The Orville season 3
Third season of The Orville, streaming exclusively on Hulu.
The third season of *The Orville*, also called *The Orville: New Horizons*, started streaming on June 2, 2022, and ended on August 4 of that year. In the United States, it is available on Hulu, while international viewers can watch it on Disney+. The season contains ten episodes, and an eleventh episode that was never filmed was instead turned into a novella written by Seth MacFarlane. This season marks the first to premiere after Disney’s acquisition of 21st Century Fox in March 2019, and it is also the first to stream exclusively on Hulu, following two seasons that originally aired on Fox.
The season’s storylines include the Union’s ongoing conflict with the Kaylon, Claire and Isaac working through their relationship, Ed discovering he has a daughter with the newly elected Krill chancellor Teleya, Topa’s sex-change operation being reversed, and new crew member Charly Burke overcoming her prejudice against Isaac—who was involved in her friend’s death—after learning why the Kaylon themselves are biased against biological life. Later in the season, Moclus is expelled from the Union after Kelly and Bortus rescue Topa from a Moclan black site where she was tortured and nearly killed for helping Haveena smuggle newborn Moclan females, breaking the agreement from the previous season. The Moclans then form an alliance with the Krill against the Kaylon, who are forced into a truce with the Union by a weapon powerful enough to destroy them. Ironically, the Union must ally with the Kaylon when that weapon falls into the hands of the Krill and Moclans, leading to a battle that comes with sacrifices.
The main cast includes Seth MacFarlane as Captain Ed Mercer, Adrianne Palicki as Commander Kelly Grayson, Penny Johnson Jerald as Dr. Claire Finn, Scott Grimes as Lieutenant Gordon Malloy, Peter Macon as Lieutenant Commander Bortus, Jessica Szohr as Lieutenant and later Lieutenant Commander Talla Keyali, J Lee as Lieutenant Commander John LaMarr, Mark Jackson as Isaac, and Anne Winters as Ensign Charly Burke. Recurring roles feature Norm Macdonald as the voice of Lt. Yaphit, Kai Wener as Ty Finn, BJ Tanner as Marcus Finn, Victor Garber as Admiral Tom Halsey, Kelly Hu as Admiral Ozawa, Andi Chapman as Admiral Howland, Chad L. Coleman as Klyden, and Imani Pullum as Topa.
Fox renewed the series for a third season in May 2019.
Quick Facts
- Season Number
- 3
- Starring
- Seth MacFarlane / Adrianne Palicki / Penny Johnson Jerald / Scott Grimes / Peter Macon / Jessica Szohr / J Lee / Mark Jackson / Anne Winters
- Num Episodes
- 10
- Network
- Hulu
- First Aired
- 2022-06-02
- Last Aired
- 2022-08-04
- Episode List
- List of The Orville episodes
- Prev Season
- Season 2
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The season's storylines include the Union's conflict with the Kaylon, Claire's reconciliation with Isaac, and Ed discovering he shares a daughter with newly elected Krill chancellor Teleya. Other plots involve the reversal of Topa's sex-change operation and new crew member Charly Burke overcoming her bigotry towards Isaac upon learning the origins of the Kaylon's own prejudice. Toward the end of the season, Moclus is expelled from the Union after Kelly and Bortus rescue Topa from a Moclan black site, leading the Moclans to form an alliance with the Krill against the Kaylon. The Kaylon are coerced into a truce with the Union by a weapon powerful enough to wipe them out, and the Union is forced to ally with the Kaylon when the weapon falls into the hands of the Krill and Moclans, culminating in a battle that does not come without sacrifice.
Reader's Guide
The third season of The Orville marked a significant shift for the series, moving from Fox to Hulu and adopting the subtitle New Horizons. Production was heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, with filming beginning in October 2019, halting in March 2020, resuming in December 2020, suspending again in January 2021, and finally wrapping in August 2021. The season introduced updated uniforms and sets, as well as redesigned Kaylon and Isaac models to appear more robotic. Norm Macdonald completed voiceover work as Lt. Yaphit prior to his death in September 2021, making it his final role; the premiere was dedicated to his memory. The episode 'Gently Falling Rain' was dedicated to Lisa Banes, who completed her role prior to her death in June 2021. The season received a 94% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 14 reviews, and was noted for its higher budget, darker themes, and exploration of philosophical and ethical issues.
Did You Know?
- Filming began in October 2019 but was halted in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with production ultimately completed in August 2021.
- Norm Macdonald's voice role as Lt. Yaphit was his final performance before his death in September 2021.
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