Hospital dramas are up there with police shows as the most common form of TV drama. So why should another one spark any great interest – let alone become America’s most watched program on only its third episode. The first season is almost done here but it has quickly achieved similar success in Australia.

There is good reason. The Good Doctor stars English actor Freddie Highmore as Dr Shaun Murphy – a young surgical resident with autism and savant syndrome who joins the prestigious St Bonaventure Hospital's surgical unit in San José. Thus the show’s main premise and its chief charm.

There’s a battle over whether Murphy should be there at all. In the first episode, he is proposed for the job by hospital director, Dr Glassman (Richard Schiff), who met Shaun when he was a teenager. Shaun’s traits as an autistic man are given a full airing.

“A surgeon needs to communicate... not just information, but sympathy, empathy. Can Dr Murphy do that?” complains the senior surgeon.

“We hire Shaun, and we give hope to those people with limitations that those limitations are not what they think they are – that they do have a shot!” Dr Glassman replies. “We hire Shaun, and we make this hospital better for it. We hire Shaun, and we are better people for it.” And so the premise is set for the rest of the series.

In many ways, The Good Doctor is standard modernist TV fare, taking on ethical dilemmas with all the progressive ethics of US network television. Euthanasia, transgenderism and other topics de jour are here. But there are other things that make it stand out and, I think, are the basis for its popularity.

Not being an expert on autism, I took to the internet to find out whether those with autism, and those close to them, actually approve of the onscreen portrayal. As a savant with rare surgical gifts bordering on the genius, Dr Murphy is not representative of every person with autism, or even most.

Freddie Highmore was in Sydney last month and explained his approach. “I had personal connections to people who have autism,” he said. “I undertook research to portray someone with autism as authentically as possible. Shaun was never going to represent everyone who is on the spectrum.”

Even so, there’s been a very positive reaction from autism groups. Author Kerry Magro, who is on the autism spectrum herself, talks about the “razor’s edge” between portraying autism realistically and not clearly understanding the individuality of each person.

“The Good Doctor does a fine job of navigating this razor’s edge,” she says. “Freddie does well in his debut, showing several characteristics that can accompany an autism diagnosis. Things such as social awkwardness, lack of eye contact, playing with his hands during stressful situations... that last one is still something I do to this day as an adult who is on the autism spectrum. Freddie’s take will resonate with many in the community.”

The fact that Dr Murphy is often seen walking with hands clasped together in a technique known as “ready hands”, as well as his “no filter” habit of saying exactly what he is thinking, is commended as true to life. The hope is that the series may also do something to help the significant unemployment issue for people with autism. Not everyone has the stunning gifts of the onscreen surgeon but Dr Glassman could be right about giving hope to people with limitations, and especially helping potential employers understand people on the spectrum a little more.

The other significant thing about the show is that it has apparently divided viewers and critics. Viewers gave it a 90 per cent approval rating, loving Highmore’s portrayal of the guileless Shaun and his rough life (no spoilers here – but watch the first episode on catch-up TV). On the other hand, critics on the Rotten Tomatoes review site gave it 37 per cent. As the series has gone on, the gap has narrowed but critics still see it as overly sentimental.

My own view is that Highmore nailed it when he said, “I like the humour of the show. I think a lot of that comes from Shaun’s hopeful, optimistic outlook on life. He always tries to see the good in people. It’s nice to play a role in which you can be happy a lot of the time.”

It’s also nice to watch someone playing that role.