Grading Fall Television’s Hits And Misses

Photo Credit: FOX

The Orville — C

Initially rejected by critics, The Orville, managed to win over a larger amount of viewers to nail down an early fall renewal. While the series has been called tone-deaf and a Star Trek rip off, FOX has shown a strong sense of loyalty to hit-maker Seth MacFarlane. Marketed as a comedy, the show turns out to be more of a goofy but hopeful take on sci-fi. Most additions to the franchise have been bleak post-apocalyptic series and this does stand out in that sense. However, shaky writing has weighed down some of the more complex themes that the show has tried to comment on throughout its freshman run.

The decision for Seth MacFarlane to star in his show makes sense considering it is his series, but he doesn’t have the chops to carry a lot of the heavy scenes he’s asked to. Adrianne Palicki does the most with her mandatory love interest character and for the most part, everyone else is decent on the cast.

Since this is a Star Trek -esque show, the poor directing and special effects come off as a fun homage. Yet, the truth about The Orville is that it suffers from being an average series. During the golden age of television, it’s hard to convince people to stick with this show when there are so many better options out there. Maybe if the writers take some of the criticisms about their first run then next season will be better but for now, here’s hoping things can change.