Joshua Jackson is no stranger to being part of an iconic fictional love triangle — team Pacey, forever! — but he’s especially proud of what Doctor Odyssey has been able to accomplish with the boundary-pushing story line between Max, Avery and Tristan.
During an exclusive interview with Us Weekly, Jackson, 46, reflected on how love triangles have evolved since his days on The WB’s teen drama Dawson’s Creek., “Well [our characters] didn’t have sex on Dawson’s Creek,” he said with a smile. “I feel like [producer] Ryan [Murphy]‘s approach to this is a much more adult approach than when I’ve done this on previous shows.”
“It was a ballsy thing to do to not just have the triangle be consummated but to have them consummated together,” he continued. “I have to say [that is] one of the things I’m most proud of [with] us this year.”
ABC’s medical drama, which premiered in September 2024, follows the dynamic between Max (Jackson), Avery (Phillipa Soo), and Tristan (Sean Teale). Both Max and Tristan had their own individual connections with Avery —which led to the trio spending the night together.
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“There are still certain limitations and restrictions to doing something on network television because of the standards and practice issues that you deal with. [We were] able to take something that is very challenging and daring and play inside of the box of network TV,” Jackson told Us. “We got to explore what you can and cannot show and still created a scene that I think is very sexy and challenging.”
He continued: “It was within the boundaries of what we are allowed to do [and] that is one of the high watermarks of what we were able to achieve from directorial to writing to acting. Everybody came together to make something that you really hadn’t seen before — particularly on network TV. I think we did a pretty good job with that.”
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The first half of season 1 left Us on the edge of our seats after Avery revealed she was pregnant — and didn’t know whether Max or Tristan was the father. Doctor Odyssey‘s midseason premiere, which airs on Thursday, March 6, will pick up where things left off for each crew member of The Odyssey.
Jackson is thrilled for fans to see what Murphy has up his sleeve, which includes themed-episodes such as a two-part Shark Attack special and Casino Week.
“Ryan’s imagination is prolific and bizarre in its ability to hold [space] for the absolutely grotesque and absurd — and then there are his lighter and happier shows. All of that being inside of one man’s imagination is amazing,” Jackson shared. “I will say that for myself, I have wanted to work for Ryan for quite a long time.”
According to Jackson, Murphy provides a platform for actors to explore more fun and light-hearted storytelling, adding, “Ryan’s word was sparkle. He said, ‘Make sure that my show sparkles.’ And we have tried to make sure that this show sparkles as much as possible and just hope that the joy that we feel in performing it and doing it all together is what comes across while you’re watching it.”
Doctor Odyssey returns to ABC Thursday, March 6, at 9 p.m. ET.
