“Nancy Drew” star Kennedy McMann and “Desperate Housewives” alum Felicity Huffman are slated to lead “The Good Lawyer,” a spinoff of ABC’s “The Good Doctor,” from Sony Pictures Television and ABC Signature.
ABC has placed a formal embedded pilot order, which will introduce McMann and Huffman’s characters during the popular medical drama.
The episode, titled “The Good Lawyer,” will air March 6 and be written by “Good Doctor” co-showrunners David Shore and Liz Friedman and directed by Ruben Fleischer. In the episode, Dr. Shaun Murphy (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 will guest star as Joni DeGroot, a brilliant, funny and self- aware lawyer who is relatively new to her prestigious law firm when she takes Shaun’s case. 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.
In addition starring for four seasons in the titular role on The CW’s “Nancy Drew,” McMann recently had a recurring role on Hulu’s “Tell Me Lies.” McMann, who started acting as a child as a way to cope with her own OCD, is represented by Buchwald, Framework Entertainment and Schreck, Rose, Dapello, Adams, Berlin & Dunham.
Huffman will guest star as Janet Stewart, 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.
Huffman earned an Academy Award nomination for her performance as Bree in “Transamerica,” as well as a Golden Globe Award and Independent Spirit Award for the same role. She has also been
honored with an Emmy and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
for her role as Lynette Scavo on “Desperate Housewives.” More recently, she received an Emmy nomination for her role as Janette Hesby in the third season of Academy Award winner John Ridley’s ABC drama miniseries, “American Crime.” Additionally, she received two Emmy nominations for the show, one
for her role as Barb Hanlon in the first season and the other for her role as Leslie Graham in the
second season.
Her other credits include Netflix’s 2019 limited series “When They See Us,” and the TV movies “Out of Order,” “Door to Door,” “Path to War,” “The Heart Department,” “Harrison, Cry of the City, ”“Quicksand, ”“Heart of Justice,” “The Water Engine,” and Underworld.” She also appeared in “Chicago Hope,” “The X-Files,” “Law and Order,” “Bedtime Stories,” “The Human Factor,” ABC’s “Sports Night,” “Thunder Alley,” “Early Edition,” “Jules” and “The Golden Years.”
Huffman is represented by Atlas Artists and Wolf Kasteler Public Relations.
“The Good Doctor” ranks as ABC’s No. 1 entertainment series this season in total viewers, tying with “The Rookie.” After 35 days of viewing on linear and digital platforms, the show has attracted 9.4 million total viewers this season. “The Good Doctor” jumps more than six times over its initial Live+Same Day rating among Adults 18-49 this season, soaring by +509% after 35 days of multiplatform viewing.
