The Orville
| The Orville | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | The Orville: New Horizons (S3) |
| Genre |
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| Created by | Seth MacFarlane |
| Showrunner | Seth MacFarlane |
| Starring |
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| Theme music composer | Bruce Broughton[4] |
| Composers |
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| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 36 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Running time |
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| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | Fox |
| Release | September 10, 2017 – April 25, 2019 |
| Network | Hulu |
| Release | June 2 – August 4, 2022 |
| Infobox instructions (only shown in preview) | |
The Orville is an American science fiction comedy drama[1][2][3] television series created by Seth MacFarlane, who also stars as the protagonist Ed Mercer, an officer in the Planetary Union's line of exploratory space vessels in the 25th century. It was inspired primarily by the original Star Trek and Next Generation programs, both to which the series pays homage. The series also uses inspiration from the Star Wars franchise.[5] Produced by Fuzzy Door Productions and 20th Television, it follows the crew of the starship USS Orville on their episodic adventures, as well as a serialized story which develops over the length of the series.[6][7] The series and vessel featured within it are named after aviation pioneer Orville Wright as stated by creator Seth MacFarlane in response to a Reddit "Ask Me Anything" session.[8]
The Orville premiered on September 10, 2017, and ran for two seasons on Fox and became available on streaming service Hulu the following day, followed by a third season exclusively on Hulu. After generally unfavorable reviews for season 1, season two onwards received critical acclaim. The show had relatively successful ratings on Fox, becoming the broadcaster's highest-rated Thursday show as well as Fox's "most-viewed debut drama" since 2015.
- ^ a b "Shows A-Z – orville, the on fox". The Futon Critic. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
- ^ a b Rubin, Rebecca (September 15, 2017). "TV News Roundup: 'The Orville' Becomes Fox's Biggest Drama Debut in Two Years in Delayed Viewing". Variety. Retrieved September 15, 2017.
- ^ a b "The Orville: Seth MacFarlane Explains Why His New Show Isn't Just a Comedy". TVLine. August 8, 2017. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
- ^ Burlingame, Jon (September 7, 2017). "Seth MacFarlane's 'The Orville' Gets Movie-Style Scoring From Emmy-Winning Composers". Variety. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
- ^ Donaldson, Mark (May 2, 2023). "7 The Orville Sci-Fi References (That Aren't Star Trek)". Screen Rant. Retrieved June 11, 2023.
- ^ de Moraes, Lisa (August 8, 2017). "Seth MacFarlane: 'The Orville' Occupies Sci-Fi Space 'Star Trek' Left Behind En Route To Dystopia". Deadline Hollywood.
- ^ Martinelli, Marissa (September 8, 2017). "Seth MacFarlane's The Orville Is More Earnest Star Trek Homage Than 'Family Guy in Space'". Slate.
- ^ David, Margaret (March 5, 2021). "The Orville: Where the Titular Ship Got Its Name". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved May 16, 2025.
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