We're well into the year at this point and, while I didn't expect Season 4 of The Orville to be on the 2025 TV schedule, fans were expecting some official news about its status. Cast member Scott Grimes revealed in the summer of 2024 that Season 4 production would start this year, and yet it's almost May and we still haven't heard any updates on what's happening. Now, Adrianne Palicki is suggesting the exact opposite is happening and that the odds of Seth MacFarlane's sci-fi show returning for Season 4 are slim.
Palicki spoke to MovieWeb at the Dallas International Film Festival ahead of the premiere of her latest movie, The Salamander King. On the topic of whether or not she'll return as Kelly Grayson on The Orville, Palicki shared an answer that now likely isn't what people want to hear if they're hoping to watch Season 4 with a Disney+ subscription anytime soon:
That would be a conversation, if that was going to be a thing. You know, right before the strikes, that was definitely a conversation that Seth and I had. He called me and asked if I would do it, and it was a possibility, and then the strikes happened. It kind of just went away. I know a lot of people are disappointed about that, but as of now, I don't know that there's going to be a fourth season.
It seems the actress is just as in the dark on whether a new season will happen as we are and, to me, that doesn't sound like good news for The Orville. It also doesn't sound like bad news either, because she's merely stating that she has no idea whether or not a new episodes are being made. Basically, if you've suspected that work on the sci-fi dramedy's forth season hasn't begun or isn't far along, I would imagine that Palicki's comments reflect that.
It's strange that Adrianne Palicki hasn't heard anything about The Orville since the writer's strike but, in fairness, this isn't the first time she's expressed some apprehension about returning to the sci-fi series. Palicki previously confessed she was unsure about doing another season due to Seth MacFarlane's lengthy writing process Season 3.
I think it's possible that Seth MacFarlane is quietly writing Season 4 of The Orville and may be waiting until that project is complete before contacting the cast to share the details. It probably best benefits the actors to have their schedules open rather than waiting around for the scripts to be ready, as they did between the end of Season 2 and the start of Season 3.
Regardless of what may be happening behind the scenes, I can't help but be confused and bummed out about this latest update. It feels like we've taken a step back in what we know about the fourth season, and it seems unlikely we'll ever get some answers about what happens after the finale. Hopefully, we'll receive an update from MacFarlane or another series alum soon and that it makes me feel more hopeful that we haven't seen the last of this show.
You can stream The Orville now on either Disney+ or Hulu. If you're a loyal fan still streaming in hopes it'll lead to a renewal, keep fighting the good fight as we await further updates for the sake of clarity on the series' future.
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