Review The Orville (2017)

Gavin

Member: Rank 6
VIP
So I've just finished episodes 2 and 3 of The Orville and I have to say I'm really impressed. The humour has been toned down slightly from the first episode and its more a drama with some humour. Still more jokey than Star Trek but the scripts are excellent. Neither episode would have been out of place in ST:TNG and the third episode would, without any doubt, have been considered among the best episodes of TNG had it been one of that show's stories. A truly thought provoking episode which doesn't pull any punches along the way. This is fast becoming one of my favourite shows.
 

ant-mac

Member: Rank 9
So I've just finished episodes 2 and 3 of The Orville and I have to say I'm really impressed. The humour has been toned down slightly from the first episode and its more a drama with some humour. Still more jokey than Star Trek but the scripts are excellent. Neither episode would have been out of place in ST:TNG and the third episode would, without any doubt, have been considered among the best episodes of TNG had it been one of that show's stories. A truly thought provoking episode which doesn't pull any punches along the way. This is fast becoming one of my favourite shows.
Strangely enough, the more I learn of THE ORVILLE, the less I like it. What seems to impress you is exactly what displeases me. I wanted another QUARK or RED DWARF style TV series. A live action science fiction TV series with the same sense of humour as FAMILY GUY or AMERICAN DAD. If I want to see an episode of a science fiction TV series worthy of STAR TREK, I'll actually go and watch STAR TREK.

At this stage, I doubt I'll even bother to see any of it at all.

Oh well, each to their own.
 

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
Would Paramount have grounds at all for suing the makers of THE ORVILLE?

Especially if it trounces DISCOVERY in the ratings! :emoji_alien:
 

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
The latest episode.....





Sadly they will have to stop making them very soon, due to Paramount's crippling "guidelines".
 

ant-mac

Member: Rank 9
It is really good.
I think Paramount realised somebody was actually making good Star Trek and found the situation intolerable. :emoji_confused:
They should have taken the concept of ST:D and outsourced it to the makers of STC. Imagine what they could have accomplished with the backing of a major studio. And they probably could have got it done cheaper and quicker too.

And STAR TREK lore would have been kept intact.
 

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
Yes, I agree. The makers of Continues have a genuine love for what they are doing. And true respect for the source.

I also like the fact that they even has James Doohan's son, Chris, as Scotty. :emoji_alien:
 

Gavin

Member: Rank 6
VIP
Strangely enough, the more I learn of THE ORVILLE, the less I like it. What seems to impress you is exactly what displeases me. I wanted another QUARK or RED DWARF style TV series. A live action science fiction TV series with the same sense of humour as FAMILY GUY or AMERICAN DAD. If I want to see an episode of a science fiction TV series worthy of STAR TREK, I'll actually go and watch STAR TREK.

At this stage, I doubt I'll even bother to see any of it at all.

Oh well, each to their own.
Fair enough. I'm not a fan of the humour of shows like American Dad or Family Guy so we've clearly got a different sense of "funny". But if that's what you're looking for you won't find it in The Orville (at least not so far) so hopefully my review has saved you some time :emoji_alien:
 

ant-mac

Member: Rank 9
Fair enough. I'm not a fan of the humour of shows like American Dad or Family Guy so we've clearly got a different sense of "funny". But if that's what you're looking for you won't find it in The Orville (at least not so far) so hopefully my review has saved you some time :emoji_alien:
Cheers, mate. :emoji_wink:

Mind you, I'm also partial to the likes of FAWLTY TOWERS, THE TWO RONNIES, OPEN ALL HOURS, PORRIDGE, YES MINISTER, YES PRIME MINISTER, BOTTOM, THE YOUNG ONES, BECKER, CHEERS and so forth, just to name a few...
 

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
“The Orville” Likely To Get A Renewal?


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“Family Guy” creator Seth MacFarlane has indicated that his new sci-fi series “The Orville” is looking likely to return for a second season.

The series surprised many as its “Galaxy Quest”-style ads suggesting it was a comedy proved incorrect, instead it was a drama with comedy stylings and a very heavy borrowing of “Star Trek” tropes. Even so, it has found an audience.

According to DigitalTrends, who covered the show’s New York Comic Con panel, MacFarlane appeared via Skype to say that he was: “confident that there would be a season two” and that numbers and fan reactions were on their side. An official order has not yet been given.

Despite a critical drubbing, the show opened to a strong 3.5 rating and 8.6 million viewers during its series premiere. Subsequent episodes have seen it settle at just under half that amount despite the inclusion of some high profile guest stars like Liam Neeson and Charlize Theron.
 

Michael9

Member: Rank 1
I like the Orville. It hasn't the polish nor the finish of any of the current scifi shows, especially ST:Disco.
Maybe they cloned too much to stand on their own footing. Its a newcomer, lets see where they go.

But it has the heart of Trek in his core and with the last episode ("Krill"), they just skipped all the
mumbo jumbo ST was sometimes slow to watch, and went to the core of the issue. Which is refreshing.

I don't think the argument qualifies, that If you want to watch a Trek-style show, you watch Trek.
ST:Disco is far away from TNG and DS9. The ham fisted way they play the stories and characters has nothing
todo with Trek. Even if we would accept that the Discovery is a different kind of "jack of all trades" ship,
their disrespect for long standing Federation rules and behaviors doesn't remind me at all "watching a Trek show".

Even during the Dominion war, DS9 showed great respect to humanity. This show is a regression to ST:E.
That is the discussion in a lots of places and it will continue. Seth MacFarlane reacted at the right time.
He saw the production issues with ST:Disco and immediately knew, this will not be the Trek the people loved.

Its an modern bastardization to full fill some business targets for the higher ups. Making a fan loved
show wasn't clearly the target. They even don't want to make money on this show, as some insiders
reported. Its a hammer to get higher cable access revenues from third parties.

Seth stopped begging CBS to let him make a lighter ST:TNG, and just did it himself. ST:Disco tries to survive
with high end sets and FX, while failing in story and history what Star Trek really means. Alone the last ep
was cringe worthy to watch.
 

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
Star Trek: Disco just seems to be a typical sci fi show of today that they have stuck the ST label on, simply to ensure viewers and to protect it from the cancellation that it would surely otherwise get.

Then, to add insult to injury, they have dared to set it ten years before the Kirk era, with nothing - nothing at all - matching continuity wise, while giving us empty sound bites like "we want to make sure all that stuff tracks". although none of it remotely does! :emoji_grin:

It might as well be set in the Mirror Universe, so dark a place is it, with humanity at it's worst - not best - and a central (Mary Sue?) character who seems to be the only one who can do anything "heroic" and survive, even when her actions are actually violent and dumb.


And, talking of repeats, I have indeed found myself returning to the real Star Trek of yesteryear. It feels necessary, in order to wash the bad taste of Disco away.

I have yet to see The Orville properly, but even a "surface scan" of it via the trailers etc. feels more Trek than Disco does! Ditto the STAR TREK CONTINUES fan-made series. :emoji_alien:
 

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
FOX Officially Renews “Orville” For Season Two


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FOX has officially renewed its Seth MacFarlane-led space drama “The Orville” for a second season – the first freshman series of the season to land a renewal at Fox.

The series has performed respectively in one of broadcast television’s toughest timeslots – averaging a 2.5 rating in the 18-49 demo in Live+7 ratings which makes it the third highest rated new drama in the key demo this season.

Set four centuries in the future, the story follows a down on his luck divorcee (McFarlane) who finally gets the chance to command a starship, only to find out the first officer assigned to his ship is none other than his ex-wife (Adrianne Palicki).

Scott Grimes, Penny Johnson Jerald, Peter Macon, Mark Jackson, J. Lee, Halston Sage, and Norm Macdonald co-star in the series which had a rocky start with reviews, but subsequent episodes have seen them improve as the show finds its footing.

FOX president of entertainment Michael Thorn says in a statement: “Once again Seth has struck a powerful chord with viewers. He has delivered a series full of optimism, drama and his trademark humor. We want to thank him and the rest of the talented cast, as well as the producers and crew, for an incredible first season. We can’t wait to see where The Orville travels in the second.”
 
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