The Orville: New Horizons is a show that, much like other Seth MacFarlane projects, occasionally shows some love to plays and musicals. So, it's no surprise that the star and creator brought accomplished stage actor Victor Garber on set in the recurring role of Admiral Halsey. It turns out that the two do talk about the arts when they’re together, and Garber recently revealed that MacFarlane actually uses Annie to “embarrass” the actor when he’s on set.
I asked Victor Garber about Seth MacFarlane’s love of musicals and other stage performances and whether or not they ever talked about that when he’s around. Garber confirmed it is something they like to talk about and noted that The Orville star and creator likes to poke fun at him by using a song from his performance as Daddy Warbucks in Disney’s 1999 version of Annie:
When I do these long monologues that take a long time, I work so hard to learn them that I get them done faster than they expected. When I finish the monologue he’ll suddenly go very quiet in the studio and these speakers are turned on so you can hear them. He plays the song from Annie that I sing, ‘N.Y.C.’ and he loves to just fill the studio and embarrass me.
Victor Garber might blush a little while Seth MacFarlane plays Annie songs during his scenes for The Orville: New Horizons, but it’s not like the actor’s stage career is anything to be ashamed of. In addition to being a celebrated actor in television and film (he even almost appeared in Star Trek), he’s a four-time Tony-nominated stage actor. With memorable roles across the board in Broadway productions, MacFarlane's prank feels like more of a celebration of Garber's accomplishments than a form of mockery.
Seth MacFarlane also worked another reference to Annie into one of Victor Garber’s recent episodes of The Orville: New Horizons, called “Gently Falling Rain.” Admiral Halsey and other members of the Union delegation attend an alien performance of Annie with members of the Krill there to observe. The moment was definitely a great moment of the episode and one that Garber appreciated immensely:
When I saw the way it was filmed, [it] made me laugh so hard. His sense of humor is so fantastic.
The Orville: New Horizons might be more serious now than it's ever been, but that doesn’t mean there can’t be fun every once in a while. This is especially true in the latest batch of episodes, where some levity was almost necessary to dissect some incredibly heavy topics. The alien-filled Annie performance was definitely a great funny moment for the season, so I can certainly understand why Garber enjoyed it so much.
There’s still no word on whether or not The Orville: New Horizons will return for Season 4. CinemaBlend reported from other members of the cast that it appeared audience reception would play a factor in the renewal. Luckily, the show's latest episodes have been well-received online, so provided fans have a Hulu subscription, one would think Season 4 is a possibility.
The Orville: New Horizons streams new episodes on Hulu on Thursdays. Season 3 is underway, so now is a good time to keep current on the show or even rewatch some of the new season’s best episodes.
