Ryan Murphy’s new medical drama Doctor Odyssey has premiered to a wave of critique but viewers have confessed they enjoy watching the ‘incredibly stupid’ series.
Starring Joshua Jackson as Dr. Max Bankman, the drama tells the story of an onboard medical team working on the luxury cruise ship, The Odyssey.
As the team leader, Bankman must tackle unusual medical crises with assistance from nurse Avery Morgan (played by Hamilton’s Phillipa Soo), nurse Tristan Silva (portrayed by Skins star Sean Teale) and Captain Robert Massey (depicted by Miami Vice’s Don Johnson).
The cast also boasts guest appearances from A-listers, including pop icon Shania Twain and soap veteran John Stamos.
Following its UK premiere on October 24, viewers have widely criticised the show, scoring it a 37% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics have similarly given the series low ratings, with The Telegraph’s Anita Singh scoring it two out of five stars.
However, the low ratings have come with praise for its entertainment value. In the Telegraph review, Singh theorised that the show is self aware, writing: “Ryan Murphy’s cruise ship drama is bad – but is it deliberately bad?”.
The Guardian’s TV Critic, Lucy Mangan applauded the drama and awarded it five stars. Mangan wrote: “It’s so bad and so fun. I commend it to you utterly and must equally advise against squandering a minute of your precious time on earth watching it.”
Fans have also flocked to social media to share their thoughts on the ‘incredibly stupid’ series.
On Reddit one user shared: “This show is incredibly stupid, but I love it […] Nothing on the show makes any kind of real sense if you think about it for a few minutes, the plots are outrageous, the medical stuff is ludicrous, the guests are wild, but who cares?”.
Another user agreed and commented: “It’s such a guilty pleasure of mine. I absolutely roast it when it’s on but still tune in.” Meanwhile on X, fans have noted that the lead star has kept them tuned in despite the quality of the show.
One user commented: “This show is so bad I can’t stop watching it. #DoctorOdyssey is so bad but it’s so good. If that makes any sense. I’m just drooling over Joshua Jackson.”
A second joked: “#DoctorOdyssey keeps coming up with random reasons for Josh Jackson to be shirtless and I think that’s a beautiful use of prime time television.”
Doctor Odyssey is available to stream on Disney+