The newest rumor surrounding the Orville is that it’s set to return in December to resume filming after the COVID-19 pandemic derailed production.
Fans of The Orville, get ready to rejoice, as the third season will resume production on their third season come December. While it’s unknown how much was filmed before the production was shut down by COVID-19, or how much they’ll re-shoot/shoot come December, the hope among the fanbase is that the series will see the light of day by the spring of 2021. If not sooner.
TrekMovie.com was the first to report the story, and they parlayed the length of time needed to finish the tapings and it’s not great.
"It is expected that work under strict COVID protocols to complete season three will take five or six months in total."
They go on to say;
"As of now, there isn’t a target date for The Orville season three’s debut on Hulu, but the team’s hope is to start the season before the end of 2021. Season three will consist of eleven episodes, each of which will have a longer runtime than episodes from the first two seasons, which aired on Fox Broadcast Network."
So not only could the season take until the fall of 2021 to finally air, it’s very possible it’s the last season. Rumors have circulated for a few months back that Orville’s third season would be its last. The series will move from Fox to Hulu when it’s ready to start airing and there was a rumor online that claimed the sound stages they were filming at were being sold.
While that’s not a sign that the show is getting canceled, it is worth mentioning.
TrekMovies.com is reporting that, according to their sources, no decision on the shows future past season three has been decided yet. Since series creator Seth MacFarlane is a fan of Star Trek and the show is a love letter to Trek, project, it’s entirely possible that he’d have enough clout to get this the fourth season if he really wants one.
That’s just speculation though.