St. Bonaventure releases one of his surgeons. TVLine can reveal that exclusively the good doctor. The newest addition to the cast, Osvaldo Benavides, is leaving the ABC medical drama just a few months after being elevated to regular series.
Sony Pictures Television declined to comment on this story. TVLine has also contacted the ABC and Benavides camp for a statement. Details about his exit storyline are kept secret.
Benavides made his good doctor debut as a guest star in the season 4 two-part finale last spring, when Shaun and the surgical team flew to Guatemala on a mission to help patients at a rural hospital. One of the local surgeons was Dr. Mateo Rendón Osma, who formed an immediate bond (and subsequent romance) with Dr. Audrey Lim (played by Christina Chang), St. Bonaventure’s chief of surgery. When original cast member Antonia Thomas (Dr. Claire Browne) left the series at the end of Season 4, Deadline confirmed that Benavides had been promoted to series regular status.
In the season 5 season opener of the Freddie Highmore drama, which aired September 27, Mateo arrived in San Jose to pursue a relationship with Lim, who hired him as a surgical assistant in St. Bonaventure. But Mateo had been put on probation due to past legal issues and has since been supervised by a colleague Dr. Marcus Andrews (played by Hill Harper) attended.
Prior to season 5, executive producer David Shore told TVLine that Mateo’s legal drama would “cast a shadow” over his employment. “As far as his training goes, he’s a fairly experienced doctor,” Shore explains. “But because of his past, because of his history, he will have to learn to swallow his pride a little bit.”
the good doctor has survived several waves of cast sales over the years. Chuku Modu and Beau Garrett left the show at the end of Season 1, followed by Tamlyn Tomita at the end of Season 2. Recurring guest star Jasika Nicole was promoted to series regular prior to Season 3, but was wiped out for Season 4, alongside original cast member Nicholas Gonzalez. To fill the void left by Nicole and Gonzalez, the medical drama added returning players Noah Galvin and Bria Samoné Henderson in Season 4; they were promoted to series-regular status on Thomas’ exit, ahead of season 5.
The current cast includes Highmore, Harper, Chang, Galvin, Henderson, Richard Schiff, Fiona Gubelmann, Will Yun Lee and Paige Spara. Highmore, Harper and Schiff are the last remaining regulars of the pilot.
