Bravo fans think Below Deck‘s Captain Lee Rosbach invented the “Stud of the Sea” energy — but Joshua Jackson suggested that perhaps his Doctor Odyssey costar Don Johnson is the originator.
“I’m about to pay you a compliment here,” Jackson, 46, quipped to Johnson, 75, during an exclusive interview with Us Weekly. “I think that the Stud of the Sea studied Don Johnson. Don did not study the Stud of the Sea.”
Johnson agreed with Jackson’s hot take. “I’ve done quite a bit of work on the water and racing — also filming on the water for that matter,” he noted. “So I have an easy relationship with [the water].”
He continued: “I’ve always had a natural ability for authority and in expressing it. That’s what I do. I would like to say most people pay attention to me for that.”
A Guide to the Most Star-Studded Celeb Appearances on ABC’s ‘Doctor Odyssey’
Before Doctor Odyssey premiered in September 2024, reality TV fans fell in love with the high seas courtesy of Below Deck‘s Captain Lee. He was the OG cast member on the show since it debuted in 2013 but took a break from filming season 10 due to health issues. Lee, 75, returned later in the season but was ultimately replaced with Below Deck Adventure‘s Captain Kerry Titheradge.
Captain Lee was often referred to as the “Stud of the Sea” — until Johnson’s Captain Massey came along on Doctor Odyssey. The ABC drama introduced Us to Jackson’s character, Dr. Max Bankman, on his journey to becoming the new onboard doctor of the Odyssey, a cruise ship helmed by Captain Massey.
Doctor Odyssey — which also stars Phillipa Soo and Sean Teale — hasn’t been afraid to push boundaries while keeping Us on the edge of our seat week to week. It has most likely helped having boat owner Johnson offer his expertise after filming on vessels in other projects, including Miami Vice and Nash Bridges.
While speaking to Us, Jackson also found time to praise creator Ryan Murphy for producing the world of Doctor Odyssey, saying, “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.”
A Guide to ‘Below Deck’ and Its Many Spinoffs
Jackson recalled wanting to work for Murphy “for quite a long time.”
“One of the things that I love about his shows is the dialogue and how he keeps things moving. The dialogue is always at a pace where it always crackles. It doesn’t get dragged down,” he noted. “This show in particular is on the lighter side of his imagination. So we very much — by intention, throughout this entire season despite the hours being long and my brain definitely going to mush a couple of times — make sure that we keep on reminding each other to have fun with it.”
He concluded: “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 airs on ABC Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET.
