Seth MacFarlane surprised everybody when hisStar Trek-inspired seriesThe Orvilledidn’t turn out to be aFamily Guy-esque crude parody show. In fact, it happened to be quite good as far as funny space things go. But those same people were likely also surprised when season 2 ended and nary a peep was heard of where the show would go from there. Well, it looks like things are about to get clearer.
Hulujust released a teaser trailer forThe Orville’s 3rd season, and it’s very much a teaser if ever there was one. Consisting of a slow zoom on the titular ship’s empty command deck, the viewer is treated to voice clips from the various crew members heard throughout the series. Some classic bridge banter from Scott Grimes' Lieutenant Gordon Malloy sets the stage all the way to heroic declarations and calls for evasive maneuvers amid emergency alarms from MacFarlane’s Captain Ed Mercer, offering just enough to jog the memories of viewers before revealing the season’s premiere date and the show’s unexpected new title.
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Now calledThe Orville: New Horizons, the title probably has littleto do withAnimal Crossingand instead likely refers to a fresh start and some expanded possibilities for the series going forward. After airing its first 2 seasons on Fox,The Orvillemoved to Hulu only for production to face continued hindrances due to the pandemic. Luckily, filming on season 3 finally wrapped in August, with MacFarlane commemorating the occasion on Twitter while expressing his own uncertainty regarding the show’s future, posting “and that is a wrap on season 3 ofThe Orville! Thank you to our incredible cast and crew for all their tireless and brilliant work, and I sincerely hope this is not the last time we all go to space.”
Aside from MacFarlane and Grimes,The Orvillealso stars Adrianne Palicki as Commander Kelly Grayson, Penny Johnson Jerald as Dr. Claire Finn, Peter Macon as Lieutenant Commander Bortus, J. Lee as Lieutenant Commander John LaMarr, and Mark Jackson as the synthetic life form science officer Isaac. The series deliberately and explicitlypays homage toStar Trekwith not only its premise but also its designs and character archetypes. However, it has managed to establish its own identity well enough to earn a rather die-hard fanbase, likely aided by the comedy drama’s willingness to tackle particularly poignant issues using alien races as a clever framing device.
It’s great to finally see proof ofseason 3 getting its time to shine, particularly after almost 3 years off the air.The Orville’s well-mixed combination of humor and genuine sci-fi drama sets it apart from the silly parody show many assumed it would be. From a tense invasion plot at the end of season 2 to discussions about gender identity through the lens of an all-male alien species, it’s no wonder this series has garnered such a following. It makes it that much more heartbreaking to wonder howThe Orvillewill deal with thetragic passing of Norm Macdonald, who voiced the slime alien Yaphit in the first 2 seasons.
Unfortunately, eager fans still have a little bit of a wait ahead of them before season 3 finally premieres. But on the bright side, at least now there’s an actual concrete release date. So strap in and get ready to see where this intrepid and only mostly terrified crew will head next.
The Orvilleseason 3 will begin airing weekly on Hulu starting March 10th, 2022.
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