That gets my vote. The funny thing is, that was sort of what I was expecting when I started watching. Instead, it seems like a weird combination of space drama, side or even main plots focused around very serious subjects (porn addiction, genital mutilation, anti-vaxxer stuff to name just a few), and a bit of typical Seth McFarland humor. I will probably keep watching, but to me it is a very strange brew. The episodes I liked best were very heavy on the Seth style humor and light on everything else.
Yeah I’ve seen every episode and they all end up being just flat Push is further or give me Galexy Quest. Not much energy at all.
I was expecting much more humor in it being Seth is in charge. Seems like every week is just preachy. Gordon is about the only character I really like. Halston Sage and Seth have been dating in real life.
Great 4th episode! Some spoilers... A true Trek episode thematically, but also a homage to Star Wars - two for the price of one! I noticed the SW elements almost immediately when the notX-wing type fighters started buzzing around and the big Krill mother ship slowly overflies the shuttle. Then you had the bad guys boarding the Krill ship, storm trooper style, killing everyone, while the two protagonists escape in a capsule and land on Dagobah! Even some of the background music had SW-y feel during those scenes. But in the end, it was all about diplomacy, forming tentative bonds with the enemy and learning some uncomfortable truths about oneself. All great Trek stuff. Oh and, <smug mode>I was right about Janelle's character</smug mode> Now we're cooking!
And then they broke up last summer. And -- surprise! -- her character is no longer on the show. I'll say this: they gave her a great send-off and gave her more lines and more to do than in any episode of the show thus far. And they left the door open for her to come back, which I tend to doubt. Important safety tip: if you're gonna date somebody on a TV show, don't date the boss. (I'm reminded how Jennifer Carpenter (co-star of Dexter) started dating star/executive producer Michael C. Hall, and that led to marriage... and then they had a messy divorce. I was glad that they stayed professional throughout the whole thing and agreed to keep working together despite the split, and you couldn't really tell that there had been personal issues between the two.)
It was a great sendoff, but more than that, it really felt emotional, as in real-life emotional not just acting emotional (at least that's how it came across to me). Lovely scene.
I was waiting for the shuttle to sink. I also thought Gordon in the simulator had Kobayashi Maru written all over it.
Hollywood math: 45 goes into 25 better than the opposite. I agree: it was not the steaming goat turd I was expecting it to be. You wonder how many of those lines were echoed in real life...
I haven't started watching this season yet, but reading things like this and some of the comments earlier in the thread about the humor still being prominent in spite of the stated intent to make this season more serious...well, I'm not exactly running to catch up. My Spidey senses are telling me that this show isn't going to last beyond this season.
As much as I've enjoyed what little I've seen of the Orville, the nerd rage if Star Trek: Discovery gets a third season and the Orville doesn't is going to be delicious.
If STD doesn't get a third season (which is very likely), you can kiss goodbye all the other spinoffs as well (now they're saying that Picard will be a limited series), and probably All Access itself. There are more people watching The Orville, despite non-stellar ratings, than there are subscribers to CBS-AA, which according to 'insider' information is much lower than the lowest CBS was expecting. I reckon The Orville will get another season (they have already obtained tax credits for production), especially since Seth is Fox's cash cow and Disney is unlikely to want to rock the boat this early on. But yeah, I would be sorry to see it go, for sure.
I’m finding Orville to be a show without a purpose. I agree with the comment up thread that Seth wanted to be in Star Trek, and when he couldn’t be he went off and made his own. If I want to watch more 80s-style Star Trek, i’ll put on TNG, DS9, or Voyager and watch the real thing.
I'm very interested in what they do with Picard, and some of that certainly has to do with the fact that I would watch Patrick Stewart in just about anything. I think it's worth noting that no one on The Orville has that kind of presence. There's a lot of mileage still left in the concept of a semi-serious science fiction show with the Trek template -- a Next Generation clone basically. If Mr. M could get out of his own way he could have an enjoyable, long-running show on his hands, and he could push boundaries a little too. The couple of episodes last season that had more thoughtful ideas at their center showed how that could work. Sad to say, he doesn't seem to have the right touch for this.
There have been some interesting ideas in Orville, but the show can’t decide if it’s a comedy or drama - I’ve had several people ask me if it’s funny because McFarlane is involved and my response is “not really”. This season has been very much like TNG once that show was established; a serious “A” story involving an outside threat and a comedic “B” story that focuses on the crew. I’ve already seen that show and I’d rather watch Picard and crew than most of Orville’s cast.
This is what Seth said on Twitter a couple days ago when asked if The Orville was supposed to be a comedy or serious: "We’re a sci-if drama cake with comedy frosting. I’m obviously very hungry right now".
I thought how he played out his role with Teleya was well done. Captain Mercer showed some real heft and maturity in dealing with the situation. Why does the show have to decide what to be? So you'll know where you stand?
Because it is entertainment? What other reason does a tv show need? It's one few shows currently that I look forward to seeing each week. Exactly. Ep 4's themes epitomize the heart and soul of real Trek.
But we already have real Trek over on CBS with Discovery. I’m not sure what purpose this show serves. I’d rather it did it’s own thing, like Babylon 5 or Farscape did when there were Star Trek shows competing with them.
