Joshua Jackson is shedding some light on the future of Doctor Odyssey amid reports that the ABC series would not be returning for a second season — even as the network and Disney-owned studio 20th Television, where co-creator Ryan Murphy is based, say they’re still discussing the show’s future.
Speaking to People, Jackson, who starred as a cruise-ship doctor on the series, indicated that the show is not returning, saying in part, “I am not holding my breath that it’s coming back.”
“It’s a bummer we don’t get to do it again, but I’m happy for the time that we got,” he said.
Jackson admitted he hadn’t been completely clued in on what the network and studio’s plans were.
“But this is a crazy and difficult business, and whatever the reasons were for them not wanting to move forward with it, they don’t actually tell us those things,” he said.
The actor also confirmed, as The Hollywood Reporter noted last month, that his contract “lapsed,” saying, “They may make that show with somebody else.”
But he praised Murphy and his castmates and said he would miss working with them.
“That was a really good group of people, and it was a really fun show,” he said. “I hope they got the same thing that we got out of it, which was that it was a beautiful, over-the-top kind of experience that was like nothing else on television, I don’t think.”
Of Murphy, Jackson said, “He dreams up incredible worlds, and he puts together great teams, both in front of the camera and behind the camera. So I know everybody from that show is going to be okay, everybody’s good.”
THR reported late last month that Doctor Odyssey wouldn’t be embarking on a second season in 2025-26 — and maybe not ever, but ABC has repeatedly said the show hasn’t been formally axed.
Still, sources told THR that the sets had been struck and contract options for the cast were expiring, both of which point to a show’s cancellation.
Disney Television Group president Craig Erwich told THR in May that “We’re continuing to have creative conversations with Ryan, and we’ll talk to him about what the next chapter looks like.”
Murphy co-created the show with Jon Robin Baitz and Joe Baken. He has a number of other series with ABC, FX and Hulu, with sources citing his heavy workload as one of the reasons Doctor Odyssey was still in limbo. A source also compared the approach to Doctor Odyssey to the way broadcasters often treat unscripted shows, where shows sometimes go dormant for several years before returning.
In addition to Jackson, Doctor Odyssey starred Phillipa Soo, Sean Teale and Don Johnson and had a highly rated 911 crossover episode.
The first season also featured a slew of high-profile guests ranging from Shania Twain to John Stamos, along with a 911 crossover that resulted in some of Doctor Odyssey’s best on-air ratings of the season.
Murphy, Baitz and Baken executive produced the first season with Jackson, Johnson, Eric Paquette, Alexis Martin Woodall, Eric Kovtun, Scott Robertson and Nissa Diederich. Barclay served as director and EP.