Seth MacFarlane is probably best known for his work on well-known shows like “Family Guy,” “American Dad!,” and “The Cleveland Show.” He has made a guest appearance on “Star Trek: Enterprise,” and has been inspired to create his show, “The Orville.” MacFarlane not only writes and produces the show, but is the main character, Captain Edward “Ed” Mercer.
The first season was released in 2017, followed by the second season in 2018-2019 under Fox before being taken in under Hulu and releasing the third season in 2022.
During the first season, the tone had some serious elements but was kept pretty light throughout that first season. During the second, it got a little more serious, but in the third season after Hulu took over, the budget seemed to have gotten larger, and with the new streaming platform, they were able to tackle far more difficult topics.
With difficult topics comes a lot of challenges, but the way many of the topics are handled with respect and a touch of humor to take some of the edge off was really impressive. According to reviews, the first season did not do very well with critics, but season two and onwards was well-received.
The main cast is part of the Planetary Union, which is an interstellar alliance in the 25th century, with many species coming together on ships like the USS Orville (ECV-197), a mid-level exploratory vessel. While it is technically an exploratory vessel, they get into trouble over and over again. This trouble is usually with species like the Krill and the Kaylon, both having some interesting lore to them.
The first episode sets an interesting tone for several characters and the relationships between them. Starting the show off with Ed walking in on his then wife Kelly Grayson, played by Adrianne Palicki, sleeping with a blue alien and switching to him being promoted to Captain of his own ship was a unique start to a show about space exploration for sure. Next thing you know, Kelly Grayson is found to be Commander Kelly Grayson, the newly appointed First Mate to her now ex-husband Ed on his new ship, Orville.
A character that has some interesting story lines and character development is Lieutenant Gordon Malloy, played by Scott Grimes. He does not seem to be very lucky in love, but his humor is almost always on point with his timing. He has quickly become a favorite of mine with how he handles tough situations with humor and wit. Malloy is also a very intelligent man who can think on the fly with his piloting skills, like when he pulls off a risky maneuver he called “Hugging the Donkey,” where he moved the ship around the enemy ship as if drifting a car instead of a massive spaceship.
Lieutenant Commander Bortus, played by Peter Macon, and Doctor Claire Finn, played by Penny Johnson Jerald, are characters that play an important role in the show as well. Bortus is a race of alien that is known as a single sex race, though that becomes one of those hard topics they broach later. He is very dry and brutally honest, but it works for him. Doctor Claire has interesting character depth that gets explored in her romantic subplots as well as her handling of complex situations. She is a very compassionate character but has a wry sense of humor that pairs well with her field. I would say overall, “The Orville” is a solid 4/5 for me.