The Orville is still one of the best bits of science fiction television you can watch. With that out of the way, you’re going to want to watch more of it because Seth MacFarlane has finally given fans an update on whether or not a fourth season will be coming.
In speaking with THR about his new show Ted, a prequel TV series to the two films starring the foul-mouthed bear, he was asked about the possibility of a fourth season of the show. His response is pretty unclear, but it doesn’t shut the door on more Orville at some point.
“We have not officially seen the last of Orville, no,” he said. “I would be digging a hole, the bottom of which I can’t see yet, to answer that question. (Laughs.) But all I can say is that the show is not officially ended.”
The Orville has had a long and strange history since it premiered in 2017. Marketed as a Seth MacFarlane comedy version of Star Trek by Fox, those who tuned into it found a secret layer of actual Star Trek hiding underneath the gags and crass humor. Its second season ditched nearly all the overt comedy in favor of becoming a slightly more humorous version of classic Star Trek, something fans were crying for, as Star Trek: Discovery was definitely not that. Sadly, Fox let the show sit. Production on the third season got delayed by the pandemic, and it was moved over to Hulu before the Disney buyout came along. A third, truly fantastic season called The Orville: New Horizons finally came out in 2022, giving fans a half-hearted send-off to the series.
Since then, things have looked pretty bleak for the series, but as MacFarlane notes, it has never actually been canceled. Sure, the actors were all waived of their obligation for the show sometime last year, and aside from small updates like this, we haven’t heard anything else. But hopefully, someone will step in and scoop it up if Disney has no interest. Maybe Netflix can pull a save like it did with Star Trek: Prodigy.
To summarize: GO WATCH THE ORIVILLE.
