The voyage has come to an end for Doctor Odyssey, as Ryan Murphy’s ABC drama will not be returning for a second season, at least for now. The medical ship drama has not been formally canceled but instead got hit with a default cancellation, as the cast’s options expired on Monday, June 23.
The show could still be picked up at a later date by ABC or Hulu, but if that happens, new deals with the cast will need to be negotiated. Deadline reported the news late Friday, June 27.
This is certainly disappointing news for those fans who wanted to see what new adventures Dr. Max Bankman (Joshua Jackson), his now-girlfriend Avery (Phillipa Soo), and Tristan (Sean Teale) would be getting into as the Odyssey reached new ports of call around the world, with Captain Robert Massey (Don Johnson) still at the wheel.
The Season 1 finale, though satisfying, left plenty of room for more explorations ahead. After Max survived both a tsunami and a building cave-in due to an earthquake aftershock, Avery realized that she did, in fact, love him, too. The two decided to become a real-deal couple after an entire season of push and pull between the two (er, three) characters. The newly-minted couple had Tristan’s blessing, too, after Max apologized to him for violating the “bro code” with his first “I love you” profession — even though Tristan had previously said the same to her. With Avery heading off to medical school, the two beaus would likely have gone on to work together more closely in the season ahead, but unfortunately, we won’t get to see whether their bromance could continue to survive in Season 2… or anything else the Odyssey and its revolving door of quirky guests (played by A-listers galore) might’ve had in store for them, either.
Doctor Odyssey initially premiered on September 26, 2024, to rave reviews and with the distinction of the most-watched new TV show trailer ever. The new Ryan Murphy-produced series notched 4.23 million viewers in its linear premiere but dropped off considerably in the episodes that followed. The midseason finale saw just 3.09 million, although its crossover episode with 9-1-1‘s Angela Bassett bringing Athena Grant on board enjoyed a bounce to 3.56 million. Ahead of its finale, the average viewership for the season measured 3.048 million per episode.
Doctor Odyssey, Streaming Now, Hulu