ABC’s ‘Doctor Odyssey’ Promises a Modern Twist on the Classic Procedural Format
Doctor Odyssey, the latest series from the mind of Ryan Murphy, is set to debut on ABC this Thursday, and expectations are high.
The series follows Max Bankman (Joshua Jackson), who is hired as the onboard doctor for a luxury cruise ship. There, he joins a crew that includes Captain Massey (Don Johnson) and nurses Avery Morgan (Phillipa Soo) and Tristan Silva (Sean Teale).
While Doctor Odyssey is objectively a procedural, according to writer and executive producer Jon Robun Baitz, the series will modernize the format.
DOCTOR ODYSSEY. Photo: ABC
“Doctor Odyssey is both old-fashioned and very modern in that it has all the elements of a traditional, big network show with gloss and a great deal of style, while also not being afraid to talk about the world now—our emotional states, the tensions between men and women, pandemics, hedonism, you name it,” he explained.
“And yet, it’s really funny. It’s smart, fun, and a pleasure to sink into the comfiest chair you have and watch.”
Anticipation Is High
Ahead of the new show’s debut, Doctor Odyssey has been generating buzz on social media. The series’ first trailer logged 77.8 million views within its first 48 hours, making it the most-watched trailer ever for a new network television show.
With expectations so high, the series’ showrunners are simply focused on telling good stories.
“The only way I know to keep that machine functioning is to collaborate with Ryan and Joe and write inventive, smart, entertaining scripts that respect the audience’s intelligence while taking seriously the mandate to entertain,” Baitz says.
DOCTOR ODYSSEY. Photo: ABC
“Ryan brings a kind of brilliant showmanship along with his great storytelling instincts. Joe has tremendous oddball takes while also being very serious about the emotional life of the show. So, we must keep challenging ourselves to be really good at the brief: making a juicy, joyous, big-hearted, lively, contemporary, funny show. I like broadcast, the gloss of it, the traditions of it, the pace of it. So, it’s to make beautiful content that reminds you of a bygone time but is brand-new.”
A Star-Studded Cast
As Doctor Odyssey gets ready to set sail, the series is buoyed by the involvement of Jackson and Johnson, who are television legends in their own right.
“They bring a collective plethora of TV experience: instincts for what makes a show tick, how to lead a company of actors, how to protect those characters and argue for them, and how to advocate for them,” Baitz revealed.
DOCTOR ODYSSEY. Photo: ABC
“They know how to love the work and respect the process and the crew. They are the real deal—grown-ups who are intimately familiar with all the moving parts of making TV and know how to be of value to the process.”
A collection of glamorous guest stars, including Kelsea Ballerini, Rachel Dratch, Gina Gershon, Laura Harrier, Cheyenne Jackson, Chord Overstreet, John Stamos, and Shania Twain, will join the principal cast.
DOCTOR ODYSSEY – “Episode 102” (Disney/Tina Thorpe). SHANIA TWAIN
“One of the pleasures in my life is casting,” Baitz says. “A couple dozen plays Off- and on Broadway—a life in the New York theater—gives you a real sense of how to ‘people’ a show. The talent out there is simply unending, and so is the generosity of actors who want to come play and be part of a fun.”
The Adventure Begins Tonight
According to Baez, viewers are in for a roller coaster when Doctor Odyssey arrives on Thursday.
Audiences, he says, can look forward to “deepening relationships between the principals and complicated turns in their emotional lives.” There will also be “fun and tragedy, heroic medical thinking, fast action, heartbreak, feuds, love, marvelous costumes, and life choices questioned.”
DOCTOR ODYSSEY. Photo: Also ABC
Doctor Odyssey premieres September 26, 2024, at 9 PM ET on ABC. The series will stream on Hulu on September 28.
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