Freddie Highmore, star of The Good Doctor, has reteamed with prolific showrunner David Shore to create I’m Not Here to Hurt You, with Highmore nabbing the lead role.
The drama from Sony Pictures Television and Blink49 Studios has been picked up by Bell Media in Canada for its Crave streamer. Based on The Irish Independent podcast, I’m Not Here to Hurt You, Highmore plays an upstanding family man who, after killing someone in a bicycle accident, spirals into a life of crime, yet is driven by the noble but futile goal of never hurting anyone ever again.
Sony Pictures Television will distribute the series in the U.S. and internationally, coming out of the Los Angeles Screenings. “We weren’t quite done with each other after all. We’re thrilled to be collaborating again, excited to return to Canada alongside our partners at Bell and Blink49 Studios, and grateful for Sony’s continued support. And now we have to get to work,” Shore and Highmore, who previously worked together for seven seasons on The Good Doctor, said in a statement.
Shore and Highmore co-created the drama, with Highmore serving as a non-writing executive producer alongside Claire Londy for Alfresco Pictures and Erin Gunn for ShoreZ. After the success of the Irish podcast about an academic who, after a disaster, became a “polite bank robber,” Sony Pictures Television in 2024 optioned the screen adaptation rights.
“David and Freddie have an extraordinary creative partnership built on trust, collaboration, and a shared passion for powerful storytelling. They have a unique ability to create richly layered characters who are imperfect, complicated, and deeply relatable, the kind of characters audiences genuinely care about. We couldn’t be more excited to reunite with them for I’m Not Here to Hurt You and are grateful to our partners at Bell Media, Crave, and Blink49 Studios,” Lauren Stein, executive vp and head of creative at Sony Pictures Television, said in a statement.
“David Shore and Freddie Highmore have created a truly compelling and emotionally complex series with enormous international potential,” John Morayniss, CEO, Blink49 Studios, said in his own statement.
Highmore is represented by Artists Rights Group and CAA, and has a first-look deal with Sony Pictures Television. Shore is represented by CAA.
