A Reddit Fan Theory About 'The Good Doctor' Ending Is Sparking Debate Among Viewers

With The Good Doctor wrapping up its time at San Jose St. Bonaventure Hospital after seven seasons, it's hard to tell where Dr. Shaun Murphy (Freddie Highmore)'s story will end. But, fans have plenty of thoughts on how the popular ABC show could say goodbye, and they're taking to a major social platform to talk about it.

The Good Doctor premiered in 2017, and the medical drama will air its final episode later this spring. Viewers have seen Shaun experience the ups and downs of being a surgeon, with mentors like Dr. Aaron Glassman (Richard Schiff) guiding him, and friends and family in his corner. Folks also watched Shaun build a life away from a demanding job, marrying Lea Dilallo (Paige Spara) and becoming a father to their infant son Steve in season 7.

While we'll need to keep tuning in Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET to find out how Shaun balances parenthood and a full-time job, it seems many viewers are already thinking about how the show might continue Steve's story.

When fans of The Good Doctor went on Reddit to talk about how they feel the show may end, user @musiclover2014 voiced a theory that could align with a number of other hit TV series' finales. The Redditor predicted the final episode will showcase a time jump—one that may just see Shaun and Steve together in a way that's fitting for the show.

"I’m calling it. The end of the series will feature a time jump," the user wrote. "My unqualified theory is that some random guy sees another random guy on the side of the road because his car broke down and so he helps him. Homeboy’s telling him all these car facts that he learned from his mom so he’s perfectly capable of helping him fix his car. Then he notices that the car owner has a nasty cut on his ulna and he rushes him to the hospital and when he gets there and saves the dude’s life, Shaun, who at this point is the Chief of surgery at St. Bon’s will go up to him and say, 'Well done, Dr. Steve Murphy.'"

Upon seeing this detailed take on how The Good Doctor could come to a close, others chimed in with their own thoughts of what a time jump could look like. The theory itself garnered mixed reactions from commenters.

"I hope he's a musician and not a doctor! Seeing Leah cheering and Shaun with noise cancelling headphones in the VIP section of the crowd would make me so happy," one Redditor wrote. "I’m thinking multiple time jumps showing how all the characters turn out. I’m expecting a Glassman funeral flash forward, maybe other funerals, returns of previous characters who have left and just the usual finale stuff you expect," another user commented.

On the other hand, some weren't too keen on the notion of The Good Doctor flashing forward. "I hope there’s no time jump, and it ends just on Shaun and his crew. Nothing too grand as it’ll be distracting from the characters we love," one user pondered. "Based on the available information, I really doubt there will be any time jump. We'll see," a different viewer agreed.

Because it's still early in the season, all we can say is we'll be keeping our eyes peeled for more clues ahead of the series finale!