Movies - TV
Fox Didn't Quite Understand What Seth MacFarlane Was Aiming For With The Orville
By MICHAEL BOYLE
Despite being known for a certain sense of humor, Seth MacFarlane’s sci-fi comedy, “The Orville,” is a thoughtful series that tackles serious issues, showing the creator’s interest in telling stories with emotional depth. MacFarlane recalls Fox’s support for his series but shared, “The only objection I had was that the show was launched as a hard comedy. They really leaned into the jokes.”
The original trailer for Season 1 gives the impression that “The Orville” is a parody of “Star Trek,” or as MacFarlane put it, “They really presented it as a sitcom in space, which it wasn’t.” The creator explained, “It was a show that was attempting to tell serious sci-fi stories while cracking jokes at the same time, and ... that’s not really something sustainable.”
The show struggled to balance humor and drama, leading Season 1 to have mixed reviews; however, “The Orville” would blend these opposite tones seamlessly as the show continued. With its move to Hulu, MacFarlane had more freedom with the style and pacing of the show, saying, “We stopped pressuring ourselves to try and make this thing something it wasn’t.”