In a surprise announcement at SDCC, Seth MacFarlane revealed that the third season of The Orville will stream on Hulu instead of airing on Fox.
On Saturday at San Diego Comic-Con Seth MacFarlane and the cast of The Orville took the stage for a panel that promised to look back at Season 2 and give fans a sneak peek into what may be coming in Season 3.
And while fans experienced all that and more, they also got a bit of news that no one saw coming.
MacFarlane announced that The Orville would be leaving Fox and instead become an exclusive on Hulu, a streaming service now owned by Disney. In addition, the third season wouldn’t arrive until sometime in late 2020 and would include 10-13 episodes released weekly, similar to Star Trek: Discovery.
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In a press release about the move, MacFarlane indicates that it is largely due to his hectic schedule and the fact The Orville may be a victim of its own success. As the production has evolved and grown, so has the amount of time needed to work on the series, time MacFarlane doesn’t have while also working on his other projects for Fox.
"“My friends at the network understood what I was trying to do with this series, and they’ve done a spectacular job of marketing, launching and programming it for these past two seasons. But as the show has evolved and become more ambitious production-wise, I determined that I would not be able to deliver episodes until 2020, which would be challenging for the network. So we began to discuss how best to support the third season in a way that worked for the show. It’s exactly this kind of willingness to accommodate a show’s creative needs that’s made me want to stick around for so long. I am hugely indebted to Charlie Collier and FOX Entertainment for their generosity and look forward to developing future projects there.”"
As for Hulu, SVP Content Development Craig Erwich is thrilled with the addition of The Orville to the streaming platform.
"“We know our viewers are huge fans of The Orville, along with many of Seth MacFarlane’s groundbreaking hit shows, and we can’t wait to bring Season 3 to them exclusively on the platform. Hulu is a home for the world’s most sought-after creative talent, and we’re incredibly excited to welcome Seth and the entire cast and creative team of The Orville to our Hulu Originals slate.”"
While the change is a big surprise, it is just another indication of how things are continuing to evolve in the ever-changing television landscape. With Disney now owning Fox Studios, and Fox Studios owning The Orville, the fact the show would move to Hulu makes a certain amount of sense.
Disney has said that Hulu will be the home for the more cutting edge and adult-focused shows while Disney+ will be the home of the company’s family friendly fare. If that is indeed the case, The Orville should fit in perfectly with the rest of the shows on the streaming service.
Keep it here on Redshirts Always Die for more about The Orville, the upcoming third season and its move to Hulu as it develops.