Angela Bassett Explains Her Hesitation Regarding the 9-1-1 and Doctor Odyssey Crossover

Angela Bassett initially hesitated about appearing on Doctor Odyssey after all the turmoil her character faced on a cruise ship in 9-1-1.

Bassett, 66, who portrays Athena Grant in 9-1-1, shared her thoughts on her character’s return to the Odyssey following a traumatic experience on a cruise ship that sank after being hijacked and bombed by terrorists.

“Duty, unfortunately,” Bassett commented to TVLine on Tuesday, March 18, regarding her upcoming crossover. “When duty calls, she has to go, much to her chagrin and displeasure.”

She indicated that her character was originally meant to be accompanied by her on-screen husband Bobby (Peter Krause), but she “objected” to that storyline.

“I thought, ‘That doesn’t make sense,’” she said. “Athena would never get back on a boat again. I just can’t imagine what could possibly convince her to step back on board, except to get on, turn around, and get right back off. [That experience is] still fresh in her memory. Being on that boat for any length of time is very anxiety-inducing for Athena.”

Bassett mentioned that the producers eventually crafted a scenario in which Bobby did not have to come along, which made more sense to her, stating, “Unfortunately, we made it worse.” The official synopsis for the episode airing on Thursday, March 20, hints that the FBI summons Athena to the Odyssey due to suspicions that “two passengers are targeting the ship’s vault.” Athena will subsequently recruit Max (Joshua Jackson) as her charming assistant during the Casino Week segment of the show.

Before the episode aired, Jackson, 46, along with Don Johnson and Sean Teale, spoke exclusively with Us Weekly about other Ryan Murphy series they would like to see crossover with. Johnson, 75, and Teale, 32, both immediately suggested All’s Fair as a potential crossover, with Teale commenting, “I’m not sure if they’ve shared any plot details for All’s Fair yet, but a crossover between Dr. Odyssey and a legal drama would be fantastic.”

Jackson even presented an entire storyline. “Their entire law firm goes on a company retreat to the Odyssey,” he shared. Teale took it a step further by proposing a divorce happening on the ship.

“It’s a divorce lawyer conference,” Teale joked. In response, Jackson suggested that his character and Phillipa Soo‘s Avery would be the most likely candidates for this scenario due to their tumultuous relationship on the show.

“Avery and I get married and then immediately realize it’s a terrible mistake,” he laughed. “We hire their law firm, and then chaos ensues.”

Doctor Odyssey returns to ABC on Thursday, March 6, at 9 p.m. ET.