The chance of a Doctor Odyssey season 2 gets an honest response from a top executive at Disney. The medical drama, which is set aboard a luxury cruise, is now the only scripted ABC show left in limbo. The network recently confirmed that long-standing shows like Grey's Anatomy, 9-1-1, and The Rookie will be back for new seasons, as will Will Trent and the new comedy Shifting Gears. However, Doctor Odyssey season 2 remains uncertain due to lower ratings than expected and relatively high production costs.

Disney Television Group president Craig Erwich was asked about the fate of Doctor Odyssey season 2 in an interview with Variety. Erwich oversees the programming slate for Hulu and ABC Entertainment, both of which are owned by Disney, and he said that he loves Doctor Odyssey. Still, in the quote below, the top executive mentioned series co-creator and producer Ryan Murphy has several other high-profile projects in the works and that conversations are ongoing about what the show's second chapter could look like:

We love “Doctor Odyssey.” We’re still having creative conversations about the show with Ryan and evaluating. Ryan is very busy. He is working on a ton with us right now: “9-1-1,” which continues to be one of the No. 1 shows on television. We just gave an expanded order to “9-1-1: Nashville.” We have Chris O’Donnell in that. I think it’s a really unique setting for our flagship franchise. We just launched “Mid-Century Modern.” So, as he should be, he’s quite busy doing excellent work for us. Ultimately, we’re going to take our lead from Ryan about what that next chapter of “Doctor Odyssey” looks like. But we’re having creative conversations about it right now. He’s an amazing partner.

What The Executive Comments Mean For Doctor Odyssey Season 2

It Could Still Get A Last-Minute Renewal

It could be said that the new series might have an easier path to renewal if it were a more standard network procedural. The Joshua Jackson-led drama features a relatively small Doctor Odyssey main cast, including Phillipa Soo, Sean Teale, and Don Johnson. But for each episode, it brings in at least a few recognizable stars and actors. So far, that has included country music legend Shania Twain and Ant-Man 3 lead Kathryn Newton.

Its big-name guests and sometimes elaborate action runs in contrast to its viewership, which has fallen since its premiere and has been slashed almost in half for some episodes. The two key components of a renewal often boil down to a relatively simple showdown between cost and audience. As of right now, the showdown is not in favor of the medical drama. But it could be that executives give it another shot, wanting to maintain a positive relationship with the producing team.

What Does The Rest Of The ABC Scripted Schedule Look Like?

It's Mostly Established Hits

Compared to its main competitors, CBS and NBC, ABC has the fewest scripted series of the three main broadcast networks. CBS leads the pack with 18, NBC has 15, while ABC is currently in the single digits with nine shows. Abbott Elementary season 5 and High Potential season 2 were confirmed in January, sealing the fates of both the Emmy-winning mockumentary and Kaitlin Olson's detective drama. Then, in early April, ABC renewed several of its shows in a single announcement.

Grey's Anatomy, 9-1-1, The Rookie, Will Trent, and Shifting Gears will all be back for additional seasons. Of those five, only the Tim Allen and Kat Dennings multi-cam family sitcom was in doubt. Even though Shifting Gears premiered to strong ratings in January, viewership fell somewhat as the first season progressed. Still, thanks to its record-breaking debut, bringing in the highest numbers that the network has seen for a premiere in years, Shifting Gears ultimately had more room to fall.

The ratings for Shifting Gears, when delayed viewing is taken into , have settled at above 5 million. For comparison's sake, the delayed viewership for Doctor Odyssey brings its audience to above 4 million. The family comedy might also have benefited from the fact that ABC would have only one comedy, Abbott Elementary, if it were cancelled since The Conners is ending in a number of weeks. Although there were reports of ABC developing a comedy from Crazy Ex-Girlfriend star Rachel Bloom, only one new show is ing the ABC schedule next season as of now.

9-1-1: Nashville, the second spinoff in the 9-1-1 franchise, will debut in the 2025-2026 broadcast season. Although few specifics are known about the plot at this stage, the new show will be written and executive produced by franchise co-creators Ryan Murphy and Tim Minear alongside 9-1-1: Lone Star showrunner Rashad Raisani. It will be led by NCIS: Los Angeles veteran Chris O'Donnell, with more key casting announcements expected to be reported in the coming weeks and months.

Our Take On Doctor Odyssey's Renewal

It Hasn't Found The Right Tone Yet

The 20th Television production, which was created by Ryan Murphy, Jon Robin Baitz, and Joe Baken, doesn't have a strong hook. Most of the episodes are light and goofy case-of-the-week plots around guests who are not seen again. The main cast is small, mainly driven by a sleepy love triangle that is never too engrossing or enticing. Creative conversations are probably exactly what's needed to encourage viewers to check back with the show, even if it means pulling the trigger on that Doctor Odyssey dream theory.

Doctor Odyssey airs Thursdays at 9 PM ET on ABC and streams the next day on Hulu.

Source: Variety