The future of Doctor Odyssey is still up in the air. After notably failing to appear on the list of ABC renewals back in May, fans began to lose hope that Ryan Murphy’s cruise ship-based medical drama would ever set sail again, but, per ABC, not all hope is lost. On June 30th, the cast’s options officially expired, meaning its stars, including Joshua Jackson, Phillipa Soo, and Sean Teale, could begin pursuing other projects. However, according to Disney TV Studios Chief Eric Schrier, via The Hollywood Reporter, the decision as to whether the show will move forward lies with Murphy, so the fate of Doctor Odyssey is not yet set in stone.
Murphy, a prolific writer, director, and producer, is currently involved with a number of other ongoing and forthcoming series, like ABC’s 9-1-1 and its spin-off 9-1-1: Nashville, FX’s American Love Story, and more, so the question remains whether he’ll wish to continue Doctor Odyssey as well. Considering how expensive it is to produce, if Doctor Odyssey were to return for a second season, it should ideally be picked up by a streaming platform like Hulu, where the show has already seen significant popularity. Moving the series exclusively to streaming would give Murphy and the writers more freedom to push the limits and explore more mature themes without worrying about abiding by the limitations of network TV. This would also hypothetically allow for the return of one of Doctor Odyssey Season 1’s discarded storylines — the throuple.
‘Doctor Odyssey’ Was Always Held Back by the Limitations of Network TV
The rise of streaming has allowed for creators to push the envelope on TV, which Ryan Murphy has done throughout his career with shows like American Horror Story, Ratched, the Monster anthology, and more. He’s seen plenty of success on network television as well, from Nip/Tuck and Glee to his most recent procedural, 9-1-1, and from the get-go, Doctor Odyssey seemed like a show that would have been better suited for a streaming platform that would have allowed it to achieve its full potential. In the words of late-night comedian John Oliver, an ardent defender of the series, Doctor Odyssey is like “sexy ER on a boat” and “The Pitt with sharks,” but the constraints of FCC guidelines limiting the kind of content you can show on network television prevented it from fully embracing its outlandish story lines, of which there are plenty.
Though it has its moral lessons, Doctor Odyssey is a show that never takes itself too seriously, leaning into its idyllic fantasy world at sea where guests are treated by a team of just three good-looking medics who are almost always able to save the day. From a broken penis and spontaneous ejaculation, to orca attacks and a cryptic pregnancy, Doctor Odyssey has it all. The series also celebrates diversity, one such example being in the “Gay Week” episode entitled “Oh Daddy!” which introduces us to Captain Massey’s (Don Johnson) brother Craig (John Stamos), who we soon find out is part of a throuple with two other men. This inspires our three protagonists, Max (Jackson), Avery (Soo), and Tristan (Teale) to toy with the idea themselves after having had a threesome in the episode prior. The fact that the budding love triangle between the three of them was heading in the direction of a threesome and potentially a throuple proved yet again that Doctor Odyssey would work better on a streaming service that would have allowed the writers to explore this unconventional relationship in further depth.
If ‘Doctor Odyssey’ Is Picked up by a Streamer, It Should Revive the Throuple
Doctor Odyssey definitely brings a fresh take to the medical procedural, with its unique setting on a luxury cruise ship, assortment of unique ailments and injuries, and rotating cast of notable guest stars from one episode to the next. It’s the dynamic between Max, Avery, and Tristan that holds the series together, though, with great chemistry between the actors and a constantly evolving love triangle. Throughout the season, there’s plenty of sexual tension between Avery and newcomer Max, and some lingering tension between Avery and Tristan, who not-so-secretly pines over Avery but whose feelings are not reciprocated. During Episode 6, “I Always Cry at Weddings,” the trio addresses their sexual chemistry by checking off a bucket list item and having a threesome. Because Doctor Odyssey airs on ABC, the episode cuts to black before things really get interesting, but the follow-up episode almost sees Max, Avery, and Tristan transform their love triangle into a full-on throuple. However, this idea is discarded before it even has the chance to take shape, and we can’t help but wonder if this plot line could have been explored further had the show solely resided on streaming.
Network TV may not be ready for a show revolving around a throuple, but as shown with Murphy’s other series on Netflix and Hulu, Doctor Odyssey could have gone the distance with the idea had it been a streaming-only show. If the show were to return for a second season on streaming, whether through retconning, a time jump, or a simple change of heart from the characters, Doctor Odyssey could very well revive this dynamic. The series has certainly scrapped storylines before, like Tristan’s disappearing love interest Vivian (Laura Harrier), so there’s no reason Doctor Odyssey couldn’t give the throuple another go. When Max, Avery, and Tristan have a threesome, instead of exploring a mutual attraction between all three of them, Doctor Odyssey adopts a more heteronormative framing. With both men vying for her attention, the show presents Avery as the object of desire and the threesome as a sort of bargain Tristan and Max made with each other, so they both had the chance to sleep with her. Avery ends up being the only one on board with the idea, with Max not interested and Tristan only agreeing because he wants to be with Avery in whatever way possible, leaving the throuple doomed to fail. But with more freedom to expand upon this unconventional dynamic on streaming, Doctor Odyssey could make this a central part of the series going forward.
Doctor Odyssey is now streaming on Hulu in the U.S.
Doctor Odyssey
- Release Date
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September 26, 2024
- Network
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ABC
- Directors
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Maggie Kiley, Crystle Roberson, Jennifer Lynch, Michael Medico, Millicent Shelton, Tessa Blake, Bradley Buecker, Steven Canals, Our Lady J