(Photo: ABC/Jeff Weddell)

The Good Doctor returns for its seventh and final season on Tuesday, and co-showrunner and executive producer Liz Friedman is being frank about why the medical drama is ending.

Starring Freddie Highmore,  Richard Schiff, Christina Chang, Fiona Gubelmann, Will Yun Lee, Bria Samoné Henderson, Noah Galvin, and Paige Spara, the series follows Shaun Murphy (Highmore), a young autistic savant and surgeon who works at the fictional San Jose St. Bonaventure Hospital.

Friedman spoke with TV Insider about the decision to end the ABC series, and she revealed it was the network who said it was time for The Good Doctor to end. She said the following:

“Why end it now? Well, ABC told us it was time to end it. We are very grateful that they told us that in a timely manner, which allows us to decide the terms that we’re going to end it on to craft a great ending and a great culmination of Shaun Murphy’s story, but that’s how that came about.”

Friedman says that she and co-showrunner/EP David Shore had no plans to end the show before ABC’s decision came down. Did they have more story ideas? She said, “I feel like I could tell stories about Shaun forever… Certainly, as long as the amazing Freddie Highmore was interested in playing him, I was happy to write for him.”

Though she would prefer not to say goodbye to the series, Friedman acknowledges there is an upside, “We get to plan a great finale and do something that we think the fans will love, so we’re glad to have that opportunity.”

The Good Doctor returns to ABC for its final season on February 20th.

What do you think? Have you enjoyed this series? Did ABC make the right choice to end the series or would you have watched an eighth season?