‘Doctor Odyssey’ Star Joshua Jackson Shares ‘Bummed’ Reaction to Cancellation

Joshua Jackson is opening up about Doctor Odyssey’s cancellation.

The ABC medical drama was canceled by default in June after options on the cast expired, allowing them to pursue other projects with no prior obligations.

It was previously reported that despite the options expiring, ABC and 20^th Television were still discussing the show’s future, but it was all up to creator Ryan Murphy, who has several other projects in the works. Jackson, who plays Max Bankman, a new doctor on the luxury cruise ship The Odyssey, told PEOPLE he’s “always bummed out when a show gets canceled” and that he “really, really enjoyed the experience.”

“That was a really good group of people, and it was a really fun show,” the Dawson’s Creek alum continued. “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 going to miss the gang for sure.”

Jackson hopes that fans “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 added, “I’m sad that we don’t get to go back and do it again. But I really enjoyed the time that we did get to do it.”

Doctor Odyssey premiered last fall on ABC and even included a 9-1-1 crossover when Angela Bassett boarded The Odyssey as Sergeant Athena Grant Nash earlier this year. Unfortunately, the show’s future did not look bright once the network released its fall lineup, with Doctor Odyssey nowhere in sight and new series 9-1-1: Nashville taking over its timeslot. Whether or not ABC and 20^th Television are still in discussions with Murphy about a new season is unknown, but it sounds like it may be a lost cause.

ABC only canceled two shows from the 2024-25 season, including Doctor Odyssey. The Conners, which aired its finale in April, was announced to be ending after its seventh season last year. While Doctor Odyssey probably won’t be coming back, all 18 episodes of the series are available to stream on Hulu, which is better than nothing. Plus, Ryan Murphy has plenty of other shows to look forward to on ABC, Hulu, and FX.