 1 other time the place I’ve done this form of component.

DEADLINE: The COVID-19 pandemic is a massive tournament to tackle in barely two episodes of television. How did you resolve out what you wished to search out or to negate about it? It looks treasure the emphasis of your openers is on human connection and the lots of how all via which it’s been affected.

SHORE: Yes. Witness, I’ve done a pair of scientific reveals. I’ve consistently prided myself on attempting to invent it as realistic as doable, nonetheless it’s by no methodology been regarding the medication. It’s regarding the human beings tormented by the medication, and on this case, I judge you’re a hundred percent wonderful. So worthy of it’s about separation, the frustration that outcomes in. I could well hurry on and on, nonetheless it’s terribly worthy about connection and the scarcity thereof at some stage on this time.

DEADLINE: Whereas the pandemic absorbs the point of curiosity of Season 4’s first two episodes, there hang been a selection of storylines from Season 3 that you hang been ready to drag via, including Dr. Melendez’s demise and its impact on his colleagues.

SHORE: Yeah. You understand, we opened the full component with, “Hello, the lengthy hurry! It’s staunch, it’s scandalous, it’s indifferent — and then the entirety changed.” That changed into once the teaser. [Lea told Shaun], “Yeah, I’m going to advance relieve relieve on Thursday. You’ll have in a single day on Saturday.” No, no. Nothing’s taking place. The entire lot’s varied than what you anticipated.

You understand, the demise of Melendez is handled and carries via, and the impact it has on Claire and on Lim, that’s one thing I judge goes to be very inspiring. When one door closes, one other door opens, and the door that’s opened here is the Claire and Lim relationship. We look a small bit of that on this, and we’re going to proceed to seem a bunch of that.

And naturally, we ended final season with Shaun and Lea embarking on a unique luxuriate in. So, we’re attempting to throw Shaun wonderful staunch into a relationship, and one of the advantages of the truth that the principle episode takes place over months is, I by no methodology did are attempting to correct detect, “They’re dating!” We’ve done the dating stuff. Now, they’re in a relationship, and the variations and the challenges of that, the challenges of facing a frail relationship. … You understand, it’s no longer about how you act on a date. It’s no longer about, “Will she kiss me?” It’s about the entirety all of us take care of in relationships, these challenges.

That gets placed on the relieve burner a small bit, but we embrace the frustration that has. But as the stories hurry forward, it’s going to be very worthy about their relationship.

DEADLINE: Is there the leisure more which which you can perhaps impart regarding the direction their relationship will engage?

SHORE: Per chance I shouldn’t impart this, but they’re going to pass in together reasonably early, because of we don’t are attempting to home the dating facet of it. We’re attempting to home, as I acknowledged, a frail relationship, and the challenges of that, and the errors that all of us invent in relationships, and the wisdom that Shaun can bring, alongside with the misunderstandings, and the confusion he takes. As consistently, it’s no longer regarding the comedy of that, even supposing it’s recurrently somewhat droll, staring at Shaun’s engage on that. But I judge that consistently comes from Shaun’s contemporary perspective. And Shaun’s contemporary perspective consistently has label, so we revel in that.

DEADLINE: Earlier this month, at New York Droll Con, you teased that Shaun will likely be graduating to a unique role inside of the effectively being facility, alongside alongside with his fellow residents. Might perhaps perhaps well you give us a sense of what this is in a position to imply for him?

SHORE: For better or worse, I’ve by no methodology wished to correct stand pat with Shaun. [Like], “Oh my gosh, can an particular person with autism be a surgeon?” Successfully, we answered that reasonably like a flash, that Shaun in overall is a surgeon. But I judge this series is about discovering unique alternatives and unique challenges for him, and seeing that these challenges are the the same that all of us ride. They correct manifest a small in a different way, and he brings one thing contemporary to the table on it, when it comes to challenges, but [also] when it comes to wisdom.

So, Season 1 changed into once: Can he be a surgeon? I’m oversimplifying your total series, but Season 2 is about, can he be a supportive buddy to a sick buddy, when Glassman changed into once sick? Season 3 is about, can he hang a girlfriend? Season 4 is about, can he be in a relationship with Lea? But additionally, part of being a surgeon is instructing others. It’s no longer correct regarding the mechanics of surgical operation; it’s about guiding the following generation, and that requires verbal change.

Dialog and deciphering varied other folks’s reactions and moods, et cetera, is never any longer Shaun’s solid suit. So how will he navigate these waters?

DEADLINE: On the quit of Season 3, Dr. Reznick realized that she’d now no longer be ready to work as a surgeon, attributable to the worsening of her rheumatoid arthritis. At this 2d, then, it looks treasure she’s namely attempting a unique calling, or a unique role inside of the effectively being facility.

SHORE: Yeah. She’s quiet going to be very worthy part of our world, but in a small bit of a definite role. She changed into once an actual hero at the quit of ultimate one year. She sacrificed her surgical occupation, in characterize to put somebody’s lifestyles, and we settle on to be valid to that. So, we’re no longer going to faux that didn’t happen. That took place, she’s paid a label, and we’ll look the place she finally ends up.

DEADLINE: Dr. Park is quiet a predominant presence at St. Bonaventure at the initiating up of Season 4, despite the truth that he’d previously thought about challenging to Phoenix to be closer to his family. That being acknowledged, is the character here to have?

SHORE: Yeah. Don’t apprehension, he’s no longer going away. He’s going to stick around, but as you’ve seen in the principle two [episodes], his marriage goes to be over, and he’s going to hang to lick his wounds.

But we’re exploring more. … And I don’t are attempting to invent this sound romantic, as I picture it, because of I don’t intend it that methodology. However the Morgan and Park relationship, we’re going to hang some fun with that.

DEADLINE: On the quit of “Frontline, Fragment 1,” we glance the spirit of Dr. Melendez return to the effectively being facility to keep up a correspondence with Dr. Browne. Is the door originate for his persevered presence on the gift? Or is that this more of a transient exploration?

SHORE: There indisputably is a door for that to proceed. [But] I enact no longer are attempting to overpromise that, because of I don’t settle on other folks tuning in feeling burned because of they don’t look him in a pair of episodes after that.

DEADLINE: Reportedly, Season 4 will introduce a selection of latest characters who will scenario Shaun and his peers in unique ways. What are you able to characterize us about them?

SHORE: We’ve bought four first-one year residents that are coming in. We’ve bought more than that to birth up with, but we’ve bought four of them that are going to be sticking around for a short time, and we’ll look how Shaun and Morgan and Claire and Park take care of them.