Disney+ Summary:
From the brilliant mind of Ryan Murphy comes high-octane procedural Doctor Odyssey. Max (Joshua Jackson) is the new onboard doctor for a luxury cruise ship where the staff works hard and plays harder. It’s all-hands-on-deck as Max and his small but mighty medical team navigate unique medical crises and each other, miles from shore.
FYA Summary:
I wasn’t planning on using the Disney+ summary*, but I simply had to because of “From the brilliant mind of Ryan Murphy”.
This is indeed a Ryan Murphy joint, combining his Nip/Tuck medical roots with the 9-1-1 procedural — but on a ship! Which is bafflingly named after a voyage that infamously took forever, but I digress.
I could elaborate, but there really isn’t much more to the premise. It’s about a medical team on a luxury cruise: their curious cases — and their sexy shenanigans — on the high seas.
* I’m still annoyed that they raised their prices and cracked down on password sharing, and I CAN HOLD A GRUDGE.
Familiar Faces:
Don Johnson as Captain Robert Massey, Sean Teale as Nurse Tristan Silva, Joshua Jackson as Dr. Max Bankman, and Phillipa Soo as Nurse Avery Morgan
Aside from being Dakota’s dad, I somehow most associate Don Johnson with Nash Bridges*, a surely age-appropriate show I watched as a child in the ’90s. Captain Robert does feel a little shoehorned in sometimes — the show’s mainly interested in the medical trio, and everyone else is kind of an interloper — and his whole deal is basically being married to the sea.
*OH NOOO, there is some cursed knowledge about that show (among other things!!!) on Don Johnson’s Wiki.
I never watched Sean Teale in Rosaline or Little Voice, and I have zero recollection of him on Skins or Reign. But I did see him in The Gifted aka a mid show about X-Men that didn’t really feature the X-Men. Tristan is one of those typical TV characters who like to nervously babble when their not-so-secret insecurities get triggered.
I MEAN. PACEY FREAKING WITTER. Back in 2015, FYA readers crowned him as the winner of our Teen Heartthrob Madness tournament, so our love for Joshua Jackson has been well documented. Max is more of a Big Man on Campus cool guy — and less charming — than Pacey. But Pacey freaking Witter!
Nurse Practitioner Avery was the de facto medical expert on board before Max came along, so their dynamic is very much “Does she want to be him or be with him?” (A little of Column A, a little of Column B.) I’m not a Hamilton Head, but thankfully, the seed has already been planted for a future musical performance, because this show at least knows not to waste an opportunity for a Broadway star to sing. (I don’t care if they fixed it in the sequel; I will never get over what the otherwise-mostly-perfect film Enchanted did with the wickedly talented Adele Dazeem!)
There are also tons of familiar faces among the guest stars, and even some you might not associate with acting. But obvs, no performer is immune to the siren call from Ryan Murphy’s casting director!
Couch-Sharing Capability: (Almost) All Aboard
It shouldn’t be difficult to find someone to get their sea legs with you. (Unless your potential couchmate is a medical professional or a child.) There is SO MUCH PLOT and the show navigates through it very quickly. It’s a great antidote to a struggling attention span, because SO MUCH IS HAPPENING ALL THE TIME. Something for everybody, I suppose?
Recommended Level of Inebriation: Whatever Floats Your Boat
When watching a show about people on vacation, I feel like vacation rules should also apply to the viewers. Whether you choose to indulge or not, this show DEFINITELY calls for a drinking game.
The Official FYA Doctor Odyssey Drinking Game
Take a drink whenever:
- Someone needs medical attention
- Make it a double if the team receives a watch alert
- A patient is diagnosed (or re-diagnosed)
- There’s a crew-only activity that includes non-medical staff
- Any combination of the core four are observing guests from the lobby balcony
- Dr. Max talks about his life from before The Odyssey
- Nurse Avery’s aspirations to become a doctor comes up
- Nurse Tristan crushes on someone
- Captain Robert has a ship crisis
- You pick up VIBES between characters
- Make it a double if they act on it
Take a shot whenever:
- The theme week is announced
- Make it a double if it’s a theme that you’re pretty sure would not exist IRL
- You recognize a guest star
- Make it a double if it’s someone not best known for acting
- Someone actually says “Doctor Odyssey”
Chug for the duration of:
- Guests entering through the moving walkway tunnel
Pour one out whenever:
- Someone dies (this cruise has a pretty high fatality rate!)
Use of Your Streaming Subscription: The Tide Is High and I’m Holding On
This most likely won’t be the main reason for your subscription, but it’s kind of thing you check out precisely because you already have the access. At the very least, you can satisfy your looky-loo curiosity, and you’ll also probably be entertained and certainly not bored. As someone who’s never finished a Ryan Murphy series, I find them best in the earlier seasons anyway, so get it when the getting is good.
I will definitely be trying this drinking game when I catch up on the shark attack episodes, wish me luck.
YOU BRAVE SOUL 😂 Best of luck to your liver!
I’ve watched a multitude of Ryan Murphy shows in my life but I don’t know if I can deal with this one, even with the promise of Pacey. (Unless they all DO end up actually being dead. Then I may watch, lol.)
I’m on They’re All Dead Theory Watch just for you 😂 Tbh I’m probably not going to keep up with it on a weekly basis, like it’s not that kind of show for me, but it’s perfect binge fodder.