When it was announced Seth MacFarlane would be stepping away from animation to pursue a live-action space dramedy, there were more than a few skeptical people who questioned whether or not The Orville would be a success. Regardless, an impressive amount of people tuned in for the show's pilot, and folks continue to watch in solid enough numbers that Fox apparently couldn't hold back the news any longer, and we have some excellent news for fans of the freshman series. Ahead of tonight's episode, it has been revealed The Orville will return for Season 2 on Fox.
The Orville will be Fox's first freshman series renewal of the season, and rightfully so as the series boasts the network's highest ratings and viewership since Empire debuted in 2015. Beyond that, the series has earned the honor being the third-ranked new drama of the fall season. The series is also doing well in the much-coveted 18-49 demographic, in which it is averaging a 2.5 rating.
The Orville's Season 2 renewal comes just before Episode 8 of the 13-episode order, which airs tonight on Fox at 9 p.m. ET. Show creator and series lead Seth MacFarlane, who has been tweeting nothing but things regarding The Orville and ignoring his other shows as of late, was pretty stoked about the renewal in spite of how he looks in the picture below:
His enthusiasm is definitely warranted as a bulk of critic's reviews for The Orville were none too kind. Many were quick to dismiss the show's premise with some alleging it was trying to be Star Trek or a less clever version of Galaxy Quest. Conversely, the show has quite a few fans among viewers on Rotten Tomatoes, which has the show at a 93% audience approval rating. Our head TV editor Nick Venable has been speaking pretty highly of the series as well.
Get ready for Season 2 of The Orville by tuning in to the series tonight as a new episode begins at 9 p.m. ET on Fox. For more on the show, check out the similarities between the series and Star Trek as explained by an actress who has been a part of both projects, or read more about why Seth MacFarlane thinks his series is such a departure from other sci-fi shows. For more on other fall shows that are premiering every day, be sure to visit our fall premiere guide and never miss another show (for at least the next couple months) again!
