Seth MacFarlane isn’t done with The Orville: New Horizons.
The Orville: New Horizons is over halfway through its third season, and it has stepped up its game. With the exception of one episode (Shadow Realms, in my opinion), all of the episodes have been engaging, heart-wrenching, and have dug deeper into social issues than any of the previous seasons. The sets are beautiful. The special effects have reached epic proportions thanks to the series being moved to Hulu, and overall, The Orville just feels like it has finally found its place in the streaming world.
But, as of yet, we don’t know if the series will be coming back after it wraps this season. Although the cast has been released from the contracts, creator Seth MacFarlane told The Hollywood Reporter that he would love a fourth season of the Hulu series. He also said he knew the entire cast was hoping for a renewal.
Seth MacFarlane says there is a big question mark for The Orville renewal.
Though streaming numbers play a large factor in whether a series is renewed, there is also the cost of producing each episode of The Orville. As MacFarlane explains it, the series has “an ambitious budget.”
"But the flip side of that is, it’s no more ambitious than half the other streaming shows on television. It really is going to depend on audience response, on whether the show gets discovered. I still think there are a lot of people who just don’t know that we’re out there and don’t really quite know what we are."
Hulu doesn’t share its viewing numbers, at least not with the general public, so there’s no way to know whether the viewers are finding the series. Is it being advertised enough? Is enough attention being paid to it? How will people find the series if not? For now, all we can do is wait until Hulu makes the announcement either way. In the meantime, it’s heartening to know that MacFarlane and the cast are onboard to continue the adventures.
What do you think? Should The Orville: New Horizons be renewed for another season?