‘The Good Doctor’ and What’s Next for the #1 New Drama

Maybe it should be called The Great Doctor. ABC’s warmhearted drama starring Freddie Highmore as an autistic surgical resident has cemented its spot as the unquestionable smash of the current television season. The series finished 2017 as the fourth-highest-rated scripted show. But this is no fall fluke.

Coming back from its winter hiatus, The Good Doctor continues to earn massive primetime Monday ratings (9.63 million viewers on February 5), making it the alphabet network’s biggest hit on the night in 21 years. That’s nothing to sneeze at. Neither are the awards or accolades the show is getting from the autistic community.

“I’m surprised and heartened by its success,” says executive producer David Shore (House), who adapted the series with the actor Daniel Dae Kim (Hawaii Five-0) from a popular South Korean drama. “This is a character networks would have been afraid to put on the air not that long ago. They would have thought that viewers couldn’t empathize with him.”

Shore attributes a lot of the instant-hit status to its diverse cast, led by the 26-year-old Highmore (Bates Motel). “Freddie is fantastic,” he says. “It’s important to us—and to him—that this be an accurate and fair portrayal of someone on the spectrum, and he works very hard to do that. But I’m not taking anything away from him when I say the lead of an ensemble show is only as good as the support he gets from the people around him. And we got ourselves some really talented actors.”

Recently, six of them—Highmore, Nicholas Gonzalez, Hill Harper, Richard Schiff, Antonia Thomas and Tamlyn Tomita—gathered on the Vancouver set (in the fictional San Jose St. Bonaventure hospital’s luxe boardroom) for a wide-ranging chat with TV Guide Magazine. They told us why they think the show resonates with viewers, what’s coming up—and why we shouldn’t expect these doctors to hook up in the supply closet any time soon.

Also in this issue:

• Farewell, Fixer Upper: Meet the three designing duos that can help fill the Chip and Joanna Gaines-sized hole in your heart.
• Young Sheldon: A behind the scenes look at the on set antics of this season’s hottest new comedy.
• Good Girls: Mae Whitman, Retta and Christina Hendricks chat about their new NBC series.
• The Walking Dead: Ranking the deaths that we’re still crying over.
• Plus: Columnist David Bianculli celebrates Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood‘s 50th anniversary, intel on the Scandal/How to Get Away With Murder crossover, why we love Netflix’s One Day at a Time, the top Bridezillas moments and the best of movies, streaming, sports and more.

The Winter Olympics: Your Complete Guide

The mascot for the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, is a white tiger named Soohorang that symbolizes protection. Given the political unrest on the Korean peninsula this past year, it was a fitting choice. Thankfully, there’s been a recent thaw in relations between South and North Korea, whose delegations are expected to march into the opening ceremony together on February 9.

Also in this issue:

• Kelly Clarkson Exclusive: The Grammy- and Idol-winning pop star on how she plans to conquer The Voice this season.
• Absentia: We met with Castle vet Stana Katic to chat about her return to television in the new Amazon Prime thriller.
• Homeland: There’s a POTUS on the loose! Carrie and Saul have a mess to clean up in Season 7 of the Showtime political drama.
• Trend Alert: Murphy Brown, Party of Five and more old favorites are returning in the latest reboot and revival craze.
• Plus: Columnist David Bianculli examines the networks that have resisted the cry of rebranding, the best episodes of ER to stream, everything you need to know about The Bachelor Winter Games, Wonder Woman hits HBO and the best of movies, streaming, sports and more.

Why (and How) ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Is Still a Huge Hit

Debbie Allen was out in Los Angeles recently when a group of excited teens approached her. “They wanted to tell me how much they loved my character and the show,” says the actress, who plays Grey’s Anatomy’s formidable Dr. Catherine Avery and serves as one of its directors and executive producers.

It’s a rare accomplishment for a TV series to make it to 14 seasons and 300-plus episodes. It’s even rarer when a show not only retains its longtime viewers—11 million and counting—but adds new fans, particularly those in the coveted 18–49 demographic that keep ad dollars flowing. (Grey’s is ABC’s No. 2 show in this demo.)

Also in this issue:

• The Wonder Years: David Bianculli cheers the classic’s 30th anniversary.
• Mom: Allison Janney and Anna Faris celebrate 100 episodes of their critically-acclaimed CBS comedy.
• Planet Earth: Blue Planet II: How did they do that? Fun facts from the eye-popping series.
• Plus: Super Bowl preview, The Good Place season finale, Ann Curry returns to TV, hot scoop from winter press tour, John Dickerson joins CBS This Morning and the best of movies, streaming, sports and more.

2018 Preview: ‘Trading Spaces’ is Back This Spring! Plus, More Shows We Can’t Wait to See

For a show that’s all about major overhauls, Trading Spaces will be remarkably unchanged when it makes its much-anticipated return to TLC later this year. That becomes abundantly clear just moments into the first episode of the revived series (the original aired from 2000 to 2008). Wondrously upbeat host Paige Davis is imploring two sets of neighbors—clad in hokey red and blue team shirts—to swap keys to their homes. The same earwormy theme music scores the exchange. Then Davis utters that familiar phrase: “Are you ready to trade spaces?”

Also in this issue:

• 2018 Preview: Netflix reboots Lost in Space; The CW welcomes new hero Black Lightning; Hayley Atwell stars in a new adaptation of Howards End; Alan Cumming solves crime on Instinct and many, many more!
• The Fallout Continues: Robin Wright takes over on House of Cards, Mario Batali’s been axed from The Chew and more network responses to the latest wave of allegations and misconduct.
• What the Heck is Net Neutrality?: Burning Questions on what the new rules mean for you.
• Plus: the top 50 series of 2017, Tyra Banks returns to America’s Next Top Model, celebrating Breaking Bad‘s 10th anniversary, and the best of movies, streaming, sports and more.