9-1-1’s move to ABC came with great promise for Ryan Murphy’s fans.
For at least one season, they were guaranteed more of one of the most entertaining procedurals currently on television.
However, as 9-1-1 Season 8 returned, ABC doubled down on Ryan Murphy by ordering another procedural.
Doctor Odyssey‘s journey to the small screen was swift and smooth. The show was greenlit quickly, and a solid cast was swiftly attached.
No one really knew what the show was about, but when the trailer premiered, we got a glimpse into what was coming.
Like most new shows, Doctor Odyssey was met with great viewership.
35-day ratings reported 16.5 million viewers across all of Disney platforms. These were decent numbers.
But with 2025/2026 renewals out at the network, Doctor Odyssey is nowhere to be seen. It remains on the bubble, which almost never bodes well for a show.
Doctor Odyssey Overpromised But Underdelivered
A medical procedural set on a cruise ship is a unique idea, but that uniqueness runs out quickly.
Setting a show in one location is a huge gamble. Unless you hit those emotional or dramatic angles like Chicago Med or Grey’s Anatomy do, that concept grows old quickly.
The Odyssey is surrounded by water on all sides, so there is little to enjoy outside the ship.
Consequently, viewers are forced to gravitate towards the characters and emergencies.
Doctor Odyssey keeps itself fresh by introducing intriguing personalities every week. Yet, like any other weekly case procedural, the guest stars don’t stick around long enough to make a lasting impact.
The main characters are the show’s beating heart, and with Max, Avery, and Tristan, Doctor Odyssey had something special for a while.
Max’s entrance into The Odyssey created a fresh dynamic as his two nurses gravitated toward him and each other.
TV is filled with the same type of stories and relationships in different fonts.
Doctor Odyssey promised something different with its constant teases of a throuple between the three main characters, and we were so ready.
The Throuple That Never Was
After a constant sway between will they/won’t they, the show took the leap and dove into the potential throuple but did not make a splash.
On Doctor Odyssey Season 1 Episode 7, “Oh Daddy!” Max, Avery, and Tristan finally had a threesome that left a lot to be desired.
For one, the men don’t share anything intimate. Not a kiss or anything. Boo!
It becomes more of Avery having fun with her boys (which is fine; you do you, girl), but that was not promised or expected.
This decision not to submerge the trio in the throuple, however trivial it might seem, marked the beginning of Doctor Odyssey’s downfall.
Their relationship took a different shape, and something that the promise of a throuple hid became apparent.
Trysts between The Odyssey’s medical team were inappropriate. The gaping power dynamics in the team could not be reconciled.
Max was Avery and Tristan’s superior, and Avery was Tristan’s superior. Like most workplace romances, it was not a good idea.
And maybe that would have come up even if the throuple were to happen, but it took center stage when that didn’t happen.
It went from a fun flirtation to serious, creepy workplace vibes.
From that point, after the show took the easy way out, everything became predictable. The cases didn’t have the excitement, and the storyline nosedived.
There is a limit to how much medical emergency treatment can be performed on a cruise ship, which does the show a disservice.
Other medical dramas can take viewers to different specialties in the hospital, opening up avenues for more exciting scenes.
The Odyssey is just a ship!
Meanwhile, the pregnancy plot added to the predictability of the narrative, and while it was great to see a storyline centered on Avery for a change, it was not the most exciting thing.
Since the first few episodes of the season, nothing has been exciting apart from the two-part midseason premiere featuring sharks and orcas.
ABC has not revealed how the show is faring, but the fact that it hasn’t been renewed does not inspire confidence.
Now that the throuple has died and is not being resurrected without changing the characters, it’s hard to see how Doctor Odyssey can reinvent itself.
Am I giving the throuple too much credit, or was it an allure?
Chime in in the comments.
Watch Doctor Odyssey Online
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