Skip to main contentSkip to footer

Joshua Jackson sends messages to fans after cancelation of show 'like nothing else on TV'


ABC placed a default cancelation on the show


man and woman standing on balcony© Disney/Tina Thorpe
Rebecca Lewis
Rebecca LewisLos Angeles correspondent
July 19, 2025
Share this:

Dawson's Creek star Joshua Jackson has sent a message to fans after the cancelation of his ABC TV show Doctor Odyssey.

"I hope they got the same thing that we got out of it, which was that it was a beautiful, over-the-top kind of experience that was like nothing else on television, I don't think," he shared.

The network gave the show a default cancellation when it allowed the cast's contracts to expire; Hamilton star Phillipa Soo also starred in the series.

The crew also has already moved on, although many have floated to other Ryan Murphy shows.

man and woman dancing © Disney/Tina Thorpe
Doctor Odyssey received a default cancelation

"That was a really good group of people, and it was a really fun show," Joshua told People of Doctor Odyssey. "But this is a crazy and difficult business, and whatever the reasons were for them not wanting to move forward with it, they don't actually tell us those things."

"I'm sad that we don't get to go back and do it again," he continued. "But I really enjoyed the time that we did get to do it."

Josh Jackson (second right) plays Max Bankman, The Odyssey's new onboard doctor© Tina Thorpe
Josh (second right) played Dr Max Bankman, The Odyssey's new onboard doctor

Doctor Odyssey was a cruise ship procedural from 9-1-1 executive producer Ryan Murphy. 

Joshua starred as Max, the new on-board doctor for a luxury cruise ship “where the staff works hard and plays harder".

Joshua Jackson and Angela Bassett in a still from Doctor Odyssey© ABC
Angela Bassett in a still from Doctor Odyssey

9-1-1 enjoyed a crossover episode with the series early on, with Angela Bassett's Sergeant Athena Grant-Nash visiting the ship.

Because the show has not been officially canceled, Murphy is now weighing creative options including selling it to another network. New contracts would need to be written for the cast, including Don Johnson, and there is no guarantee everyone would return.

Shania Twain in Doctor Odyssey season on episode two© Tina Thorpe
Shania Twain was also a guest star

There were high hopes for the series, with the trailer setting a broadcast series record with 77.8 million views in the first 48 hours, and the series amassed 13.6M cross-platform viewers for the premiere in its first week.

But it failed to hang on to the momentum, and season average ratings across linear were among the lowest on ABC despite the 9-1-1 lead.

ABC's fall TV schedule will see the new 9-1-1 spinoff, 9-1-1: Nashville, take the 9/8c slot, followed by Grey's Anatomy at 10/9c.

Joshua found fame on Dawson's Creek, a coming-of-age teen drama centered around the lives of teenagers Dawson Leery (James Van Der Beek), Joey Potter (Katie Holmes), Pacey Witter (Jackson) and Jen Lindley (Michelle Williams).

More TV and Film
See more