The Orville Wiki: “The Orville” is a sci-fi comedy-drama series created by Seth MacFarlane, who also stars as Ed Mercer. The show follows the crew of the USS Orville on episodic adventures, paying homage and parodying “Star Trek.” Initially premiered on Fox in 2017 and ran for two seasons, it later became available on Hulu. The third season titled “The Orville: New Horizons” premiered exclusively on Hulu in 2022. The show had successful ratings on Fox, becoming the highest-rated Thursday show and Fox’s “most-viewed debut drama” since 2015.
The Orville TV series Overview:
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Article Name | The Orville Wiki |
| Movie | The Orville |
| Premise | A science fiction comedy-drama series that follows the adventures of the USS Orville, an exploratory spaceship in the 25th century. |
| Production Company | Fuzzy Door Productions and 20th Television |
| Creator | Seth MacFarlane |
| Cast Members | Seth MacFarlane, Adrianne Palicki, Scott Grimes, Peter Macon, J Lee, Halston Sage, Penny Johnson Jerald, Mark Jackson, Chad L. Coleman, Larry Joe Campbell, Charlize Theron, Jessica Szohr, Chris Johnson, and Anne Winters |
| Seasons | Three |
| Premiere | September 2017 (Season 1) |
| Critical Response | Negative reviews for Season 1; Critically acclaimed for Seasons 2 and 3. |
| Filming Period | Season 1: Late 2016 to August 2017 |
| Season 2: February 2018 to October 2018 | |
| Season 3: October 2019 to August 2021 | |
| Directors | Jon Favreau, Jonathan Frakes, Robert Duncan McNeill, Brannon Braga, Seth MacFarlane, Jon Cassar |
| Visual Effects | Tippett Studio, CoSA VFX, Pixomondo, Crafty Apes, FuseFX, Eight VFX, and Zoic Studios |
| Music Composers | John Debney, Joel McNeely, Bruce Broughton |
| Music Score | Scored like a movie |
The Orville: A 25th-Century Space Adventure
The Orville is a science-fiction television series that follows the adventures of the USS Orville (ECV-197), a mid-level exploratory spacecraft. The show is set in the 25th century and takes place within the Planetary Union, an interstellar alliance between Earth and other planets. Each episode features the ship’s crew on exploratory missions to new planets and other parts of the galaxy, where they encounter exciting adventures and challenges.
Production and Development of “The Orville” TV Series
“The Orville” is a live-action television series created by Seth MacFarlane, known for his work on “Family Guy” and “American Dad.” MacFarlane wrote the series as a spec script and it was greenlit by Fox in May 2016 for a 13-episode order, making it his first live-action series. MacFarlane revealed that he had wanted to create a show like this since childhood and drew inspiration from “The Twilight Zone” and “Star Trek.” The success of movies like “Guardians of the Galaxy” and “Deadpool” encouraged him to sell the series. In November 2017, Fox renewed “The Orville” for a second season. One episode from season one, “Primal Urges,” was held back for the second season due to programming gaps during the Christmas season. In December 2018, the California Film Commission approved $15.8 million of tax credits for a potential third season.
Casting for “The Orville”
“The Orville,” a science fiction television series created by Seth MacFarlane, announced its cast members starting in July 2016. MacFarlane was revealed to play the role of Ed Mercer, the captain of the Orville, while Adrianne Palicki was cast as Kelly Grayson, Ed’s ex-wife and newly appointed first officer of the Orville. Scott Grimes was also cast as Gordon Malloy, Ed’s best friend who was assigned to pilot the Orville. Peter Macon and J Lee were announced as series regulars in August, followed by Halston Sage and Penny Johnson Jerald in October, and Mark Jackson in December. Chad L. Coleman was later added as a series regular in April 2017, with Larry Joe Campbell in a recurring role. Charlize Theron was also announced to guest-star in an episode at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2017. Jessica Szohr was cast as a regular for season two in February 2018, and Chris Johnson in a recurring role. Anne Winters joined the cast as a regular for season three in November 2019.
Filming
The Orville is a science fiction television series that premiered in September 2017. The show follows the adventures of the crew of the USS Orville, a mid-level exploratory vessel in the Planetary Union. Here’s a breakdown of how the show was produced.
Season One:
Production on the pilot episode began in late 2016, with actor and director Jon Favreau signing on to direct. Filming for the rest of the episodes started in March 2017 and concluded in August of the same year. The production spent $56.2 million, with Star Trek veterans Jonathan Frakes and Robert Duncan McNeill directing one episode each, and four episodes directed by Brannon Braga.
Season Two:
Filming for the second season started in February 2018 and concluded in October of the same year. Frakes and McNeill returned to direct another episode each, and the production spent $69.2 million.
Season Three:
Filming for the third season began in October 2019 but was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ultimately, it was completed in August 2021, with MacFarlane and Jon Cassar directing all episodes.
Visual Effects and Music in The Show
The show’s visual effects are produced by renowned studios, including Tippett Studio, CoSA VFX, Pixomondo, Crafty Apes, FuseFX, Eight VFX, and Zoic Studios, as reported by source [82]. On the other hand, the music in each episode is performed by a 75-piece orchestra, composed by different music composers, including John Debney, Joel McNeely, and Bruce Broughton. Broughton not only wrote the show’s theme but also composed the score for the pilot episode. Creator Seth MacFarlane emphasized that the music is scored like a movie, and the team puts as much effort into it as they do in creating the show’s visual effects [83]. La-La Land Records released a soundtrack album for season 1 on January 22, 2019, while season 2’s album was released on January 19, 2021.
Award nominations for The Orville
| Year | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Saturn Awards | Best Science Fiction Television Series | Nominated |
| 2018 | Visual Effects Society Awards | Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Episode | Nominated |
| 2019 | Saturn Awards | Best Science Fiction Television Series | Nominated |
| 2019 | Visual Effects Society Awards | Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Episode | Nominated |
| 2020 | Saturn Awards | Best Science Fiction Television Series | Nominated |
| 2020 | Visual Effects Society Awards | Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Episode | Nominated |
Source: Wikipedia