Since joining the ABC lineup last year, 9-1-1 has already seen a wild crossover with The Bachelor, and now the show is set to share universes with another Ryan Murphy creation when it returns to the 2025 TV schedule. Just like Grey’s Anatomy and Station 19 used to have crossover events, the Los Angeles first responders are set to cross paths with the cruise ship medics from Doctor Odyssey, and I simply can’t understand why they chose this specific character for the task.
Variety reports that on March 20, Angela Bassett will guest star on the Doctor Odyssey episode “Casino Week” as her 9-1-1 character Athena Grant. The LAPD sergeant apparently needs the assistance of Dr. Max Bankman (Joshua Jackson) to track down a couple of suspects. According to the episode synopsis:
Unexpected guest Athena Grant suspects two passengers are targeting the ship’s vault. Enlisting Max’s help, Athena raises the stakes in a dangerous game where not everyone will end up with a winning hand.
It already felt like Doctor Odyssey was channeling 9-1-1’s cruise ship disaster, and now I’m convinced Ryan Murphy and company were just looking for an excuse to re-use the massive roll room they constructed for the procedural drama. Guys, they built a ship’s casino set inside the roll room for that 9-1-1 event, and the upcoming Doctor Odyssey episode in question is literally “Casino Week.” I think rooms will roll.
My big question is why in the world is Athena the character sent aboard The Odyssey after what she and Bobby (Peter Krause) endured in Season 7? 9-1-1 made its ABC debut with a trifecta of episodes in which Athena and Bobby went on a honeymoon cruise, only to nearly drown after the ship encountered pirates, a bombing and a hurricane.
Simply put, Athena is not leaving dry ground.
Was it just super important that Angela Bassett be the one to join Joshua Jackson and Phillipa Soo’s universe, or does the story not make sense for any other character? Oliver Stark was so excited about the crossover potential 9-1-1’s move to ABC presented, but I guess it wouldn’t make sense for Buck, a firefighter, to try to thwart the robbery of The Odyssey’s vault.
As illogical as it seems that Athena would board a cruise ship again anytime this century, it’s just as ridiculous to call out a Ryan Murphy show for blurring the lines of realism. This is happening on a series whose first season so far has featured a passenger getting iodine poisoning from eating too much shrimp, a zombie-like illness breaking out on “Halloween Week,” and will make its spring premiere with a two-week “Shark Attack!” event (yes, exclamation point and all). Take a look at the preview for that madness:
It looks like Doctor Odyssey fans are in for a world of fun, and even though I’m confused about Athena being the character who was chosen for another cruise disaster, it’s not like I’m going to complain about getting more Angela Bassett ever. 9-1-1 returns to ABC at 8 p.m. ET Thursday, March 6, and may set the stage for the Doctor Odyssey crossover that follows at 9 p.m. ET. Both series can be streamed with a Hulu subscription.
