Joshua Jackson's ‘Doctor Odyssey' Might Recast After Contracts Lapsed

While breaking his silence on Doctor Odyssey’s cancellation, Joshua Jackson didn’t rule out the show bringing in new leads after his contract lapsed.

“They may make that show with somebody else,” Jackson, 47, told People on Thursday, July 17, about the future of the ABC series. “They haven’t let me know, but I am not holding my breath that it’s coming back.”

Jackson said he was “bummed” that his contract “lapsed,” which meant the show was essentially canceled for the time being.

“That was a really good group of people, and it was a really fun show,” he 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.”

The actor, who played Max, will “miss” his costars including Phillipa Soo, Sean Teale and Don Johnson.

“I hope [viewers] 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 noted. “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.”

Jackson went on to praise the show’s cocreator Ryan Murphy.

“He dreams up incredible worlds, and he puts together great teams, both in front of the camera and behind the camera,” he gushed. “So I know everybody from that show is going to be okay, everybody’s good. It’s a bummer we don’t get to do it again, but I’m happy for the time that we got.”

Doctor Odyssey was originally built up to be a major hit for ABC when its first teaser set a record for the most views for a new broadcast TV show trailer, receiving 77.8 million views in its first 48 hours in September 2024.

By the time the Disney Upfronts rolled around eight months later, Doctor Odyssey had lost some of its steam with a midseason hiatus. It ultimately ended up being the only show without a renewal or a cancellation.

“Doctor Odyssey is not on our [fall 2025] schedule currently. We’re in talks with [series creator] Ryan [Murphy], and we really look to him about what the next chapter might be,” Disney Television Group president Craig Erwich said in an interview with Deadline in May about how Murphy, 59, had a lot on his plate, which contributed to Doctor Odyssey’s unclear future.

“Ryan’s extremely busy,” the ABC executive noted. “With 9-1-1, [the upcoming spinoff] 9-1-1: Nashville and he’s doing All’s Fair [for Hulu]. I know he’s working on a bunch of shows for FX that they’re really excited about too.”

Doctor Odyssey ended up on the bubble and in June it was unofficially canceled. It is available to stream on Hulu.