It’s been four years since The Orville: New Horizons wrapped up on Hulu—the show’s third season overall after two installments on Fox. In that time, the show’s fan base has remained hopeful there’d one day be a return, a dream creator and star Seth MacFarlane has given fresh life to on occasion.
MacFarlane’s line on the subject has always been that he hasn’t yet given up on the show and would love to do more. When The Orville started in 2017, it quickly moved past any first impressions of being a Star Trek spoof. While Trek was a clear inspiration, the show soon carved out its own take on the space-exploration genre. Its crew, led by MacFarlane’s Captain Ed Mercer, visited new planets and became entangled in galactic conflicts while world-building with aliens, robots, and humans, all of whom had plenty of complexity as characters.
The Orville deftly managed a balance of high-stakes drama and action with some deeply goofy humor. It also had top-quality production values, including an orchestral score and detailed visual effects.
And it seems like we can still say The Orville is on more of an extended hiatus rather than gone forever, going by what MacFarlane said in a recent interview with the Hollywood Reporter.
“I will be honest with you: season four is written,” MacFarlane told THR, noting there are 10 finished scripts. “It’s just a question of when we have the time to produce it.”
MacFarlane continued, “I’m the problem. It’s [a matter of] when I can make that my year, with all the other stuff we have in the works. But we can hit the ground running when it happens.”
That’s got to be the most encouraging update yet for Orville fans. Hopefully it won’t be another couple of years before MacFarlane has more to share.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
Read the full article here
