CBS Passed On This Medical Drama That Became A Major Hit For ABC

Networks don't always make the right choices when it comes to greenlighting projects. In the case of 'The Good Doctor,' which premiered in 2013, CBS initially passed on an American remake starring actor Daniel Dae Kim.

Kim was already working for CBS at the time and had developed the series through his production company. However, despite ordering a script from him, CBS ultimately declined to make a pilot. For related coverage, explore our detailed analysis on Technology and Digital Systems.

Passed This Medical Details and Timeline

ABC, on the other hand, turned the series into a hit.

Kim joined "The Good Doctor" as a producer and a recurring cast member.

Networks don't always make the right choices when it comes to greenlighting projects — but CBS once passed on one of the best medical dramas of all time — it ended up becoming a major hit for another huge network: ABC.

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Passed This Medical Next Steps and Impact

It all started with actor Daniel Dae Kim, who was starring in the CBS reboot of "Hawaii Five-0" when the hit South Korean drama "The Good Doctor" premiered in 2013. He saw the show's potential for an adaptation and quickly secured the rights for an American version through his production company, developing the series for CBS because he was already working for the network.

But despite ordering a script from Kim, CBS ultimately declined to make a pilot. "CBS actually passed on it twice," Kim informed The New York Times in 2017. "That was really unfortunate to me, because they were my home studio.

I really wanted to bring something home to them." Kim then bought back the rights from CBS and brought on "House" creator David Shore through a partnership with Sony — and that version went on to get the attention of ABC, which premiered the series in 2017 and saw it rank ninth overall (fifth in scripted shows) in the broadcast rankings that season.

"Hawaii Five-0" actor Daniel Dae Kim really believed in his "The Good Doctor" reboot, but it appears that his relationship with his home network may have unfortunately gone sour after they resolved not to make the show. More details on Kim's relationship with CBS came to light in 2017, when he and his "Hawaii Five-0" costar Grace Park left the series after seemingly hinting that the network's financial offers to them were not on par with the salaries presented to their white costars .