Is J. Lee hinting at a renewal of The Orville?

News of a season four renewal of The Orville has been as scarce as hen’s teeth, but we might be catching a break.

Fans of The Orville have been waiting for longer than necessary to get an update on whether the series is getting another season. All has been quiet on the front but the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes had a lot to do with that. Now that actors and writers are able to talk about the series again, we’re getting some interesting information, some of it conflicting.

ComicBook reports that Actor J. Lee, who portrays Lt. Commander John LaMarr, posted a social media message that got fans wondering if he’s essentially confirming a season four for the series.

Of course Lee was asked if this means there will be a season four, and the actor posted a gif which was equally cryptic.

In all fairness, it’s understandable why fans would see this as a potential confirmation. What else could #TheOrville #Loading mean?

But Adrianne Palicki, one of the series’ stars, may have just shot down a potential season four of The Orville.

Series star Adrianne Palicki had something much more concrete and disappointing to say when she appeared on Michael Rosenbaum’s Inside of You Podcast. ComicBook recently reported that when Rosenbaum asked her point blank about the series, she replied with a quick, “No, no longer doing that.” She added that she doesn’t know the show’s Season 4 status and said it was difficult to film as an actor.

Now, this could mean that Palicki has bowed out of the series and won’t be returning should it get renewed. While that will be disappointing for fans of the character, it’s doubtful the show would get cancelled because one character chooses not to return.

Whatever the case may be, J. Lee’s post is much more promising while Palicki’s comment could simply be a reflection of her choices and not Disney’s when it comes to renewal.