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The Orville is a Trek spoof comedy TV series on the Fox network as Tricky first posted to indicate Star Trek Discovery has competition.
Seth MacFarlane's 'The Orville' Trailer Goes Full 'Galaxy Quest'Quote:
Originally Posted by Tricky
Wonder were Paramount is with Galaxy Quest as it was 2015 when it was announced as being considered for a potential TV series as I indicated.Quote:
Originally Posted by The Hollywood Reporter
Am I the only one feeling depressed that this show looks to be more faithful to Trekdom than Star Trek Discovery? :(
Seth Macfarlane needs to go lock himself in an oubliette until he's ready to apologize for everything he's done.
First episode aired, wasn't as funny as I hoped and was a bit pedestrian, but I will give it some more time to see if it improves, though from the ratings I doubt it will go too far.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8aUuFsXRjU
So far, I've been stunned at the quality of the show and the writing. I was expecting a focus on humor and this show has surprised me with thoughtful plots that match Trek at its finest. What are other opinions?
agreed the quality of production is first class, but I feel the humor is forced and I feel that the show hasn't found its groove yet. From the ratings I don't think it will get traction and be renewed, but I hope that it gets at least a fair run (unlike Fire Fly for example). I am not sure if they want us to take The Orville seriously and treat it like a 'lighthearted Trek' series or what. It is definitely not in the same league as Dark Matter (cancelled), Kill Joys or anywhere near as The Expanse.
I find it odd that it would be the comedy aspect of the series that is having the most difficulty given the creator. However, you are spot on that The Orville is no match for The Expanse.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pericles
Its rating on its regular night and time was .1 over its lead in show (in a key demographic), so I think people are seeking it out. But on the other hand, NBC beat Fox despite airing reruns.Quote:
Originally Posted by WaveMan
Seth indicated that The Orville is suppose to fulfill the lighthearted Trek with some humor thrown in. So it is suppose to serious. I will be watching regularly.
Thanks spshu, I have seen 3 episodes and have enjoyed it enough to continue, at least I know what it is supposed to be now and will take it seriously. Some of the trailers misrepresented it then, as they implied that it was a spoof (which it is, but I never take spoof's seriously) and not to be a 'serious' series.
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Critical response
The review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 21% approval rating, with an average rating of 4.61/10 based on 33 reviews. The website's consensus reads, "An odd jumble of campiness and sincerity, homage and satire, The Orville never quite achieves liftoff."[41] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 36 out of 100, based on 20 reviews, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[42]
Liz Miller writing for IndieWire compared the series to Star Trek, calling it a rip off and "Creatively, Morally, and Ethically Bankrupt". She criticized the lack of creativity, the blatant imitation, and was surprised that the show is "uninterested in being a comedy".[40]
Erik Kain of Forbes, gave a positive review of the show with the observation that "All the optimism and sincerity and lightheartedness of Star Trek is here, and in many ways it's kind of wonderful. I'm honestly surprised something like this exists." He says the critics were wrong and suggests their opinions are based on disliking MacFarlane and his type of humor
The most recent episode "About a Girl" was pretty powerful drama and matched some of the best moral dilemmas that Trek has ever had.
agreed, on point and relevant to today's issues and what many modern societies are struggling with at the moment (particularly here in Australia where LGBT marriage equality is at plebiscite currently)Quote:
Originally Posted by Pericles
I am both happy and sad to say that Orville is amazing so far. It is more Trek than ST Discovery is so far. They have done well to bring up social issues the way Star Trek has always done in the past.
Dare I say it, can we get Seth to take over the helm of writing for Star Trek since I think he reveres the content more. I think he would put Trek back on the right track while bringing in other writers who also revere the content.
I too am pleasantly surprised by The Orville, now that I know what it is supposed to be, and they are injecting a little more humor in but keeping the plots story driven and tackling current moral and societal issues. I just hope it gets enough traction to keep it going. I am sick of single season one shot wonders.
About a girl was really good: I liked that the issue wasn't resolved, despite the crew doing all the things that normally win the day in a Trek series (big speech, object lesson, courtroom drama). Because transgender issues are difficult, and you can't resolve them simply.
I loved If the Stars Should Appear; a great sci-fi hook that's been used for ages. And the visual of the inside of the colony ship was amazing. My only complaint was that they wrapped it up too quick; whole shows have been built around the lost colony ship trope.
I think they are trying to do stand alone episodes with little or no extended plots that need two or three episodes to wrap up, which tends to make the episode seem a little rushed sometimes. I agree they are tackling some difficult issues and are doing a fine job of going through them.
Each episode seems to be improving and they are definitely finding their groove.
looks like The Orville might get renewed for at least one more season, showing solid numbers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8x-130ZKj4
this is interesting (spoilers for episode 3 for anyone who hasn't seen it) slight swearing warning on the vids
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_lYk01jbW4
and this (as above for the swearing)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TR8lAv9qJ4w
renewed for season 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNo9l57OrQc&t=73s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGH8P4Xu39Y
every episode gets better with The Orville, and they have hit their groove, finding the balance between humor, plot and character development. The Orville is definitely a homage rather than a spoof of Trek.
I've watched every episode of Discovery and The Orville, but I only look forward to The Orville as I find the show to be fun and a solid homage to Trek that I enjoy watching. With Discovery, I just have the forlorn, so far, hope of the next episode not being worse than the last one.
yeah mate me too, STD just gets worse, whereas The Orville just keeps getting better.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pericles
I just watched the most recent episode "Cupid's Dagger" and while I won't discuss the plot, there is an element of this episode that deserves mentioning as it is something that usually gets overlooked. The aliens in this episode were so phenomenal that they actually exceeded the bar set by TNG/DS9/Voyager. These aliens were humanoid, but their appearance was not the typical forehead of the week ilk that were standard for Star Trek. I was extremely impressed and this aspect of the series is just another example of why The Orville is a serious Science Fiction setting despite the humor that is part of the series.
season 2 has started
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuU9v0_mqtg
Unlike ST.D The Orville just keeps getting better with each episode.
I think The Orville has hit its stride now, great stories, good character development with characters I like and can relate to, a little humor and overall a great experience.
my interest in Orville has slowly dropped, this is not the same show it was season 1 which made me love it. I've only found the episode "Home" and the two parter to be interesting and enjoyable, the rest was just "meh" now. I haven't watched the episode from 3/6/19 yet, probably this weekend. I hope it follows the humor and action of the two parter.
But that's my opinion and my opinion is just that and only matters to me.
The latest episode, the one with the Union-Krill peace talks, was everything Trek stands for. I still love the show.
Sanctuary follows up the first season episode About a Girl which gave backstory on the Moclan species, revealing the true nature of the all-male species and their drastic solution to what they regard as a serious problem. The sequel reveals that the "problem" is more widespread and engages the Union and the planet Moclas in a debate which may end the Union, leaving the fate of all organic life in the balance! I'm not going to post any spoilers in this initial post other than to opine that this is a timely and topical story that will inevitably divide opinions among fans.
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The Orville is everything STD isn't and is IMHO far more 'star trekkie' (both in feel and storey arcs) than any of the current Trek shows and movies.
I just watched the Sanctuary episode and it was probably my favorite episode so far this season.
I tend to agree. While Disco has gone out of its way to eliminate anyone connected to Star Trek and especially anyone who's a Star Trek fan, Seth MacFarlane is unabashedly a fan with a capital F. Not only was Sanctuary a topical episode dealing with a contentious issue in modern society, it was a direct sequel to an earlier episode dealing with the ramifications of the earlier conclusions drawn about the issue. In Star Trek we rarely, if ever, got to see the long-term consequences of decisions made by the characters.
it certainly was on point and topical, dealing with current real life issues in a futuristic setting.
I love Orville but I do wish they would start to do more 'exploring' (they are an Explorer class vessel) episodes. Still early days and they might begin to introduce that sort of story arc.
Season 3 is tentative, but hopeful, from what I have read, ratings seem to indicate that Fox will pick up a third season.
For the show's third season, The Orville is moving to Hulu.
‘The Orville’ to Move From Fox to Hulu for Season 3
I am mildly disappointed in this move. I would preferred that the show continue on Fox, ABC or even MyNetworkTV as I not ready for any streaming service. At least it sounded like Fox would have picked up the third season, but why not a summer season? Perhaps the cost.Quote:
Seth MacFarlane’s “The Orville” is on the move.
MacFarlane announced Saturday at the show’s San Diego Comic-Con panel that Season 3 of the sci-fi series will air exclusively on Hulu rather than on Fox as it has for its first two seasons.
According to an individual with knowledge of the situation, MacFarlane’s current workload and the length of time it takes to finish work on the show’s numerous special effects sequences would have meant that Season 3 would not have been ready for a midseason debut. New episodes are now expected to launch on Hulu at the end of 2020. The streamer currently has the first two seasons available to subscribers.
Luckily, in Canada the Orville is still on Space, an extended basic cable channel. Like Discovery, we don't have to screw around with any shady fly-by-night subscription channels.
The shift in platform isn't even the worst part, the next episodes won't air until the end of 2020, more than a year delay could easily kill the series as the audience may move onto something else.
Not sure how Hulu is one of the major US streaming services is "shady fly-by-night subscription channels." as at one time many of the major film studios owned a part, Universal (currently hold a stake with option to sell as a silent owner), Disney (controlling owner), Time Warner (sold stake to Disney) and Fox (its share acquired by Disney with most of 21st Century Fox).Quote:
Originally Posted by Owen E Oulton