Phillipa Soo on the escapism of “Doctor Odyssey”

Ryan Murphy's latest networking offering, Doctor Odysseytakes viewers into the popular world of medical professionals from a unique perspective as this medical team works and lives on a cruise ship.

Created by Murphy, Jon Robin Baitz and Joe Baken, the ABC medical drama stars Joshua Jackson as Max, the newest and seemingly overqualified doctor on the luxury cruise ship Odyssey. Max joins the cruise's two longtime, skeptical nurses on the medical team: Avery (Phillipa Soo) and Tristan (Sean Teale).

When Doctor Odyssey was first announced, the premise of American horror story Mastermind Murphy's next series has been largely kept secret. Would there be a twist? Wouldn't the cruise ship be what it seems? It wasn't until the trailer dropped last month that viewers were given a synopsis and first look and began to understand what the prolific showrunner was really up to. Recently, chatting with The Hollywood ReporterMurphy described the series as “an homage to the ABC shows of my youth.”

Soo, who rose to fame as Eliza Schuyler Hamilton in the original Broadway cast of Hamiltonsays the decision to be made Doctor Odyssey Her next project was easy once she got her hands on the script and knew Murphy was steering the ship. “I didn’t know much about the story at that point. It stayed largely under wraps, but I've always been a fan of Ryan (Murphy) and the things he makes,” Soo said THR in a chat after the show's premiere – and Doctor Odyssey became ABC's most-watched drama series launch since 2020.

“I felt like this was a fun world. It felt luxurious. For me personally, it felt like something I longed for. Something that felt really fun, inviting and entertaining,” she said. “I didn't know much, but I really had faith in Ryan, and after talking to him about his vision for the show and what he wanted and hoped for, I was just so grateful to be invited.” Party and was super excited from the start.”

For Soo, whose character Avery is the ship's nurse, Doctor Odyssey is her first time working on a Murphy project, an experience she describes as “amazing.”

“The level of care that goes into every scene, every shot, every character. There's a lot going on with him right now. I don't know if you keep track of all of his other shows,” Soo said, referencing the six other Murphy-produced shows that either premiered or returned this month, including FX's American Sports History: Aaron HernandezNetflixs Monsters: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menendez and FX's grotesquealong with recurring series 911 on ABC and 911: Lonely Star at Fox.

“I always joke that I think he has a time machine and he just goes back in time and travels to different places so he can fit all the things he makes into one day,” she says.

Throughout the pilot episode, it's clear that Soo's Avery and Jackson's Max are prepared for a bit of push-and-pull, and a “love triangle” develops between the two and Tristan. The actress said the three actors had a “natural connection” that came through in the scenes.

“All three of us are very dedicated to the work and want to make things clear, make things efficient and make things sparkle,” she explained, noting that they often use the terms sparkly, shimmer and glitter while doing the show. She says the show's narrative has a “lofty tone” but that the medical emergencies are grounded.

“There's a glimmer, a shimmer, a sparkle between the three of them that's very personal to their relationship,” Soo said. “I think it’s easy for us because I think that’s what we bring to the table when we work together.”

Soo said she hopes viewers enjoy the world of the show. “I hope they feel like they’ve taken a little getaway,” she said. “It's one of those shows that in its actual context is really about an escape, where you go on this cruise ship, go away for a while and just go on an adventure.” But I hope the show itself is one too can be an opportunity for people to escape.”

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Doctor Odyssey airs new episodes Thursdays at 9 p.m. on ABC and streams the next day on Hulu.