I'm Bummed That Doctor Odyssey Might Be Canceled After Season 1 Just When I'm Starting To Appreciate It

Warning: SPOILERS for Doctor Odyssey season 1, episode 12, "Sophisticated Ladies Week."

The odds of ABC renewing Doctor Odyssey are beginning to look somewhat grim despite the show finally proving how just great it can really be. Unlike some of Ryan Murphy’s TV shows, Doctor Odyssey didn’t exactly premiere to become a runaway hit. Despite featuring several quality guest stars throughout the season such as Margo Martindale and John Stamos, not to mention including small-screen veterans Joshua Jackson and Don Johnson in Doctor Odyssey’s main cast, the show’s tone was a bit of an acquired taste.

Setting a medical drama on a cruise ship certainly makes for an interesting premise, and combining it with Doctor Odyssey’s odd-duck sense of humor and willingness to embrace a certain amount of soap opera camp in the series’ interpersonal storylines has made it quite enjoyable. However, some viewers and critics found it to be outlandishly unwatchable for the same reasons that others found it charming, and those criticisms took their toll enough that the prospect of a Doctor Odyssey season 2 remains uncertain at best.

Doctor Odyssey May Be On The Brink Of Cancelation

Quality Improvements Mean Little If The Ratings Are Dropping

Before its release, Doctor Odyssey seemed destined for success. As noted by Deadline, the trailer alone received 77.8 million views within just two days of being posted. The series also had a fairly strong premiere of 4.2 million viewers, which raised to more than 13 million by the end of the week. Since then, however, the tide has shifted. Ratings for broadcast viewership dropped to as low as 2.6 million viewers by just episode 5, marking a notable decline from which the show still hasn’t fully recovered.

Max (Joshua Jackson) looks shocked in Doctor Odyssey

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That’s not to say there hasn’t been any progress at all. Doctor Odyssey’s 9-1-1 crossover raised viewership for the next couple of episodes up to about 3.5 million viewers, something the preceding two-part shark attack event was unable to accomplish. But even if Doctor Odyssey could reliably hold at that number, the series is expensive enough to produce that it might not be considered worthwhile without stronger performance. The actors aren’t cheap, nor is the luxury setting with its constantly shifting themes. However, that doesn’t mean ABC should stop footing the bill just yet.

Why Doctor Odyssey Deserves A Season 2

It’s Starting To Become What It Should’ve Been All Along

Joshua Jackson, Phillipa Soo, Don Johnson, Sean Teale looking down in Doctor Odyssey — Cast of Doctor Odyssey looking down

Perhaps the show’s campy vibe and oversexed plot require some time to grow accustomed before they really start to settle in, but the series is getting there. Doctor Odyssey’s love triangle has also exploded into something remarkably more interesting, with Avery getting pregnant while both Max and Tristan feel ready to become the baby’s father. Add to that the fact that the series aired three action-adventure episodes in a row, and it’s gotten to the point that “medical drama” barely even feels like the proper genre descriptor for the show anymore. It’s become something entirely its own.

Avery no longer claims the only intriguing pregnancy on the show, either. As of episode 12, Shania Twain’s Heather and Don Johnson’s Captain Massey are also expecting a child together. Since the showrunners intend to end Doctor Odyssey season 1 on a note that could work as a series finale if the show doesn’t get renewed, these pregnancy storylines set up the perfect ending in which multiple characters leave the ship to focus on parenthood. If so, we can only hope a greenlit second season will give those same characters cause to return before very long.

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