With its first two seasons, The Orville managed to not only live up to sci-fi fans' expectations, but it also upended the main criticism going against it from the beginning, that it was just going to be a Star Trek clone. Seth MacFarlane and his Orville creative team have delivered some truly bonkers stories for the ship's captain and crew, though fans will have to wait a while longer to see what Season 3 has in store. As plans to resume production are being formulated, MacFarlane offered a brief and vague update while explaining one thing he really loves about this show.
While taking part in an Instagram conversation with his Orville co-star Jessica Szohr, Seth MacFarlane was asked about his favorite character on the show, but he wisely pointing out that it wouldn't be smart for one of the show's executive producers to play favorites in that respect. However, he did reflect on how much he truly loves The Orville's stacked cast of characters as a whole. In his words:
I love them all. It’s one of the things I love most about the show. I’m a big fan of ensemble pieces, particularly with television. What I love about the show and about the characters it that I can pick any one of the characters and write a story about them that week. It can be a Bortus story one week, it can be a Kelly story, it can be a Talla story. It’s wide open, and I think allows for a lot of longevity.
Indeed, when The Orville first started, it seemed like it might end up becoming The Ed and Kelly Show, with Seth MacFarlane and Adrienne Palicki's characters caught up in a "will they/won't they" romantic situation. However, it quickly become evident that the writers and producers very much wanted to turn all of the main characters into fan-favorites, from Penny Johnson Jerald's Doctor Claire to Scott Grimes' Gordon to Halston Sage's now-gone Alara.
Perhaps the most noteworthy examples include Peter Macon's Bortus and his spouse Klyden (Chad Coleman), a pair of Moclan aliens whose behaviors and customs are anything but typical for humans. As well, The Orville has found ways to spin relevant narratives out of J. Lee's navigation bot Isaac. There isn't a being inside or outside of The Orville that the writers couldn't set up with an engaging adventure and some meaningful character development.
Fans can hopefully find some optimism in Seth MacFarlane's saying that he thinks the large ensemble equals longevity in terms of show life. Considering there have been rumors floating that Season 3 will be the final one for The Orville, any sign that Season 4 could possibly happen would be a major win for viewers who don't want to see another high-budget science fiction series get the axe.
The Orville Season 3 still doesn't have a release date set, and still hasn't finished filming episodes, so it'll likely be well into 2021 by the time we get to see new installments. In the meantime, though, there are still lots of solid shows coming to Hulu, and you can check out our 2020 Fall TV premiere schedule to see what new and returning shows are on the way.
