ABC has sunk fans’ hopes for Doctor Odyssey Season 2, having canceled the medical drama after one season.
Doctor Odyssey’s demise was all but guaranteed yesterday, Friday, June 27, as Deadline reported that ABC was letting the cast’s options expire, freeing those actors to pursue other projects. Now, however, Entertainment Weekly has confirmed the show’s cancellation, and fans are reacting to the news on social media.
“I’m very disappointed,” @josephcollins54 wrote on X. “I was really starting to like this show.”
@midnightbakerNZ said, “Well, f***. Why can’t we have nice things? A show that’s beautiful, nicely written, [featuring a] charismatic cast, and filled with kindness and compassion. ABC, we need good shows like this. What a pity.”
Tina Thorpe/Disney
That cast included Joshua Jackson as Max Bankman, a doctor working aboard a luxury cruise ship; Phillipa Soo and Sean Teale as Max’s coworkers (and occasional bed partners), Avery Morgan and Tristan Silva; and Don Johnson as Robert Massey, captain of the Odyssey. Ryan Murphy, Jon Robin Baitz, and Joe Baken created and executive-produced the series.
Doctor Odyssey certainly had people talking during its one and only season. Buzzy moments included a 9-1-1 crossover, a threesome between its lead characters, and a season-finale tsunami.
But the Doctor Odyssey hype didn’t translate into ratings success. The show’s total viewership dropped from 4.2 million to 2.5 million as Season 1 aired, and the 18-to-49 rating dipped from 0.40 to 0.19, according to TV Series Finale.
The show also hit unscripted drama, however, when three former crew members sued 20th Television and Disney over alleged sexual harassment on set.
Since April, Doctor Odyssey had been the only scripted ABC series still awaiting a renew-versus-cancel decision, per Variety. And at a Motion Picture & Television Fund event on Sunday, June 22, Jackson fielded a question about the show’s fate. “They haven’t told us yet,” he replied.
For the show’s fans, no news was bad news.
“The silence made me think it was coming, but it still hurts,” @just_zutara wrote on X.
“It was a great show. So disappointed!” @EsseGi567 said.
And @CharCubed said, “Sigh. Network TV execs still aren’t ready to allow a groundbreaking [polyamory] slow burn flourish.”