The Good Doctor is losing its newest surgeon, Osvaldo Benavides' Dr. Mateo Rendón Osma
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Another MD is checking out of The Good Doctor.
EW has confirmed that Osvaldo Benavides is leaving the ABC medical drama, which must come as a surprise to fans since the actor just joined the show as a series regular at the end of last season. TVLine first reported his exit.
There's currently no additional information about the reason for his sudden departure or when his final episode will air. Sony Pictures Television declined to comment, and representatives for ABC and Benavides did not immediately respond to request for comment.
Jeff Weddell/ABC Christina Chang as Dr. Audrey Lim and Osvaldo Benavides as Dr. Mateo Rendón Osma on 'The Good Doctor'
Benavides made his debut as Dr. Mateo Rendón Osma in season 4's two-part finale, when the St. Bonaventure Hospital surgeons traveled to Guatemala to perform pro bono surgeries. Chief surgeon Dr. Audrey Lim (Christina Chang) had a fling with Mateo, who ultimately decided to follow her back to the U.S. and explore this new romance (which is when Benavides was made a series regular). Lim hired Mateo as a new surgeon at the beginning of season 5, but he had to be supervised by Dr. Marcus Andrews (Hill Harper) because of his ongoing legal issues.
"We've been talking about bringing in a new doctor, a different point of view," showrunner David Shore said in June when EW asked about Benevides' promotion to series regular. "When we started talking about going to Guatemala and leaving Claire behind, it seemed natural to [think], 'If we're leaving her behind, maybe we should take one with us,' and to set Lim up. It all came together very nicely. Lim had a little fling [and] gets her groove back is kind of what it is, but then the thing she thought was a fling is going to come back with her. I think that feels nice."
At this point, The Good Doctor is no stranger losing cast members. So far the show has said goodbye to Chuku Modu (Dr. Jared Kalu), Beau Garrett (Jessica Preston), Tamlyn Tomita (Allegra Aoki), Nicholas Gonzalez (Dr. Neil Melendez), and most recently Antonia Thomas (Dr. Claire Browne), who departed the show at the end of season 4. Ahead of the fifth season, Noah Galvin and Bria Samoné were promoted to series regulars after recurring in season 4 as new surgical residents.
We'll have to wait and see how the show explains Benavides' departure. The Good Doctor airs Mondays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.
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