The Orville has finally finished production on their third season.
The Orville started production on the third season of their series in 2019. A jump from Fox to Hulu had everyone with some pretty high hopes. Things were going well until they weren’t. Covid-19 hit, and the coronavirus shut everything down. Including the production of season three of The Orville.
The production started in October of 2019 and ran uninterrupted until March of 2020 when Covid came to the US. Nine months of inactivity followed when the show was then finally put back in production in December of 2020. Several issues slowed and halted production over the next few months and an estimated wrap of April 2021 never happened.
Now, Seth MacFarlane is tweeting out that yes, indeed, the Orville has finished its third season. The Orville creator, who also created Family Guy and American Dad, tweeted out an update on the series production, confirming what fans had been pinning for.
And that is a wrap on season 3 of The Orville! Thank you to our incredible cast and crew for all their tireless and brilliant work, and I sincerely hope this is not the last time we all go to space. #TheOrville
— Seth MacFarlane (@SethMacFarlane) August 11, 2021
A celebratory cake, documenting the three years was also shared by Tom Constantino, a co-producer on the show.
Despite rumors of a cancellation, there remains hope for a season four
Rumors around the show’s future came into doubt when The Cinema Spot posted an article in August of 2020 that the show had been canceled after season three. There were even rumors that The Orville’s soundstage was being stripped and sold, hastening the allegations.
Except, that may not be the case, at least just yet. Hulu Scripted Chief Jordan Helman spoke to Deadline about the show’s future and was very adamant that it isn’t canceled, or renewed just yet.
"…future of the show remains an open conversation and there have been no conversations otherwise."
There’s no reason to lie about a show not getting renewed. In fact, many shows’ final seasons are marketed as such as a way to hopefully get lapsed fans to tune back in for the final bow. So it makes sense they’re not sure which way things are going to break just yet. The Orville hasn’t even debuted on Hulu.
If they hit certain numbers, there’s no reason not to suspect Hulu would want them back.