Angela Bassett wasn’t originally onboard with an appearance on Doctor Odyssey after everything her 9-1-1 character has gone through on a cruise ship.
Bassett, 66, who plays Athena Grant on 9-1-1, weighed in on her character joining the Odyssey after previously boarding a cruise ship that sank to the bottom of the ocean after being hijacked and blown up by terrorists.
“Duty, unfortunately,” Bassett told TVLine on Tuesday, March 18, about her upcoming appearance on Doctor Odyssey. “Duty calls, so she has to go, much to her chagrin and displeasure.”
According to Bassett, she originally was meant to be joined by Athena’s onscreen husband Bobby (Peter Krause) but she “objected” to the idea.
“I was like, ‘That doesn’t make sense,’” she continued. “Athena would never get back on a boat again. I just can’t imagine what would get her back on board, other than to go on, turn around and come right back off. [That experience is] still fresh in the cells of her body. It’s very anxiety provoking for Athena to be on that boat for any amount of time.”
Bassett said producers returned “with a great scenario where Bobby didn’t have to go” that made more sense, adding, “Unfortunately, we made it worse.” The official synopsis for the Thursday, March 20, episode teased that the FBI calls Athena to the Odyssey when it suspects that “two passengers are targeting the ship’s vault.” Athena subsequently will enlist Max (Joshua Jackson) as her handsome assistant during the show’s Casino Week.
Before the episode aired, Jackson, 46, Don Johnson and Sean Teale exclusively told Us Weekly what other Ryan Murphy productions they would want to crossover with on screen. Johnson, 75, and Teale, 32, immediately chose All’s Fair as the next show, with Teale saying, “I don’t know if they’ve revealed any plot details for All’s Fair yet. But to have a Dr. Odyssey crossover with a legal show would be cool.”
Jackson even had a whole story line in mind. “Their whole law firm goes on a company retreat to the Odyssey,” he shared. Teale, meanwhile, took it one step further by pitching a divorce to take place on the ship.
“It’s a divorce lawyer conference,” Teale quipped. In response, Jackson suggested that his character and Phillipa Soo‘s Avery were the most likely contenders due to their off-and-on relationship status on the show.
“Avery and I get married and then immediately realize it’s a terrible mistake,” he joked. “We hire their law firm and then hijinks ensue.”
Doctor Odyssey returns to ABC Thursday, March 6, at 9 p.m. ET.
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