Fans have waited a long time to see Season 3 of The Orville, and the wait for the sci-fi series' latest season just got a bit longer. The series was first projected to make a premiere on Hulu in late 2020 and, now, it's looking like the Seth MacFarlane show will be put on hold that much longer as Hollywood prepares for another COVID-19 shutdown.
The Orville is listed among many Disney-owned shows set to delay production following the holidays due to the current surge of COVID-19 cases in Los Angeles. Deadline reported The Orville and 15 other shows like This Is Us, Black-ish, and Last Man Standing will remain on holiday hiatus instead of their previous production start dates of Monday, January 11th. The current plan is for these shows to be back in production the following week of January 18th, so the delay isn't much longer than planned.
The Orville had already had production on Season 3 delayed back when production shutdowns first happened in 2020 and had finally gone back into production in early December. It was believed that the series had around five to six months of additional production time to wrap up the season when that was reported, and this delay just tacked on at least another week. It may not be a massive roadblock in the grand scheme of things, though this is assuming Disney doesn't halt production further or the COVID-19 situation in Los Angeles doesn't deteriorate further.
Following the show's departure from Fox, The Orville's new home at Hulu was said to be a great place for the show for many reasons, and fans were psyched until rumors surfaced that the run may not last for long. It was rumored back in August that Season 3 would be the series' final season. The rumor was rebuked, at the time, by staff members, but production delays can lead to a show's cancellation no matter how successful it may be.
Of course, there's no sense in dwelling on cancellation when it hasn't even been confirmed. The fact is that The Orville Season 3 has been much-hyped, so it's disappointing to hear any delay as that means that much more time before anyone gets to see it. If the show's current production estimate is on track, Season 3 will still be in production two years after the awesome Season 2 finale aired.
With no solid release date for the upcoming season to speak of, it's possible it could be closer to three years since a new episode of the series has aired before The Orville is finally airing new episodes. Hopefully, the wait is worth it and, if it is, a Season 4 renewal could be just around the corner.
Check out the first two seasons of The Orville on Hulu. Continue to stick with CinemaBlend for more updates on Season 3 and more news in television and movies.
