Good Doctor Spinoff: Kennedy McMann, Felicity Huffman Set as Good Lawyer Leads; Backdoor Pilot Gets Airdate

The Good Doctor spinoff has found its leading lady.

Nancy Drew‘s Kennedy McMann is set to star in The Good Lawyer, which is currently in development at ABC. TVLine can also confirm that Desperate Housewives vet Felicity Huffman has been cast in the prospective offshoot.

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McMann and Huffman will make their Good Doctor debut in a backdoor pilot airing Monday, March 6, at 10/9c. In the episode, written by co-showrunners David Shore and Liz Friedman, Dr. Shaun Murphy (played by Freddie Highmore) “seeks legal representation to help him win a case and puts his faith in a promising, young lawyer who has obsessive compulsive disorder.”

McMann plays the aforementioned lawyer, Joni DeGroot, “the brilliant, funny and self-aware lawyer who is relatively new to her prestigious law firm when she takes Shaun’s case,” according to the official character breakdown. “Living with OCD, Joni has never wanted to be treated differently. While her symptoms take a toll on her personal and professional life, her attention to detail allows her to see cases through a different lens.”

Huffman’s Janet Stewart is described as “a highly regarded attorney and partner at the law firm with a fierce intellect and dry wit. A seasoned veteran, Janet has represented Dr. Aaron Glassman (Richard Schiff) in several legal matters over the years, so he turns to her to represent his beloved protégé. But when Shaun declares that he wants Joni to represent him, Janet is forced to let Joni take lead on the case.”

McMann — who, as noted by ABC, started acting as a child as a way to cope with her own OCD — is set to wrap her four-year run as The CW’s Nancy Drew later this season. As for Huffman, the Good Lawyer gig marks her first major TV role since serving time for her participation in the infamous “Varsity Blues” college admissions scandal.

The Good Doctor, currently in Season 6, returns with new episodes Monday, Jan. 23. In the meantime, drop a comment with your thoughts on the spinoff casting.

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