Spoiler alert: The following article contains spoilers from the Doctor Odyssey series premiere.
Joshua Jackson’s Dr. Max Bankman and his crew set sail during theDoctor Odysseyseries premiere, which was objectively entertaining, but not without its problems. The ABC medical dramaTV show created by Ryan Murphy, Jon Robin Baitz, and Joe Baken follows Dr. Max, the new onboard doctor forThe Odyssey(a cruise ship).Described as a cross betweenThe Love Boatand9-1-1,Doctor Odysseycertainly lives up to its comparisons. However, therein lies one of the series' most pressing issues.
WhenJackson and Murphy’s new TV seriesDoctor Odysseyopens,The Odysseyis getting ready to embark on its next voyage. However, the ship’s last doctor has been fired, and Dr. Max is invited to serve as his successor. He is joined by two nurses — Avery Morgan and Tristan Silva. The three of them make for an interesting team as they navigateThe Odyssey’s various emergencies, ranging from iodine poisoning to a penile fracture. WhiletheDoctor Odysseypremiere sets up an assumingly wild season,it also presents one glaring problem for the show as it continues on ABC.
Doctor Odyssey Doesn’t Know If It’s A Medical Drama Or Soap Opera
Ryan Murphy’s ABC Show Isn’t Very Realistic
From the get-go,Doctor Odysseymakes it clear that it’s unlike any other medical series on network TV, but that’s because it doesn’t know if it’s a medical drama or a soap opera. Yes, it’s a Ryan Murphy project, and he’s known for creating overly dramatic shows (e.g.GleeandThe Politician) and exaggerating some storylines. However, it doesn’t make sense for the series tojam-pack its episodes with outrageous medical cases while heavily focusing ontheDoctor Odysseycharacter’s personal lives.
Murphy’s new series should contain drama that is more refined instead of chaotic and overly unrealistic.
TheDoctor Odysseypremiere induces a bit of whiplashas it transitions from wild cases to dramatic character stories. So, going forward,Jackson’s new ABC drama must decide if it’s more likeDawson’s CreekandThe Love BoatorGrey’s AnatomyandChicago Med. Of course, those two medical shows contain their fair share of drama, butDoctor Odysseytakes it to the next level. Murphy’s new series should contain drama that is more refined instead of chaotic and overly unrealistic.
What Doctor Odyssey Needs To Be Better Moving Forward
Doctor Odyssey Needs To Slow Down
Firstly,Doctor Odysseyneeds to choose if it’s a medical drama or a soap opera. Since it airs on nighttime TV, though, it should probably drop some of its more soap opera-like elements. Once it does that, the ABC series can be more focused.Doctor Odysseycan’t have too much going on at onceas it will be difficult for the audience to keep up, consequently losing viewership. Thankfully,Jackson’s ABC medical drama has an advantage over shows likeGrey’s Anatomybecause of its impressive slate of famous guest stars (like Rachel Dratch in episode 1).
New episodes ofDoctor Odysseyair on Thursdays at 9 pm ET on ABC.
Nevertheless,Doctor Odysseyremains too disorganized. The show should mix Max’s personal and professional lives, but its methods are too disorderly. For example,Max and Avery quickly jump into their romance,setting up a love triangle due to Tristan’s feelings for Avery that he’s kept to himself for years. Meanwhile, the characters immerse themselves in multiple medical cases (which need to be more compelling and memorable).PerhapsDoctorOdysseycan solve this problem by establishing itself as a medical drama before jumping headfirst into a wild love triangle plot. Slow-burn romances are the superior kind of love stories, after all.
Doctor Odyssey
Cast
Doctor Odyssey is set aboard a luxury cruise ship where Max, the new on-board doctor, and a small, resourceful medical team confront unique medical crises and interpersonal dynamics while isolated miles from shore.
