The Orville has neither been officially cancelled nor renewed and Season 4 is allegedly in the works, but it may need some help from the fans for the new season to happen.
What Is It?
This series is set 400 years in the future and it follows the crew of The Orville, a mid-level exploratory spaceship in the Planetary Union, as it travels through the galaxy and navigates interstellar diplomacy, alien encounters, and personal relationships. Captain Ed Mercer and Commander Kelly Grayson lead a diverse crew of humans and aliens and deal with conflicts both on and off their starship as they strive to keep the peace in a dangerous universe.
Aired: FOX/Hulu, 2017-Present, 3 Seasons Totaling 36 Episodes
Starring: Seth MacFarlane, Adrianne Palicki, Penny Johnson Jerald, Halston Sage, Scott Grimes, Peter Macon
Created By: Seth MacFarlane
Has It Been Cancelled?
This space-based series arrived on FOX in the Fall of 2017 and surprisingly performed rather well in the ratings, especially when delayed viewing was factored in. It at first appeared to be a Star Trek parody, but was actually more of an homage to the Trek of the Next Generation/DS9/Voyager era injected with a healthy dose of humor. Fans of those shows took to the Seth McFarlane series feeling it was closer to the spirit of the franchise than Star Trek: Discovery which premiered in streaming on Paramount+ (then called CBS All Access) at right about the same time. The Orville was renewed for a second season which premiered in December 2018, though the tone of the show appeared to shift at that point with more focus on comedy and sitcom-type plots, possibly at the insistence of the network. The same-day viewing numbers dropped during the show’s second year, though it did continue to see notable gains in delayed and digital viewing. FOX did announce a third season renewal for the show in May of 2019, but that was also right at the time of Disney’s buyout of Fox Entertainment, so it was unclear where the series would eventually land.
The Disney-owned streaming service Hulu was announced as the home for The Orville, and the budget for the show was increased during its third season, but that did not premiere until Summer 2022. It was well-received by fans and critics upon its return (currently holding a 100% Fresh Rating and 84% Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes), but it did not make it into the Nielsen Streaming Rankings. The show was later added to the lineup on Disney+, but it still never charted in the Nielsen Rankings, putting the fourth season in doubt.
Neither Hulu nor Disney has confirmed the status of the show, so it has been in limbo since wrapping up its third season. Seth McFarlane has regularly given fans hope, suggesting that a fourth season will happen at some point. However, Adrianne Palicki indicated that she has no plans to return to the show, saying in an interview “no, no longer doing that” in relation to the series and that “it’s a really difficult show to shoot” because it had such a long hiatus between seasons. But then Scott Grimes made the claim that the fourth season will start shooting in January or February of 2025, and the show did appear in the Production Weekly list for the week of December 5, 2024. There has still been no official word from Hulu or Disney, nor any confirmation that production on the fourth season has begun. But showing up in Production Weekly is typically a good sign, so there is still hope that The Orville will be back with more adventures.
Can the Fans Help the Show?
It is very possible that the ball is already rolling on a fourth season, but a push from fans can certainly help things along and maybe get the Mouse House to finally confirm the show’s status. There is an online petition that has garnered over 32K signatures so far, and fans have made a push for the show on social media from time to time. They should resume those efforts and also start staging watch parties to get its viewership up so that it can place in the Nielsen Streaming rankings. They should also stage a drive to get people to subscribe to Hulu/Disney to watch the show and to buy the first three seasons VOD. The latter two actions will impact the bottom line and will certainly get executives at Disney paying attention.
The Orville has the potential to deliver many more adventures and even branch off into a Trek-like mega franchise, and Seth MacFarlane certainly wants to return to the show. There are also plenty of fans eagerly awaiting a fourth season, so now is the time to make a push for it before the brass at the Mouse House gets distracted by the next shiny object and gives up on the property.
Where Can You Watch It?
All three seasons of the show are currently streaming on Hulu and Disney+ and they are also available to purchase VOD from sellers like Amazon.com. Seasons 1 and 2 are also available to purchase on DVD.
Stream or Purchase VOD
Did you watch The Orville and would you support fan efforts to save the show? Chime in below in the comments.
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