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Former The Good Doctor star Antonia Thomas will return for a string of special appearances, reprising her role as Dr. Claire Browne in the fifth season of the critically acclaimed ABC drama. Thomas quit the show after the fourth season, before her contract expired, to pursue other creative interests.
The actress who played the fan-favorite character had previously indicated that she is open to reprising her role as Dr. Browne, even after quitting the show for good. She played the role for four years and served as Dr. Shaun Murphy's (played by Freddie Highmore) mentor and confidante at the San Jose St. Bonaventure Hospital.
She will return to The Good Doctor this spring.
Why did Antonia Thomas quit The Good Doctor?
Antonia Thomas portrayed the fan-favorite doctor's role for four whole seasons before she decided to pursue other creative opportunities to advance in her career. Addressing her decision to quit The Good Doctor, the actress had said:
"Really for me, if there was more time in the year to be able to shoot the show and to be able to go off and do some of the other things that I’m wanting to explore now, I’d do both...It has not been an easy decision for me to leave, so I absolutely would love to come back every now and then and say hi… I’m very much looking forward to that."
The creators and the actress were in mutual agreement of bringing her character back in the near future. It will finally happen this spring, although not many details about her return are available at the moment. It will also take a good storyline to incorporate the character in the story after she left to join a job at a Guatemalan clinic at the end of Season 4.
David Shore, the show's executive producer, expressed similar thoughts about Antonia Thomas' return. Speaking to TVLine, he said:
"Would love to find places to bring her back. She’s such a part of this world, and will always be a part of this world, so it will be lovely to see [Claire] — for her to bring a story to us, or just to come in for the highlights of peoples’ lives."
Fans will be glad to see the familiar face back in the show. More information about her return will be released soon. The next episode of The Good Doctor will air on March 21, 2022, on the ABC channel.
