The Orville

Did You Know?

• The Orville is set in the year 2417 aboard the USS Orville (ECV-197), a mid-level exploratory vessel of the Planetary Union.
• Dark Horse Comics released two-issue miniseries set between seasons, collected as The Orville: Season 1.5 and later The Orville: Season 2.5.
• Three books about the series have been published: The World of The Orville (2018) and Exploring The Orville: Essays on Seth MacFarlane's Space Adventure (2021).

Cast and characters

Seth MacFarlane portrays Captain Edward "Ed" Mercer, commander of the Orville. Once a promising officer on track for a heavy cruiser command by age 40, Mercer's career suffered after his wife Kelly had an affair with an alien. Despite being cited for lax performance and appearing hung over on duty, he is assigned to command the mid-level exploratory vessel Orville. Adrianne Palicki plays Commander Kelly Grayson, the first officer and Mercer's ex-wife. She secretly appealed to Admiral Halsey to give Mercer the command, insisting he deserved it, and requested her involvement remain confidential. When assigned as first officer, she and Mercer agree to work as a team and stay friends. Penny Johnson Jerald portrays Doctor Claire Finn, the chief medical officer holding the rank of lieutenant commander. She has expertise in molecular surgery, DNA engineering, and psychiatry, and chose a mid-level exploratory vessel over heavy cruisers because she prefers to serve where she feels needed. She later dates Isaac in season 2 and marries him in season 3. Her sons Marcus and Ty live aboard the Orville. She becomes physically intimate with Lt. Yaphit in "Cupid's Dagger" after exposure to a Retepsian sex pheromone.

Production

MacFarlane originally wrote The Orville as a spec script, and Fox ordered 13 episodes in May 2016, making it his first live-action television series. He stated he had wanted to create such a show since childhood and felt the timing was right, citing inspiration from The Twilight Zone and Star Trek, as well as encouragement from the success of Guardians of the Galaxy and Deadpool. Fox renewed the series for a second season in November 2017. The episode "Primal Urges" from season 1 was held for season 2 due to a gap in broadcast dates caused by Christmas programming. In December 2018, the California Film Commission approved $15.8 million in tax credits for a potential third season. On November 29, 2023, Adrianne Palicki said talks of a fourth season existed but she had not been notified of their status and did not plan to return, citing the slow shooting pace. On January 5, 2024, MacFarlane said the series had not been canceled by Hulu but could not confirm further details due to "too many factors." On August 8, 2024, actor Scott Grimes announced that season 4 would begin pre-production in early 2025. On March 3, 2026, MacFarlane said 10 episodes had been written for season 4 but his own time was needed for production. Casting announcements began in July 2016 with MacFarlane as Ed Mercer, Adrianne Palicki as Kelly Grayson, and Scott Grimes as Gordon Malloy. Peter Macon and J. Lee were cast in August, Halston Sage and Penny Johnson Jerald in October, Mark Jackson in December, and Chad L. Coleman and Larry Joe Campbell in April 2017.

Marketing

The first trailer for The Orville debuted on May 15, 2017, alongside Fox’s previews for The Gifted and Ghosted. At the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con on July 22, Fox hosted a panel featuring Seth MacFarlane, Adrianne Palicki, Scott Grimes, Penny Johnson Jerald, Peter Macon, Halston Sage, J. Lee, Mark Jackson, and Chad L. Coleman, plus producers David A. Goodman and Brannon Braga. A themed Orville Space Training Station at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront Law offered fans a “Cryopreservation program.” For season two, Fox dropped its trailer at the 2018 San Diego Comic-Con on July 22 and rolled out Orville-themed pedi-cabs for convention-goers. The day before, David A. Goodman led a Q&A panel with MacFarlane, Palicki, Jerald, Grimes, Braga, and Jon Cassar.

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the first season holds a 31% critic approval rating with an average rating of 3.8/10 based on 55 reviews, with the consensus calling it "an odd jumble of campiness and sincerity, homage, and satire" that never achieves liftoff. Metacritic assigned a score of 36 out of 100 based on 21 reviews, indicating generally unfavorable reviews. Liz Miller of IndieWire compared the series to Star Trek, calling it a rip-off and "bankrupt: creatively, morally, and ethically," criticizing its lack of creativity and blatant imitation. Kevin Yeoman of Screen Rant suggested the show might have fared better with a different actor in the captain's chair. Tim Surette of TV Guide argued the series was never going to win over critics because it is a throwback that goes against modern television, and noted a discrepancy between positive audience response and negative critic response. The second season on Rotten Tomatoes has a 100% approval rating with an average rating of 7.6/10 based on 14 reviews, with the consensus stating it is "fun, focused, and surprisingly thoughtful." Nick Wanserki of The A.V. Club praised the season premiere "Ja'loja" for its character-driven drama. Liz Miller of IndieWire awarded the second season a B rating, expressing hope it could evolve into a unique character-driven dramedy. Ryan Britt of Den of Geek praised the second season for playing to its strengths as a sitcom. Kevin Yeoman of Screen Rant opined the series had found its footing by telling smaller, more character-driven stories.