Sartaj Singh
‘Doctor Odyssey’ follows Dr. Max as he becomes the resident doctor at the luxury cruise liner, the Odyssey. Supported by two nurses and kept in good company by the captain, Max’s stunning new work environment regularly sees life-or-death medical emergencies unfold on deck. The cruise ship becomes the vacation spot for various VIPs, and many guests suffer from unexpected, intense medical issues. Created by Jon Robin Baitz, Joe Baken, and Ryan Murphy, the ABC show’s narrative transpires around the opulent environments of the Odyssey, which serve as escapist retreats for their dreamers. Beach locales and coastal halts also become backdrops for the crew’s romantic forays. The show ultimately boasts a range of vibrant visual aesthetics, blending high-stakes medical drama with an air of refinement and sensuality.
Doctor Odyssey Filming Locations
Filming for ‘Doctor Odyssey’ takes place in Los Angeles, California. Principal photography for season 1 began on June 17, 2024, and is expected to continue until January 29, 2025. While some on-location filming is carried out for urban and beach scenes, all the cruise ship sequences aren’t actually shot on a cruise ship. Lead actor Joshua Jackson was glad that this was the case, as he imagined that filming at sea would have kept him away from family for far too long. “I’ve never actually been on a cruise, so I have to admit that,” said Jackson in an interview. “If we were filming on an actual cruise ship, it would make it very hard for me to drop my daughter off at school in the morning.”
Los Angeles, California
The city of Los Angeles in Southern California is the primary filming location for ‘Doctor Odyssey.’ While set aboard a luxury cruise liner, the show’s environments of lavish escapism are created using studio setups. Much of the exterior backdrops of the series are captured in locations in the South Bay and Harbor regions of the City of Angels, particularly in the neighborhoods of San Pedro and Wilmington. The area provides the perfect backdrop for scenes depicting the cruise liner docked or sailing off from port while the characters board or rest after a long day’s work.
San Pedro is home to the Port of Los Angeles and offers a picturesque view of bustling maritime activity. The port is the appropriate filming site for the show as it is home to cruise ship terminals and docking stations, featuring locations such as the Los Angeles Cruise Terminal and the Los Angeles World Cruise Center. Many of the portside scenes and maritime locales depicted in the show are captured in San Pedro. Other productions that highlight the coastal neighborhoods in their backgrounds include ‘Titanic,’ ‘The Big Lebowski,’ ‘The Love Boat,’ and ‘Catch Me If You Can.’
San Pedro does not completely encompass the port area, and shooting for ‘Doctor Odyssey’ also carries over to Wilmington, which neighbors the port. In recent years, the industrial locations of the port in Wilmington are being made more accessible with the expansion of suburban neighborhoods geared towards providing waterfront availability. The development also makes it more dynamic as a filming location, combining the grit of commercial shipping with the laid-back atmosphere of planned community areas.
Despite the show’s setting aboard a cruise liner, reportedly none of the interior scenes are filmed on an actual ship. Filming on a maritime vessel creates a multitude of complications, ranging from logistics and cost to lighting and safety. Instead, elaborate sets are constructed in a Los Angeles studio with soundstages to recreate the luxury environments of the Odyssey. From the sprawling deck areas to the extravagant ballroom and medical facilities, all of these recurring backdrops are created in a studio. The artificial environment allows for complete control over the filming site, allowing easy transition between settings while also facilitating special effects.
Los Angeles remains one of the most versatile filming hubs, suitable for productions in need of diverse landscapes and vast studio facilities. ‘Doctor Odyssey’ also capitalizes on the generous financial incentives offered by the California Film Commission while simultaneously gaining access to a seasoned talent pool of cast and crew members. Other films and shows shot in and around Los Angeles include ‘Rebel Ridge,’ ABC’s ‘High Potential,’ Max’s ‘Hacks,’ and ‘Grey’s Anatomy.’
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