The Good Doctor (TV Series) Frontline, Part 1 (2020) User Reviews

People giving this a low score because....

[freqeteq · 8/10 · 22 November 2020]

... it deals with Covid and most of the reviewers give their reason for their low score because "It's happening in the real world I don't want to watch it on my TV show!"

Let me tell you something, EVERYTHING this show deals with happens to people in the real world, did any of these reviewers ever stop to think of that?From cancer to complications with broken bones to rare blood diseases EVERYTHING you see in the show has affected people in the real world, now they're dealing with Covid and because it's the first time the show has dealt with a medical problem that these reviewers have also experienced all of a sudden the show dealing with real world medical problems isn't ok, pretty selfish thinking from these reviewers I think.

I thought the episode was well done, typically over melodramatic as the show has always been but still an ok way to spend 40 minutes of your time.

Wear a mask please.

[zakariajolaji · 8/10 · 5 November 2020]

I work in a hospital, this episode was very good. Please wear a mask.

Stop taking off your masks!

[sun_shine2014 · 6/10 · 7 November 2020]

I don't have any problem with it being about COVID like some other reviewers. Yes, we're all still living with it in real life, but I think a medical show should almost definitely address it. My problem is with their use of masks or more like not using masks when they should. They wear the mask, then go talk to the patient's daughter and decide to take off the mask then. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt there and say they were at a "safe distance", but I can't give them that when a doctor and a nurse who have been dealing with COVID cases and are possibly exposed decide to not wear their masks while looking after an elderly person who came in for another health issue. It was frustrating to watch that from a medical show.

Of course they gonna show the struggle of healthcare workers

[nehadalaswad · 9/10 · 25 November 2020]

A medical show that set in real life gonna talk about real life which is a horrible situation everyone gone & is going through. Have it's good & bad moments Low rating the episode because you a non-believer in a global pandemic or your political views conflict with the health of the public only happens in the USA. It's good to see the inside working of a hospital & the struggle & it's all too real cause some countries like USA are still living through that struggle

Great, face the reality, folks

[leonardomedeiros-26994 · 7 November 2020]

We need to talk about covid, ignore the facts only make the situation worse

This feels like a hundred other pandemic episodes.

[Racingphan2 · 6/10 · 4 November 2020]

Nothing new with The Good Doctor's take on the pandemic. I know they had to address it, but I hope they move on. I'm not buying Glassman being so mean to his hot new wife. You can lock me up with Sheila Kelley any day! It was fun to see multi Lifetime and Hallmark movie actor Lochlyn Munro. I just hope that they don't kill his character. And the ghost angle is just stupid.

Better to acknowledge than to ignore

[b-debrouwer · 10/10 · 4 November 2020]

I get the polarity that centering the two season openers to Covid brings, but it's better to acknowledge than to ignore. The way the pandemic was acknowledged in this episode while still being perfectly tied into the story was great.

I may only hope this will contribute to the awareness and a final push to beat the virus.

Balance

[jonathanfielding-68965 · 6/10 · 3 November 2020]

No issue with covering current issues but maybe highlighting the 99% who get infected and get a mild dose of the flu would have provided a bit of balance.

Maybe that's in part 2.

10/10

[coreywebster21 · 10/10 · 4 November 2020]

Fantastic episode and great insight of the hospital system during pandemic

S4.E1 - Preachy [7/10]

[panagiotis1993 · 7/10 · 16 March 2024]

(S4. E1) My Live Reaction / Review for The Good Doctor Season 4 Episode 1 ''Frontline, Part 1''. The previous season was good and I gave it a rating of 9/10. Let's see if this one is better or worse. This episode is very preachy and I don't like that. They put music and celebrate because a patient is going home and leaving the hospital? This is so cringe and ridiculous. I really miss Dr. Melendez. The show will never be the same, it feels like a huge gap. Lea is annoying, I wish Shaun was still with Carly. So now the drama is that Shaun cant meet Lea and cant have sex with her because COVID is a thing? I love how sometimes they wear masks and sometimes they don't, ridiculous. If you want to be careful you should wear the mask everywhere in the hospital. Overall this episode was ok and I enjoyed it. My rating is 7/10.

Meh

[patmorej · 1/10 · 4 November 2020]

Been there, done that! Don't even want to watch part 2.

Killing off Melendez? Big mistake.

Thank you for showing us the reality inside and hospital and pay tribute to the people in the Frontline.

[theava-70310 · 10/10 · 4 November 2020]

I loved the episode and the way that you described the life inside the hospital struggling with COVID. Only two episodes is not a bad idea. I'm also excited about the storyline of the new residents and Dr. murphy being a boss. Can't wait to see what is next.

Absolutely stupid

[habibaayman-20417 · 1/10 · 3 November 2020]

Getting rid of Melendez was the worst decision ever. Davi killed the show with his " creative idea". Thanks David for ruining it. It feels terrible watching the show without A main character . This is turning into Grey's Anatomy

Unavoidable

[ychemineau · 10/10 · 11 November 2020]

The COVID topic was probably impossible to avoid for this series. It is a part of our life as were other historical moment which were dealt with in other series (even Punky Brewster cried on the Challenger explosion !). This is reality, not science fiction, and even though it was a great episode (hence th 10 stars), I will probably wait for a few months before I watch the next ones.

Very glad they addressed COVID!

[betbull8 · 10/10 · 4 November 2020]

I've read a lot of reviews complaining about it being about COVID. But here's the thing: we're living through a (hopefully) once in a lifetime experience. I've been working from home for the vast majority of the last 7 months. My children are doing school from home. We can't go to the salon, eat outside the house, travel over an hour away, or go to any stores other than the grocery store (military restrictions)! I watch TV not just as a distraction, but as a way to feel closer to my community, to other humans. When I watch a new episode of TV right now, the first thing I think of is about COVID. Where are the masks? How are they able to stay safe to film this? Someday we'll watch an episode from today and it would seem strange to not address it.

Excellent episode

[elvis-11986 · 10/10 · 3 November 2020]

Wtf why the low score??? This episode was amazing. They did an amazing job covering the pandemic. Fork off haters, seriously!

Seriously it was an Excellent episode. One of the best episode of this series.

They did an excellent job handling this pandemic and the pandemic life.

• Really liked that scene were Claire and Lim sat on the bench.
• Shaun quarantining with Alex was a great idea. Loved the scenes where they both were on the phones talking with Lea and Park with his son.
• Shaun's talks about sex was hilarious as always. It gave the needed positivity and laughter in these hard times.
• They did a great job with different parents. It was sad to see that the elderly woman died. I was happy that Claire promised her daughter to try to get her mothers necklace.

I'm glad that the pregnant lady's baby was fine. Hope she gets better.

• Liked that they Included the scene where one of the elder patient who recovered from covid was celebrated with the song "Celebration" lol
• Glassman and Debbie need to sort some things out. I know they will.
• Wow that scene at the end where Claire saw Melendez while looking for the necklace. I like it. It does make sense that she saw him so I'm not pissed off that writers did that.

Can't wait for next weeks episode!!

Weak writing, odd choice of focus, cast lacking.

[seattlewynn · 1/10 · 3 November 2020]

Unfortunately, The Good Doctor is now reaping the disappointing results of its previous season and a weak attempt to take the show in a 'new direction'.

The decision to thrust straight into a COVID crisis storyline has proven to be a very poor one. This first episode is essentially a drawn out and at times distasteful play by play of the still-ongoing events which each of us, including those healthcare professionals who make up a significant number of the show's audience, has had to endure in our real lives for the majority of this year. This is done for seemingly for no purpose other than reaching for an easy topical storyline as a season opener. But why the executives of this show thought their audience would want to watch a bland COVID retelling as a form of entertainment remains unclear. The episode is misery heaped upon misery.

There was also nothing particularly noteworthy or interesting in any of the storylines offered, as the patients were generic and the audience had little reason to invest given the scattergun approach to the many issues the episode attempted to draw attention to. Consequently, this episode ranged from dull to uninspired to somewhat offensive (think: a horrible attempt at instilling some kind of humour and romantic energy by using the painfully artificial and unrealistic Shaun/Lea combination for sexual innuendos). There was also a bizarre focus on characters who serve little discernible purpose other than being married to a cast member (e.g. Debbie).

Then finally, obviously, the controversial decision regarding Nicholas Gonzalez's character. It is immediately apparent in this new series that his absence has done nothing favourable for this show; indeed, the cast has seemingly now lost a cohesion that previously came from Melendez serving as the heart of the team that is meant to be the show's focus. The characters now seem disjointed and divided, or oddly forced into interactions that seem out of place.

Melendez's absence is seemingly also glossed over by the majority of characters; there is a very weak and baiting choice in the final seconds to incorporate him in the unoriginal and repetitive manner of a spectral vision. You cannot help but think this is a baffling waste of the incomplete narrative from previous seasons.

It remains to be seen where the remainder of the season will go, but if this episode is anything to go by, it is unlikely to be the show's best.

It was a great comeback!

[manjitbaishya-24158 · 10/10 · 5 November 2020]

After waiting for months, the first episode is finally release, but due to some issues I was unable to watch it live. I streamed it later in my laptop, but the main reason why I decided to watch back was not my excitement rather this big notification that I got on my Chrome feed, "The Good Doctor Season 4 has not received ratings as expected". The major problem when I reviewed this issue was "Too much COVID-19 in the show!". I mean seriously, that is what you all got from the first episode, just COVID stuff and nothing else, well being honest, I think you should stop watching shows altogether. This is a Medical Drama, do you even know what it has to concentrate on; drama as well as medical aspects and you expected this show not to include the pandemic, come one man, grow up. We all have lost someone or the other in this pandemic, family, friends, loved ones and so many more. I really loved how they portrayed these facts, negligence of people during the early times, misinterpreting it as flu, distance created in the lives of people when staying constantly together, distances created in people when staying apart, people distancing themselves from doctors and so many more. I have been watching this show since the first day it got aired and believe me, this show has never let me down! If you wanted a COVID free episode, well I guess you should not have watched it at all because my friends, I believe they will portray more and they must too, missing out on live facts makes a show worth watching and for God's sake, keep wearing a mask!

Not the same chemistry

[jfenn53058 · 1/10 · 6 November 2020]

Melendez dead, opening new season about Covid...they lost me. What is best about the show is number one, the chemistry between the characters, and number two, the dealing with health issues which are not hitting you in the face in every headline encountered in life. I might tune in a couple weeks down the road after they get off this topic to see it it gets back to its former glory.

Very good episode

[romjoshy · 10/10 · 4 November 2020]

It was a really good episode. A lot of people didn't like it cause of all the covid but they have to realize it's what were all going through. You cant have a Doctor show in these times without talking about covid and them treating covid. Anyways it was still a very good episode. Cant wait for part 2!

It's about reality

[valeriapaezm · 10/10 · 4 November 2020]

The first episode of the new season was highly expected, and it fulfilled with the expectations 100%.

This show represents reality, it has always has and the truth is we need to embrace the things that are happening to us beyond our own noses. I loved that they managed to convey many stories into this first part of two, you engaged with the stories, you could feel part of the same as it is a reflect of what most of us are living.

The performances were brilliant as always, the writing was suitable enough to be very relatable and I enjoyed very much the development of Shaun's character, which for sure will keep growing now with Lea as his girlfriend.

Freddie Highmore is gold. I can't wait to see the rest of the season which will not be Covid oriented as the show runner has already said.

Plain boring

[jesperolin · 4/10 · 3 November 2020]

Honestly, i'm watching this series to relax and have a good time, not to be reminded of the pandemic all over the place. I wanna try to get my thoughts om other things. Other things is also, they didn't really cover too much, they just rushed in to the entire thing, no real ongoing story and a really boring episode. I really hope the next episode turns out better..

From the healthcare perspective...

[leenerwis · 10/10 · 14 November 2020]

This commercial, both Part 1 & 2 were so impactful. I see so many reviews about how people are tired of COVID-19, but this episode is SO relevant to the world we live in. I work in a children's hospital, and I can tell you that as soon as I saw the young mother my heart sank. This has been the reality for a lot of pregnant mothers that catch COVID-19. I have had mothers sedated, on ventilators and unable to see their babies for weeks after they are born. In the episode, at least the baby made it to term. A lot of the babies I help are born prematurely due to the virus attacking the mothers body, including the baby.

This shows the reality of having to work from home, the strain of not seeing your loved ones. I have co-workers that STILL strip down in their garage and immediately put their scrubs into the washer to avoid potentially bringing this home to their families.

Bravo to the show for shedding light on the various situations people are in. The guilt. The sorrow. The desperation and love.

Tired of story line, extremely disappointed

[jordan-320-708684 · 1/10 · 3 November 2020]

I've been looking forward to the first episode this season and then it's about covid. I get it, and I'm all for thanking and praising our Heath community. But I was looking forward to a story line that didn't remind me of the last 6 months, that gave me a story line I didn't already know. Guess I'll wait for week 2.

Amazing episode! 💙👏🏻

[dchauconojeda · 10/10 · 4 November 2020]

Excellent episode! Amazing writing and perfect balance in every aspects: drama, romance, and uncertainty themes about the pandemic times. Great show!