"The Orville". A Seth McFarlane Space Adventure on Fox

The problem I think is that this show is hella expensive to produce and that's going to keep the media buys very friendly. If it gets crazy big ratings, then they can probably push it more-- but for now, it needs to be safe enough that it won't alienate any advertisers.

I'm still in-- a great TNG homage with a handful of decent jokes is fun enough for an hour of my time. I don't know how long it will hold me, but for now, it's a simple joy.
 
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I hope they drop the pot jokes, I almost dumped it right there. Not into that at all especially so given officers of ships that are responsible for hundreds of lives. And since this is a serious comedy apparently I don't think you can have it both ways.
 
I have enjoyed the first two episodes a lot...but I'm not 'thrilled' with it, if you know what I mean. Nothing really feels original so far...nothing innovative or really thought-provoking, as someone else said. The humor is pallid and seems forced, so it's not enhancing too much and certainly does not compensate for a great storyline or interesting characters. I have my fingers crossed for this show, though.
 
Re: "The Orville". A Seth McFarlane Star Trek Parody on Fox

The second show was better than the first for me. If it keeps going and finds itself, it may become something quite fun. Fingers crossed.

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The second show was better than the first for me. If it keeps going and finds itself, it may become something quite fun. Fingers crossed.
 
...The cgi effects are not on par even with episodes of ST:TNG that aired nearly 30 years ago...
I think they're okay for a television show of this type, but I wonder if the "cheesy" effects aren't part of the parody. "Oh, look at how cheap that looks. It's perfect!" Also, we've seen two episodes and the ship gets seriously damaged in both of them. As I was watching the second episode I already began wondering if the ship will get damaged in every episode as a running gag.

...Maybe I've seen too much of TNG to be objective...They stories often tried to have a message, a deeper meaning, whether it was a reflection of political tensions of the time or dealing with racism and prejudice...
The Orville is sort of doing that, but in their own way. The second episode was a subtle commentary on how animals are treated in modern zoos and how it robs them of the ability to be what they are supposed to be naturally. And from what little I've read about the third episode, it's sure to make some sort of statement about parents who decide which sex their infant child should be and who take rather extreme measures to see that their desires are met regardless of whether or not it's in the child's best interests. It's almost as if those responsible for producing The Orville are convinced the show won't last long, so they're trying to make their "statements" before it gets cancelled.
 
Absolutely fine show, with some genuine smiles and some good laughs. Enjoyable sci-fi. Over inflated expectations or silly preconceptions based upon who is creating this, are sure fire ways to ruin your own enjoyment of something.
 
Finally caught episode number two on Hulu. I really enjoyed this one better than the first. I think they crammed too many hacky jokes in the first episode where they should have given us just a bit more character development. I hope the Ed/Kelly relationship doesn't take up too much of the show's time, but there was enough tension between them to carry this episode. I like the sci-fi flair of the zoo element too, even though the design seemed a lot like the prison from Thor: The Dark World.
 
The humans kept in a zoo is an old theme, even pre-dating Trek with "The Keeper" from Lost in Space, which aired January 1966 before Star Trek aired it's first episode. The ending was a great twist though!

You're not even close. Try the episode of Twilight Zone shown 1960 with Roddy McDowell, "People Are Alike All Over". And I suspect the theme might have even been shown on movies/TV even before that.
 
You're not even close. Try the episode of Twilight Zone shown 1960 with Roddy McDowell, "People Are Alike All Over". And I suspect the theme might have even been shown on movies/TV even before that.


I'll have to look that one up, thanks...
 
The show is really infatuated with blue. Blue alien, blue alien ink, blue costumes, blue engine glow, blue replicator glow, blue decor, blue trim, blue wall lights. Were the raygun bolts blue? Someone in charge has a really bad blue fetish.

David.
 
The show is really infatuated with blue. Blue alien, blue alien ink, blue costumes, blue engine glow, blue replicator glow, blue decor, blue trim, blue wall lights. Were the raygun bolts blue? Someone in charge has a really bad blue fetish.

David.
Uhh, you do know that wasn't blue alien "ink", right? To paraphrase Martia from Star Trek VI, "Not everyone keeps their reproductive organs in the same place."
 
I did like ep 2 more.
Getting over my expectation of it being comedy first, drama second. If "TNG Lite" is what they're going for instead.... okay, I'll see how that goes.

I don't get "it doesn't innovate" criticisms. (Not just here, I see it elsewhere about other things, too.) Almost by definition, not everything can innovate. Nor should it. Can't it just be something that does what it does well, even if other things have done something similar before?

Like, it's great that someone is inventing cronuts encrusted with caramel, wrapped with bacon and dipped in hollandaise, but sometimes you just want to dunk a plain donut.
 
Uhh, you do know that wasn't blue alien "ink", right? To paraphrase Martia from Star Trek VI, "Not everyone keeps their reproductive organs in the same place."

Mercer said it was ink (ever try to get ink out of a white lampshade?), and it makes sense if you think the blue guy is an aquatic alien. Think of a squid when threatened. And after getting caught in bed with another man's wife, I imagine that the blue guy certainly felt threatened. :lol

David.
 
I found Tom Paris annoying, too. As for this guy, he's just an ass and I have no patience for that.

What's wrong with the helmsman, he's just Tom Paris with a beard.

LOL! Anyone notice episode 2 was directed by Robert Duncan McNeill?
IMDB shows he directed another as well.

I'm not into the whole Seth Macfarlane thing. Never have been, but I do like this show
and enjoyed his round table moderation on the ST TNG extra's on the blu-ray set.

To the poster who mentioned it felt like watching Buck Rogers in the 25th century, that's
exactly what I think too. That facility they went to in the pilot, isn't that a water treatment
plant that was used on a season 2 TNG episode? The one where Wesley fell in the plant structure?

Hope it continues and gets even better. I too have ZERO faith in Discovery.
 
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