# The Orville-Seth McFarlane **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 17, 2017, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814 "2017-05-17T03:28:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2017, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/121 "2017-09-12T02:44:28Z")
Couple of things I thought this was the anti-trek, and would love to hear George Takei’s views on the show. Pretty certain the Oh My’s would have been coming fast and furious. Concidering how well the effects were, I would have been curious to see what would have happened if they did the show straight. So far of all the cast, only Adrienne Paliki really appeals to me and thats the prob. I would prefer this show tanks, so that she goes back to Agent of Shield. ---
**Author:** ![Helena330](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/helena330/32/531_2.png) [@Helena330](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena330)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2017, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/122 "2017-09-12T05:34:10Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Don’t even think that. We would get a post menarche heroine who saves the day and the show will revolve around her. The _horror_. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2017, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/123 "2017-09-12T06:03:32Z")
I quite enjoyed it. The humor is a bit weird, and I prefer the more subtle ones parts and not where it breaks the narrative (like the villain on the viewscreen). There wasn’t really any substance beyond the relationship stuff, but that’s okay. And they really did not get the stakes quite right in the commercial breaks. But it worked okay. Though it’s a trip going back to muting and doing something else while waiting for the ads to go away. Still, I want this show to succeed, and I’ve heard it’s got a lot of bad reviews, so I’m trying to support them. I hope the show gets a bit more science fiction underpinnings as it goes, and doesn’t do narrative breaking gags. But it has a lot of potential. In just a short period, it already seems far more like Star Trek then what they’ve described for Discovery. It just feel like they’re new at it. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2017, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/124 "2017-09-12T09:01:59Z")
From the commercials, I assumed the robot-looking guy was a robot, and the Data parody. Interesting that it is instead a super-xenophobic alien. (Still seems to be the Data/Spock parody, though.) ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2017, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/125 "2017-09-12T10:43:02Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > From the commercials, I assumed the robot-looking guy was a robot, and the Data parody. Interesting that it is instead a super-xenophobic alien. (Still seems to be the Data/Spock parody, though.) I think the robot IS a robot. The robots think all organic life forms are inferior. Brian ---
**Author:** ![Arkcon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Arkcon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arkcon)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2017, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/126 "2017-09-12T12:47:52Z")
> [@leftfield6](#): > > Only thing I hate is the time slot. Following football on FOX means you can’t really count on it actually starting on time if the games run long. And that screws up my TIVO. Dammit. There’s another thread on this topic, involving Heidi, for some reason. Years ago, I used to warn people NOT to put a show on Fox, for just that reason. Well, tell people who would listen, mostly, I don’t actually know anyone who’d be in a position to pitch a TV show anyway. In those days I wanted to see _The Simpsons, Family Guy, Bob’s Burgers_ and other cartoons. I wanted that _Space: Above and Beyond_ would just end and let a Simpson episode appear, but it was often preempted by a game. I never watched _Firefly_ because I knew preempting would happen. Anyway, football on Fox is now under control. _The OT_ frequently mentioned that Seth MacFarlane’s new series was coming up. Fox has carefully worked game start time, and has _The OT_ under control. I definitely noticed that there was less commentary to save time. 'Course, that just flies out the window with Nascar. They weren’t under control at all last time I checked. Race is over, rambling interviews, and the, 15 minutes into the next time slot – is it time to wrap it up? Nope, time for another rambling interview. Still. If this works well enough. Fox can try to rein in this sort of thing just for this show. ---
**Author:** ![Arkcon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Arkcon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arkcon)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2017, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/127 "2017-09-12T12:51:27Z")
> [@WotNot](#): > > What? Broadcast TV doesn’t have production schedules anywhere near that long. “Qpid” was shot in February 1991 and aired in April. US TV doesn’t wait till they’ve shot the entire season before they start broadcasting. And yes, they really did make it a Robin Hood episode because of the Kevin Costner film. I really don’t know how long it takes to CGI in the phaser blasts. And of course, “Riding the donkey” and related shots maybe all that’s “in the can.” And the rest can be acted out, later, or not if the series tanks. But from the Wikipedia episode guide, its seems like a lot of the way the series is going to go is defined. ---
**Author:** ![WildBlueYonder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ce7236/32.png) [@WildBlueYonder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildBlueYonder)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2017, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/128 "2017-09-12T13:14:53Z")
I saw this for the first time the other night. Good parts but a lot of bad parts…get their crap together and it could be a good laugh once a week ---
**Author:** ![kiz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7feea3/32.png) [@kiz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiz)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2017, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/129 "2017-09-12T13:23:00Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > I read a review today (can’t link at the moment) that said that while Fox is trying to promote this as a joke filled parody, the actual show is more straight sci fi with comedic moments. That actually makes it more interesting to me. We saw the first episode on Amazon last night. Parody is an apt description. I’ve never been a big Star Trek fan, but the parody of it is right there in front of you. The comedic moments aren’t the LOL kind. The parody itself is part of the comedy, as is the sly asides/commentary characters make. It wasn’t offensive at all. I was surprised McFarland turned it down that much. I wouldn’t mind seeing another couple of episodes but I think a show like this tends to either acquire a cult following like Galaxy Quest or quietly dies. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2017, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/130 "2017-09-12T13:28:27Z")
I think it has potential if they drop the stupid comedy attempts and used it more of a SciFi drama with the dynamics of the ex, her going behind his back with the admiralty and hiding she is the reason why he has this position, however if it was not for her cheating and his going through a divorce badly and the downturn of his life, he would have most likely captained a better ship, it has potential. We will see which way this goes, but praying they drop the really bad comedy. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2017, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/131 "2017-09-12T13:35:28Z")
I dropped out when it was revealed his XO was going to be his ex-wife. Don’t think I’ll be back. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2017, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/132 "2017-09-12T13:35:57Z")
I enjoyed the first episode. Less Family Guy type humor then I expected and that is a good for me at least. The Arbor Day solution was really bad science of course and I guess played for laughs. I can buy the aging ray (allowing for Star Trek/Doctor Who techno-babble) but a 100 foot red wood would need a huge amount of resources to grow, not just time. That one can be chalked up to rule of funny but pulled me out of the show a little. I liked the crew dynamic so far and will keep watching. ---
**Author:** ![Arkcon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Arkcon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arkcon)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2017, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/133 "2017-09-12T13:45:43Z")
I think it could be as good as M_A_S\*H, a serious sci-fi clone of ST:TNG, with smart aleck remarks from Seth, his ex-wife, the helmsmen, while everyone else tries to push for “will you be serious, this is important.” And the comedians go, “I’m only going to be as serious as I absolutely have to be, because reasons.” I just read the NPR review linked above, and I understand the criticism – if its going to briefly touch on touchy subjects, and have the captain and first officer riff on it, its going to seem trivial and that weakens the show. But if there’s heart behind what they do, when its serious or funny, m the series could have some legs. Ed wanted his ex-wife gone at the beginning of the episode, but asked her to stay at the end. Maybe a series arc begins here: he wants her back. Maybe. But not really. But … maybe. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2017, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/134 "2017-09-12T13:46:42Z")
If they dropped comedy it’d just be Star Trek without admitting it. Say what you will, but at this point in its run TNG was a pretty cheesy-ass show and didn’t really find its tone until its second season. I suspect The Orville had a chance to run for awhile, since 1. There isn’t a lot of space opera on TV right now, 2. Damn the show LOOKS good, and 3. FOX trusts Seth MacFarlane. Since bringing back Family Guy their management approach with him seems to be “Let MacFarlane do whatever he wants.” They let The Cleveland Show run for 4 seasons and 88 episodes despite having maybe 3 episodes’ worth of jokes. I wish MacFarlance had been a bit more original in the conception of the universe - little things, like the ship being named “ **USS** Orville” rather than some other prefix, like “UEV” or any three letters you can hammer together, for instance. I understand why he wanted an optimistic, bright universe (like Star Trek) with a cast aboard a ship that explores spaces (like Star Trek) but a little more effort to make a unique universe would have been nice. I’m half surprised he didn’t put the Union HQ in San Francisco. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2017, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/135 "2017-09-12T13:57:53Z")
> [@Arkcon](#): > > There’s another thread on this topic, involving Heidi, for some reason. The 1968 “[Heidi Game](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heidi_Game)” is still remembered among football fans, and is considered to be the classic example of why the TV networks will no longer pull away from the end of a NFL game for a “regular” program. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2017, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/136 "2017-09-12T14:09:41Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I quite enjoyed it. The humor is a bit weird, and I prefer the more subtle ones parts and not where it breaks the narrative (like the villain on the viewscreen). Now see - the villain on the viewscreen was actually done perfectly - as its intent was not to be funny to us (directly) - but to throw the villain off his game and delay him (long enough to build the redwood weapon). I see the humor being more about ‘not’ being thenormal stuffy command structure - and doing things in space battles that otherwise wouldnt be done (the ship zooming in and around the bigger alien vs standing ‘toe to toe’ with it.). ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2017, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/137 "2017-09-12T18:25:29Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > The 1968 “[Heidi Game](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heidi_Game)” is still remembered among football fans, and is considered to be the classic example of why the TV networks will no longer pull away from the end of a NFL game for a “regular” program. Yup. Here’s the thread: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=835982](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=835982) ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2017, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/138 "2017-09-12T19:01:06Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Rotten Tomatoes has it at 17% with critics vs. 90% with viewers. > > Interesting divide, but hopefully this means the show has enough goodwill thus far to keep it from getting Fireflied. I think this is evidence that there is an audience hungry for optimistic Sci Fi. CBS was dumb for dumping Star Trek on their streaming platform. It will have a fraction of the audience it could have had (assuming it is true to Trek and optimistic Sci Fi). ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2017, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/139 "2017-09-12T19:08:14Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > I think this is evidence that there is an audience hungry for optimistic Sci Fi. CBS was dumb for dumping Star Trek on their streaming platform. It will have a fraction of the audience it could have had (assuming it is true to Trek and optimistic Sci Fi). I agree, I’m not even going to look into the new series until it becomes available on a more mainstream outlet like TV, Amazon or Netflix. ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2017, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/140 "2017-09-12T19:42:37Z")
> [@Finagle](#): > > I guess I’ll give it time to find its stride. Although it’s not on a network [that’s known for letting that happen.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9xForBuqpI) While a number of those were quick cancellations - girls club lasted only about 3 episodes - Titus actually had more episodes air up to that point than FG did. Also, Fox hasn’t been as hasty pulling shows as it used to be; the last show I can think of that was cancelled “early” was _Utopia_ (the reality show about people living in a self-contained ecosystem of some sort). (_Our Little Genius_, which was cancelled before any episodes aired, doesn’t count as it was pulled by its producer when he discovered that some associate producers were giving hints (or questions, or even answers, depending on the version of the story) to the contestants.) > [@leftfield6](#): > > Only thing I hate is the time slot. Following football on FOX means you can’t really count on it actually starting on time if the games run long. And that screws up my TIVO. Dammit. As I said on the other thread, after this Sunday, Fox is moving the show to Thursdays at 9 Eastern, after _Gotham_. The “usual” Sunday schedule returns on 10/1. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814.md?page=8)