Dr. Shaun Murphy, a young surgeon with autism and savant syndrome, relocates from a quiet country life to join the prestigious St. Bonaventure hospital’s surgical unit. Alone in the world and unable to personally connect with those around him, his only advocate, Dr. Aaron Glassman, challenges the skepticism and prejudices of the hospital’s board and staff when he brings him in to join the team. Shaun will need to work harder than he ever has before, as he navigates his new environment and relationships to prove to his colleagues that his extraordinary medical gifts will save lives.
Dr. Neil Melendez and Dr. Jared Kalu discover their patient isn’t being completely honest with them which may cost him his chance at a life-saving surgery. Meanwhile, Dr. Claire Browne must learn to communicate with Dr. Shaun Murphy as they race back to St. Bonaventure Hospital with a donated organ.
While in the exam area of St. Bonaventure Hospital, Dr. Shaun Murphy encounters a young patient who looks eerily similar to his deceased brother, Steve. After discovering his parents have hidden his diagnosis from him, Shaun struggles to understand why he doesn’t deserve to hear the truth about his own health. Meanwhile, the team can’t figure out what keeps triggering their patients’ increasingly severe allergic reactions and races to find the cause before the next one kills another patient.
As part of St. Bonaventure hospital’s international humanitarian program, the team takes on the case of a young boy from the Congo who has severe congenital heart anomalies. Dr. Neil Melendez has doubts about the safety of the procedure, while Dr. Shaun Murphy works out the best course of action. Meanwhile, Murphy’s latest encounter with his neighbor Lea has him confused.
Members of the hospital’s surgical team are initially impressed with a charming young doctor, but his true character puts one of them in an awkward position at work. Meanwhile, Dr. Glassman feels Dr. Shaun Murphy needs a little more support with his personal life and suggests he meet with a therapist. However, Shaun is determined to show him that he can do it on his own.
Dr. Shaun Murphy's teenage patient has been confined to her home her entire life due to a rare heart condition. Despite her condition, she has cultivated a large group of friends online and hopes that the surgical team can find a way to give her the life she has always dreamed of having. Meanwhile, a young patient's perfectly matched organ donor is causing a moral dilemma for the parents and the patient.
Dr. Melendez, Dr. Brown and Dr. Park have given a young married couple two choices about their future: save the wife’s life or their future ability to start a family. Meanwhile, when Dr. Lim has to take care of some personal business, she leaves oversight of the emergency room to Dr. Murphy and Dr. Reznick; and Dr. Glassman’s post-op recovery leaves him struggling to get the rest he needs for recovery and also confronting his relationship with his daughter.
When a patient suffering from anorexia can’t gain the necessary weight needed to survive heart surgery, Claire suggests they perform an experimental surgery which Melendez strongly opposes. Shaun worries Glassman’s refusal to walk the hospital floor will keep him from being discharged and tries to persuade him to ambulate. Meanwhile, Shaun and Lea change the terms of their current relationship.
Dr. Shaun Murphy, Dr. Morgan Reznick and Dr. Audrey Lim treat a woman with autism and a delicate brain condition while navigating the complicated relationship she has with her roommate, who is also on the spectrum. Meanwhile, Lea and Shaun are still figuring out their friendship and roommate status.
As a barroom fight sends Dr. Shaun Murphy to seek treatment at St. Bonaventure’s, Dr. Alex Park and Dr. Audrey Lim disagree over an elderly woman’s post-operative symptoms. Meanwhile, Dr. Neil Melendez and Dr. Lim make their romance public, and Dr. Aaron Glassman continues to pursue a relationship with a good friend.
Following what he believes was a disastrous first date with Carly, Dr. Shaun Murphy proposes a radical surgery to save a newlywed woman’s life. Meanwhile, after the new chief of surgery, Dr. Audrey Lim, announces that the residents can lead surgeries, Dr. Morgan Reznick and Dr. Alex Park compete for the chance to operate on an elderly patient who has been diagnosed with cancer.
As Dr. Marcus Andrews vows to help a good Samaritan who was injured while stopping a sexual assault, Dr. Audrey Lim faces a difficult decision when a young patient’s parents suspect that Dr. Neil Melendez made a mistake. Meanwhile, Dr. Shaun Murphy fields advice following his disastrous date with Dr. Carly Lever; and Dr. Claire Browne gets a surprise visit from her mother.
Dr. Shaun Murphy has been assigned his first surgery by Dr. Audrey Lim. However, Dr. Marcus Andrews questions whether he is really ready. Meanwhile, as Dr. Claire Brown continues to avoid her complicated emotions about her mother, she and Dr. Morgan Reznick have a patient whose diagnosis has them doubting his story.
While performing his first solo surgery, Dr. Shaun Murphy alienates a nurse, which puts his residency in jeopardy. Also in this episode, Dr. Neil Melendez disagrees with Dr. Audrey Lim on a risky surgery, and Dr. Claire Brown spirals into self-destructive behaviors, causing negative ramifications in the workplace.
Dr. Shaun Murphy’s unique ability to relate to a patient isolated by an immune deficiency yields an unexpected result. Meanwhile, Dr. Claire Browne, Dr. Morgan Reznick and Dr. Marcus Andrews treat a 12-year-old patient who is about to become blind, and tension builds between Dr. Neil Melendez and Dr. Audrey Lim.
Shaun is ready for the next step in his relationship with Carly. However, he continues to struggle as they grow closer and more intimate, and is dealt some troubling news about a deeply personal issue. A young patient must decide on a treatment that could save her life or possibly destroy her marriage.
Shaun and Reznik grapple with a terminal cancer patient who is determined to live the last few months of his life without inhibition. Reznik must confront her relationship with her mother when she comes in for a third opinion from Glassman. Shaun and Carly's relationship reaches a new level of intimacy.
When Shaun makes an emotional confession, and the result may not be as desired. He also becomes obsessed with performing an autopsy on a Jane Doe, which challenges his relationships at the hospital. Claire, Reznick and Andrews treat a male college student with a mysterious split personality disorder.
In the first episode of the two-part season finale, the city of San Jose is rocked by a massive earthquake that puts the staff of St. Bonaventure Hospital on high alert as they race to assess the damage and account for the safety of their colleagues and friends. Meanwhile, Dr. Neil Melendez and Dr. Aaron Glassman are attending a charity event when their lives are threatened by the earthquake.
With several candidates vying for residency at St. Bonaventure, Chief of Surgery Dr. Audrey Lim tasks Dr. Shaun Murphy, Dr. Claire Browne and Dr. Alex Park with mentoring the top first-year resident contenders. As their mentees shadow them for the day, Shaun and Park meet with Andrews to discuss a difficult surgery scheduled for a minor. Later, Shaun inadvertently insults Lea while discussing the pros and cons of the controversial surgery. And elsewhere, Dr. Morgan Reznick seeks out Claire and Lim's help on a consult.
As Dr. Lim struggles to cope with the residual emotional trauma of COVID-19, she encounters a young war veteran fighting debilitating PTSD. After discussing his case with the team, Claire suggests a radical treatment to help him. Still reeling from the recent loss of his mentee’s patient, Shaun declares he doesn’t want to teach the new residents anymore. An eccentric patient keeps the team entertained.
When a renowned surgeon comes to St. Bonaventure for treatment, the team’s enthusiasm is quickly overshadowed by the doctor’s behavior. After studying his case, Shaun sees a pattern he recognizes. Shaun and Lea are forced to make a life-changing decision that will alter the course of their relationship.
Now that Shaun has called off the wedding, he is forced to confront Lea about their relationship and determine what he really means to her. Meanwhile, the team debate their opinions on plastic surgery and Dr. Audrey Lim hopes to expose Salen’s cover-up over an infant’s death to take her down before it is too late.
Dr. Shaun Murphy makes a personal connection with a precoious young patient which threatens his objectivity. Meanwhile, while volunteering at a long-term care facility, Dr. Morgan Reznick realizes she could help Dr. Aaron Glassman’s clinic by offering telemedicine services for nursing homes and care facilities.
While Drs. Lim, Murphy and Wolke help a teenage “biohacker” whose self- experiments begin to compromise his health, Drs. Morgan, Park, Jordan and Glassman treat a young woman who wants a controversial surgery to treat her depression and chronic pain. Additionally, Dr. Reznick looks to take the next step in her relationship with Dr. Park.
When someone mistakenly brings a hallucinogen-laced dish to the hospital’s company potluck, much of the hospital staff and doctors are incapacitated — leaving doctors Murphy, Glassman and Allen forced to take on all the hospital’s cases, further exacerbating Dr. Murphy and Dr. Glassman’s conflicting work styles.
On their first day as surgical attendings, Dr. Shaun Murphy and Dr. Alex Park are introduced to the first year residents they will be overseeing, Dr. Danica Powell and Dr. Daniel Perez,who make quite the first impression. Meanwhile, Lim returns to work while facing her new reality and the emotions surrounding the changes.
The team treats a famous marriage counselor after she injures her ankle from falling, but when she offers relationship advice to them, Dr. Morgan Reznick quickly spots that their patient might be experiencing something far more serious. Meanwhile, Dr. Audrey Lim is determined to get to the bottom of what really happened in the OR during her surgery and sets off on her own internal investigation.
In the midst of a heatwave, Dr. Shaun Murphy and Dr. Danica Powell are at odds when it comes to their patient’s surgery. Their heated stalemate tests Shaun’s patience and his willingness to compromise. Meanwhile, when the hospital loses power, Lea and Dr. Aaron Glassman are forced to come up with a quick solution or risk a total shutdown that could risk patients’ lives.