Warning! SPOILERS about the Doctor Odyssey season 1 finale ahead.

The state of Doctor Odyssey’s higher ratings than other staple ABC shows thus make its possible cancellation not make sense.

Doctor Odyssey season 1 aired its finale on Thursday, May 15, 2025, but the show has yet to receive an answer about its potential renewal or cancellation, with Disney Television execs Craig Erwich and Eric Schrier attributing the reason for no news being available about Doctor Odyssey season 2 to the final decision belonging to Ryan Murphy. Murphy being busy with other shows could make a Doctor Odyssey renewal harder, but that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t deserve one. The biggest argument for Doctor Odyssey’s renewal unexpectedly and hilariously came in May 18’s episode of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.

Doctor Odyssey Season 2 Renewal Remains In Limbo After The Season 1 Finale

The Medical Drama Has Yet To Be Renewed Despite Its Good Ratings

Doctor Odyssey season 1’s finale could comfortably double as a series finale, with the storylines developed throughout the season reaching a satisfying conclusion. All central characters were better in Doctor Odyssey season 1, episode 18 than when they started, with Max happy being a doctor onboard and ready to make his long-distance relationship with Avery work, Avery starting medical school, and Tristan finally moving on from his feelings for Avery. Doctor Odyssey season 1’s finale even got Captain Massey his boat back, not being fired after choosing to disregard corporate protocol to return to shore and save the stranded locals.

Doctor Odyssey’s situation is peculiar because its ratings wouldn’t justify a cancellation. Indeed, while on the lower end for ABC shows, having an average of 3.05 million viewers per episode, it still beat Grey’s Anatomy. Coupled with its series premiere’s success, it could warrant a renewal. Doctor Odyssey’s star power, being readily recognizable looking at its key characters and guest stars, could draw viewers in to a potential season 2. However, Ryan Murphy spearheading several TV shows can make it difficult to focus on Doctor Odyssey, easily explaining its not being on ABC’s schedule, with its fate still undetermined.

John Oliver Mocks Doctor Odyssey, But Effectively Points Out Why It Needs To Be Renewed

John Oliver's Jokes Precisely Highlight Doctor Odyssey's Best Qualities

The most fitting defense for Doctor Odyssey not deserving the limbo it’s in came from Last Week Tonight with John Oliver’s episode (via Doctor Odyssey’s ridiculousness, especially mentioning the show’s tagline, John Oliver’s appraisal of the medical drama still stands. By dubbing it “sexy ER on a boat” and “The Pitt with sharks,” the comedian acknowledges Doctor Odyssey’s undeniable nature as a medical drama and recognizes the best qualities setting it apart from the others, including its setting on a boat, which makes some unlikely developments simultaneously absurd and believable.

The Joshua Jackson-led medical drama wears goofiness as a badge of honor.

While medical dramas have seen a resurgence in recent years, and all of them differ for one reason or another from each other, no other shines as bright as Doctor Odyssey for how campy it is. The Joshua Jackson-led medical drama wears goofiness as a badge of honor, and while Doctor Odyssey’s cases are as varied as those of its more serious counterparts, its never taking itself too seriously makes the show entertaining in a way that hits different from all the other medical dramas in circulation, especially when in front of cataclysmic disasters, whether natural or caused by orcas.

What Doctor Odyssey Season 2 Might Be About (Assuming It Gets Renewed)

Doctor Odyssey Season 1 Ended With Max Still On The Odyssey & Avery Leaving For Med School

Although it’s clear that Doctor Odyssey season 2 won’t go forward unless Ryan Murphy says so, if it were to, it could be extremely interesting even after the perceived finality of season 1’s ending. With its central love triangle finally resolved, eliminating all lingering competition between Max and Tristan, Doctor Odyssey season 2 has the chance to focus even more on its medical cases, with Max and Tristan at the helm now that Avery is finally making her dream of becoming a doctor come true.

Doctor Odyssey season 1 is now streaming in its entirety on Hulu.

Doctor Odyssey season 2 could also incorporate Avery’s storyline despite her being away, either through visits as a guest on the Odyssey or by showing her life on land, offering a different perspective from the pursuit of offering a paradise-like experience to all guests on the boat. Avery’s absence could also warrant the arrival of another nurse onboard, and Doctor Odyssey season 2 would also have the opportunity to focus more on the secondary characters who are part of the crew, making the show worth continuing even if it could be difficult to maintain its unlikely premise.

Enjoy ScreenRant's primetime coverage? Click below to sign up for our weekly Network TV newsletter (make sure to check "Network TV" in your preferences) and get the inside scoop from actors and showrunners on your favorite series.

SIGN UP NOW!Source: TVLine