Bad Thoughts About The Good Doctor

I've been seeing lots of previews for The Good Doctor, an upcoming TV show about a young man with autism who becomes a surgeon. While it's good to see programming featuring characters with disabilities, this one scares and offends me.

The trailers show that the lead character is chosen by a group of doctors to be a surgeon because he can see how things are. He isn't a student, doesn't seem to have any experience, it just looks like he's a guy off the streets who visualizes body parts and organs.

I know it's fiction but, as a disabled adult who's coming to terms with things like realism and looking for employment, and also speaking to youth and parents about those topics, the whole premise of this show is deeply disturbing. One, it's patronizing. The lead seems to be little more than a pet project thrown between two groups of doctors, one who have to prove he can do it, and another who are the nay-sayers, and will undoubtedly come off as bullies (there's already a clip of another surgeon telling the lead he "doesn't belong here" while they're operating).

Two, it's insanely unrealistic. Again, it's fiction, I get it. But, my primary beef is with the concept of the lead becoming a surgeon just because he can see things. With that logic, I should've been over-qualified to be a paleontologist because I can picture dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures, never mind the math, accessibility, and other issues.

I'm just concerned because I can imagine parents or disabled individuals watching this, and maybe being mislead a little. I'm not saying a person with a disability can't be a surgeon or something similar, it's just the way the show portrays it seems ridiculous.

And of course the network it's on is labeling the show as inspirational, because disabilities. Sorry, but nope. A man instantly becoming a surgeon just because of savant-like qualities is not inspirational. You want inspiration, be a little more realistic. Have a character train and go through the process first, like a med student or nurses assistant, but don't give me a character like the lead in The Good Doctor.

All due respect to the show's cast and crew, but I won't be watching The Good Doctor when it premieres next moth and I sort of hope it doesn't last long on the air. If it does, however, I hope viewers are smart enough to see it for what it is: fiction, and only that.

Cheers