ABC Has a Deadline With 'Doctor Odyssey' Cast Contracts
ABC released their fall schedule and there was a glaring omission for one show.
Doctor Odyssey, which has been on the bubble for renewal or cancellation all spring, still doesn't have an official pickup from the network. The Joshua Jackson-led series was created by Ryan Murphy who has a full slate of shows with Disney for the fall.
“Doctor Odyssey isn’t currently on our schedule,” Craig Erwich, President, Disney Television Group, explained to Deadline. “Ryan’s really busy. He’s doing a lot with us. 9-1-1, 9-1-1 Nashville, All’s Fair [for Hulu]. So, we’re just continuing that creative conversations with him.”
ABC has to make decisions soon, though. According to the media outlet, Jackson and the rest of the cast's options on their contract expire at the end of June. The network could lose the actors to other projects if they (and Murphy) move ahead too late with the second season.
It also sounds like ABC would like Doctor Odyssey to continue. Eric Schrier, President of Disney TV Studios described it as a "wildly inventive show,” and the network would do "everything we can to support it." He told Deadline in early May that the "decision ultimately lies with Ryan Murphy, whether Ryan wants to continue to do it, and he feels like there’s stories to tell that he feels confident in.”
Jackson plays Max in the series about a new doctor on a luxury cruise ship who has to deal with unusual medical cases when they are often far from shore. The show also stars Phillipa Son, Don Johnson, and Sean Teale.