9-1-1 star Oliver Stark has opened up about being cut from the show’s crossover with Doctor Odyssey. Stark plays firefighter Evan “Buck” Buckley on the ABC procedural.
Doctor Odyssey and 9-1-1 aired their first crossover event last week, as LAPD officer Athena Grant (Angela Bassett) boarded the Odyssey in search of two suspicious passengers. This crossover was made possible because both shows were co-created by mega-producer Ryan Murphy and now both air on the same network, after 9-1-1 was picked up by ABC following its Fox cancelation in 2023.
Oliver Stark Addresses Absence From 9-1-1 / Doctor Odyssey Crossover
Speaking to Screen Rant, Stark confirmed that he was initially contacted about being part of the crossover before creative plans for the episode changed.
“There was no pitch,” he confirmed. “Well, there was a pitch of, ‘Would you want to do this?’ But no story pitch. I had said yes at the time, but obviously, things moved in a direction where it was just Angela’s character. So yeah, I don’t know what it would’ve been.”
The actor went on: “Having seen some clips from the show, I can make probably somewhat educated guess as to what it might have been, but I have no real knowledge, so I’ll probably leave it at that.”
9-1-1 is in the Middle of its 8th Season
Stark said that he was hopeful that Buck would eventually meet up with Doctor Odyssey’s character in a future crossover event.
“I’m sure I would’ve had a good time over there. Next time,” he hinted.
“I had said yes at the time, but obviously, things moved in a direction where it was just Angela’s character.”
Stark recently eyed another potential crossover for 9-1-1 where the first responders from the show could cross paths with Nathan Fillion’s squad from The Rookie.
“I believe their show is set in Los Angeles, so that seems to make sense to me that there could be some mass casualty event that all the police stations and all the firehouses are at,” he told Collider. “Or, a more fun route, I believe they do police versus firefighter football games or whatever. So maybe we rock up on The Rookie and take them down in some sporting event.”
He then joked: “Although, if we’re going over to their show, I assume they’d have them win. So maybe not. But yeah, that just seems like a fun and easy, real kind of way to go about it. So, I’m still game for, one day, The Rookie crossover.”
Ryan Murphy’s 9-1-1 Returned for Season 8 in September 2024
The Procedural Was Created by Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Tim Minear
Ryan Murphy reunited on the creation of 9-1-1 with American Horror Story co-creator Brad Falchuk and their recurring executive producer Tim Minear.
Murphy co-created Doctor Oddyssey with two other recurring collaborators, Feud writer Jon Robin Baitz and Grotesquerie’s Joe Baken.
9-1-1 and Doctor Odyssey share a TV universe with Fox procedural 9-1-1: Lone Star, starring Rob Lowe and Liv Tyler.
The potential for a 9-1-1 and The Rookie crossover has come up often among fans of both shows, but The Rookie creator and showrunner Alexi Hawley suggested it wasn’t likely to happen.
“To me, that’s a hard crossover, just because you have an expectation that you’re going to see [9-1-1 characters] all the time … If we’re both in the same universe in Los Angeles, how are we not stumbling over them all the time?” the showrunner told TVLine.
Doctor Oddyssey and 9-1-1 were perhaps a more natural fit for a crossover, since it’s easier for their worlds to intersect without having to interact constantly. “Casino Week” revolved around LAPD officer Athena tracking down two suspects trying to pull off a heist on the Odyssey when it was docked in Los Angeles.
The official synopsis for the crossover episode, which is available to stream now, reads: “It’s Casino Week aboard The Odyssey, and 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.”
9-1-1 airs on Thursdays at 8pm ET on ABC, followed by Doctor Odyssey at 9pm ET. The Rookie airs Tuesdays at 9pm ET on ABC.
