It's been a long time (yes, yes, we couldn't resist starting with a little !). We've had to for seaon 3 of The Orville (thanks, pandemic) but it's finally here.
The new season - called The Orville: New Horizons - stars Seth MacFarlane alongside Adrianne Palicki (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D), Penny Johnson Jerald (Castle), Scott Grimes (American Dad!), Peter Macon (Family Guy), J. Lee (American Dad!), Mark Jackson (The Royal Today), Chad L. Coleman (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia), Jessica Szohr (Shameless) and Anne Winters (13 Reasons Why).
Here's just a few of the many reasons we're looking forward to stepping on board with The Orville: New Horizons.
1. It's a loving homage to Star Trek
Family Guy star Seth Macfarlane and the rest of the creative team (which includes some Star Trek alumni) created a show that is both a loving nod to the classic sci-fi series, but also it's own funny, clever creation. Set 400 years into the furture, it's both sci-fi and comedy and also manages to ponder some important questons about relationships, responsibility and how the universe works. Or should work. Or doesn't work. You get the idea.
It's not just Star Trek either. Case in point: Episode one of the new series is called 'Electric Sheep', so we can't wait to find out what that signals for the ship's Kaylon crew member Isaac, given the handling of androids in the dystopian 1968 novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick. And what happened in Season 2. (We're trying to avoid spoilers - whip on over where seasons 1 and 2 are streaming, if you haven't already seen them).
2. The amazing guest stars
Pay close attention- almost every episode of the show so far has had a celebrity cameo. Famous names making an appearance have included Rob Lowe, Charlize Theron and a brace of Star Trek stars, including Marina Sirtis, Tim Russ and Robert Picardo. We hear Bruce Boxleitner (Babylon 5) will be among the folk making an appearance this season.
3. It's a laugh out loud comedy with heart
It's funny and sharp, but you might also find yourself shedding a tear, or thinking twice about whether things, and people, are what they seem. This is thoughtful science fiction at it's entertaining best.
4. Lt Commander Bortus
It wouldn't be The Orville without Bortus. Actor Peter Macon (Family Guy, Shameless) is the man behind this key character.
5. It's unpredictable
"You have to continue to defy expectations and surprise people. Comedy and drama are both driven by surprise. If you can keep people guessing, whether it’s with a dramatic twist or a great, unexpected joke, that’s really at the heart of everything. With The Orville, we’re trying to continue with our pattern of not slipping into a formula," Seth MacFarlane told us back in 2018. Given series 3 is going by the moniker 'New Horizons', we're expecting more surprises.
6. The reviews are (inter)stellar
"...The Orville is a heartfelt and, dare I say, optimistic view of adventures in space; resisting the current fashion of dark sets and even darker stories. The Orville brightens the final frontier, and enlists and engages us in traveling with its so very human characters (yes, aliens and androids included) in its very warm and inviting universe." -
"The creator of Family Guy and American Dad doesn't just beam in a Galaxy Quest kind of spoof with his new show. Rather, he has brought to life a seriocomic homage to Star Trek: The Next Generation. The hour long episodes have more drama than you'd expect, especially as you get past the pilot... It feels like an extension of that universe in all the best ways, which is surely helped by some familiar Trek alumni behind the scenes, including executive producer and director Brannon Braga... It doesn't hurt either that the show looks really good. The aliens have a unique appearance and the
visual effects stand out... The design of the starship Orville is inventive and the score recalls the uplifting orchestral work heard on TNG. -
"Everyone's favourite space adventure show." - Okay, that was us here at SBS, back when season 2 was about to land. Still true!
Season 3 of The Orville premiered on SBS VICELAND and is now streaming , along with seasons 1 and 2. You can also enjoy the adventures of Seasons 1 and 2 in the SBS podcast .
