Doctor Odyssey Season 2 Gets Honest Response From Top Disney Exec

The chance of Doctor Odyssey season 2 gets an honest response from a top executive at Disney. The medical drama, which is set aboard a luxury cruise, is now the only scripted ABC show left in limbo. The network recently confirmed that long-standing shows like Grey’s Anatomy, 9-1-1, and The Rookie will be back for new seasons, as will Will Trent and the new comedy Shifting Gears. However, Doctor Odyssey season 2 remains uncertain due to lower ratings than expected and relatively high production costs.

Disney Television Group president Craig Erwich was asked about the fate of Doctor Odyssey season 2 in an interview with Variety. Erwich oversees the programming slate for Hulu and ABC Entertainment, both of which are owned by Disney, and he said that he loves Doctor Odyssey. Still, in the quote below, the top executive mentioned series co-creator and producer Ryan Murphy has several other high-profile projects in the works and that conversations are ongoing about what the show’s second chapter could look like:

We love “Doctor Odyssey.” We’re still having creative conversations about the show with Ryan and evaluating. Ryan is very busy. He is working on a ton with us right now: “9-1-1,” which continues to be one of the No. 1 shows on television. We just gave an expanded order to “9-1-1: Nashville.” We have Chris O’Donnell in that. I think it’s a really unique setting for our flagship franchise. We just launched “Mid-Century Modern.” So, as he should be, he’s quite busy doing excellent work for us. Ultimately, we’re going to take our lead from Ryan about what that next chapter of “Doctor Odyssey” looks like. But we’re having creative conversations about it right now. He’s an amazing partner.

It Could Still Get A Last-Minute Renewal

It could be said that the new series might have an easier path to renewal if it were a more standard network procedural. The Joshua Jackson-led drama features a relatively small Doctor Odyssey main cast, including Phillipa Soo, Sean Teale, and Don Johnson. But for each episode, it brings in at least a few recognizable stars and actors. So far, that has included country music legend Shania Twain and Ant-Man 3 lead Kathryn Newton.

9 Special Weeks We Want To See In Doctor Odyssey Next

Doctor Odyssey has had some strange themes so far but it has so many more it can show as a special week on the luxurious The Odyssey cruise ship.

Its big-name guests and sometimes elaborate action runs in contrast to its viewership, which has fallen since its premiere and has been slashed almost in half for some episodes. The two key components of a renewal often boil down to a relatively simple showdown between cost and audience. As of right now, the showdown is not in favor of the medical drama. But it could be that executives give it another shot, wanting to maintain a positive relationship with the producing team.

Our Take On Doctor Odyssey’s Renewal

It Hasn’t Found The Right Tone Yet

Max, Avery, Tristan, and Rob in an episode of Doctor Odyssey, watching

The 20th Television production, which was created by Ryan Murphy, Jon Robin Baitz, and Joe Baken, doesn’t have a strong hook. Most of the episodes are light and goofy case-of-the-week plots around guests who are not seen again. The main cast is small, mainly driven by a sleepy love triangle that is never too engrossing or enticing. Creative conversations are probably exactly what’s needed to encourage viewers to check back with the show, even if it means pulling the trigger on that Doctor Odyssey dream theory.

Doctor Odyssey airs Thursdays at 9 PM ET on ABC and streams the next day on Hulu.

Source: Variety