Ryan Murphy's latest network offering, Doctor Odysseybrings viewers into the beloved world of medical professionals through a unique lens, as this medical team works and lives on a cruise ship.
The ABC medical drama – created by Murphy, Jon Robin Baitz and Joe Baken – stars Joshua Jackson as Max, the new and seemingly overqualified doctor on the luxury cruise ship The Odyssey. Max joins the two longtime and skeptical nurses on the medical team, Avery (Phillipa Soo) and Tristan (Sean Teale).
When Doctor Odyssey was announced for the first time, the premise of American horror story The Murphy mastermind's next series has largely been kept under wraps. Would there be a breakthrough in store? Wouldn't the cruise ship be what it seems? It wasn't until the trailer dropped last month that viewers got a synopsis and first look, and began to understand what the prolific showrunner really had in store. Recently, when you chat with The Hollywood journalistMurphy described the series as “a tribute to the ABC shows of my youth”.
Soo, who rose to prominence playing Eliza Schuyler Hamilton in the original Broadway cast Hamiltonsays the decision to be made Doctor Odyssey his next project was easy once he got his hands on the script and knew Murphy was at the helm of the ship. “I didn't know much about the story at the time. It was all still under wraps, but I've always been a fan of Ryan [Murphy] and the things he does,” Soo said THR in a chat after the premiere of the show – e Doctor Odyssey became ABC's most-watched drama series of 2020.
“I felt like this was a fun world. It looked luxurious. It seemed like something that, for me, personally, I wanted. Something that felt really fun and inviting and fun,” she said. “I didn't know much, but I really had faith in Ryan, and after having a conversation with him about his vision for the show and what he wanted and hoped for it, I was so grateful to have been invited to the party and was super excited from the start.
For Soo, whose character Avery is the ship's professional nurse, Doctor Odyssey it's her first time working on a Murphy project, an experience she describes as “amazing.”
“The level of care that goes into every scene, every shot, every character. He has a lot on his plate right now. I don't know if you're keeping track of all his other shows,” Soo said, referring to the six other Murphy-produced shows that have premiered or returned this month, including FX's. American Sports History: Aaron HernandezNetflix Monsters: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menendez and FX Grotesquealong with the return of the series 911 on ABC e 911: Lone star at Fox.
“I always joke that I think he has a time machine, and he goes back in time, traveling to different places so he can fit all the things he does into one day,” he says.
During the pilot episode, it's clear that Soo's Avery and Jackson's Max have been set up for some back-and-forth, forming a “love triangle” between the two and Tristan. The actress said the three actors have a “natural bond” that comes through in the scenes.
“All three of us are very dedicated to the work and we want to make things clear, we want to make things efficient and we want to make things sparkly,” he explained, noting that they often use the terms sparkly, shimmering and sparkling when doing the show. He says the show's narrative has a “relieved tone,” but that medical emergencies are grounded.
“There's a sparkle, a glimmer, a spark between the three of them, which is very personal in their relationship,” Soo said. “I think it's easy for us because I think that's what we bring to the table when we work together.”
Soo said he hopes viewers enjoy the world of the show. “I hope they feel like they took a little, mini-vacation,” he said. “It's one of those shows where, in its real context, it's really an escape, getting on this cruise ship, going away for a while and going on an adventure. But the show itself, I hope, can also be an escape for people.”
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Doctor Odyssey airs new episodes Thursdays at 9pm on ABC, streaming the next day on Hulu.