The Orville spoilers follow.
Streaming services and broadcasters aren't afraid to cancel shows at the drop of a hat, banishing some much-loved series to the TV graveyard – and with two seasons currently under its belt, fans of The Orville are desperate to know if it will be returning for round three.
So, does Seth MacFarlane's sci-fi comedy-drama have enough fuel (or Dysonium) in the tank for more space-filled adventure?
Here's everything you need to know.
The Orville season 3 renewal: Is it coming back?
Watch Now The Orville seasons 1-2
Yes! The Orville has been given the thumbs-up for a third run, but it will no longer air on Fox, instead, it will be jumping over to Hulu.
Both are owned by Disney, though, so very little is changing at the top.
One difference, however, is the Hulu subscription fee. The platform does offer a seven-day free trial, but after that, a basic package will set you back $5.99 a month.
The Orville season 3: How to watch it in the UK
When the show belonged to Fox, people over in the UK could watch it on FOX UK and catch up with episodes on NOW.
With no FOX UK anymore, many Fox shows moved to Disney+, and the good news is that The Orville is one of them. Seasons one and two are there, ready for a catch-up, and since its new US home, Hulu, is owned by Disney, it looks likely the new season will pop up there, too.
The Orville season 3 release date: When will it air?
Fans have waited patiently since May 2019 for new episodes, and the good news is they are finally on their way – The Orville season 3 will arrive on March 10, 2022. The show will also be known as The Orville: New Horizons.
It was originally announced in 2019 that season three had been delayed. In a statement (via TV Line), MacFarlane said: "The Orville has been a labour of love for me, and there are two companies which have supported that vision in a big way: 20th Century Fox Television, where I've had a deal since the start of my career, and Fox Broadcasting Company, now Fox Entertainment, which has been my broadcast home for over 20 years.
"But as the show has evolved and become more ambitious production-wise, I determined that I would not be able to deliver episodes until 2020, which would be challenging for the network. So we began to discuss how best to support the third season in a way that worked for the show."
It's for this reason that the show moved from Fox to Hulu.
"It hasn't changed," executive producer and writer David Goodman told Trek Movie when asked if the move changes anything. "What being on Hulu... allows more freedom.
"The way Seth runs the show, we take the idea where it takes us. We talk about the episode we want and show we want to do and we write it, and then we produce it. And what Hulu allows us is, once it is produced, we don't have to be as worried about length. So, there will be a variety of lengths. It allows us to leave some stuff in that we would have had to cut if we were on a network."
We were promised that it would hit screens in the latter half of 2020, but production was halted because of the global situation. But The Orville went back into production in 2021.
The show's official social media accounts shared the good news.
And, after numerous delays due to the pandemic, Seth MacFarlane announced in August 2021 that filming on season three had finally finished. He also said that he hoped it would not be the show's final season.
MacFarlane has previously talked about the level of work that goes into making the show.
"This is a situation where even the special effects in the pilot aren't just something you're going to see in the pilot," he told Forbes. "I think oftentimes you see a big splashy expensive-looking pilot and then 12 episodes of interiors. You can tell where they spent their money, and here, one thing I can promise people is that isn't the case here.
"You're going to see that scope and that degree of passion from all departments throughout. Between makeup, and costumes, and the effect and set designs, and props, I've never seen anything on Network Television that reaches the scope of what these artists have done."
The Orville season 3 episodes: How many will there be?
- Season one - 12 episodes
- Season two - 14 episodes
- Season three - 11 episodes
Although there are fewer instalments for the third outing, the episodes will run for an extra 10 minutes or more, according to Cinemablend.
The Orville season 3 cast: Who's in it?
In season two, we lost Halston Sage as Lieutenant Alara Kitan, but in an interview with Trek Movie, executive producer David Goodman did say that they "love her and would definitely want to figure out ways that she can come back".
He added: "I don't think she is coming back as a regular. But, we love that character... so if there is an opportunity to bring her back story-wise, I think she would be open to it and we would love to have her back."
As the brains behind the show, as well as one of its stars, MacFarlane will return as Captain Ed Mercer.
And it has been confirmed that the following cast has returned for season three, too:
- Adrianne Palicki (as Commander Kelly Grayson)
- Jessica Szohr (Lieutenant Talla Keyali)
- Penny Johnson Jerald (Doctor Claire Finn)
- Scott Grimes (Lieutenant Gordon Malloy)
- Peter Macon (Lieutenant Commander Bortus)
- J Lee (Lieutenant Commander John LaMarr)
- Mark Jackson (Isaac)
- Chad L Coleman (Klyden)
Norm MacDonald, who died in September 2021, will return as the voice of Gelatin Lieutenant Yaphit, as he had completed his voiceover work for the series before his death.
Seth MacFarlane wrote on Twitter about MacDonald following the news of his death. "To so many people in comedy, me included, there was nobody funnier than Norm MacDonald."
Months before MacDonald's death, co-producer Tom Cosantino shared a photo of MacDonald’s character Yaphit being transported on a trolley to the set.
And there are new additions to the cast, too.
Anne Winters (13 Reasons Why) is joining as a character called Charly Burke, according to Deadline, and The 100 actress Eliza Taylor is also guest-starring in a role yet to be announced.
The Orville season 3 plot: What will happen?
Little is known at the moment about what the next batch of episodes will cover, but Goodman did say that he would like to delve into the fallout from Isaac's decisions in 'Identity' and 'Identity Part II' (season two: episodes eight and nine).
"Are there going to be repercussions for what Isaac did? We didn't do any repercussions in season two, so that is a question for season three," he said.
Speaking to Trek Movie, he added: "We are still going to be doing standalone episodes. However, now we have shown that we can do a deeper dive in the Union, into the aliens, into our characters. So, we will continue that build.
"But again, it is really important for us for the show to stick to the format... You don’t want anybody confused who has never seen the show before. That is always a goal for us. We don't want to alienate any new audience member."
Discussing any questions viewers might have after watching season two, he said: "There is stuff in the first couple of [episodes of season three] that explain some things, answering questions people may have had at the beginning of season two."
MacFarlane also told one fan on Twitter that season three will "up the stakes".
"All the things we've set up in the previous seasons, without naming them – the big and small stories we've gone back to more than once – will be obvious to any fans of the show," Goodman told Ars.
"We're expanding the characters and storylines, building on everything we've done before."
He also discussed the importance of playing it seriously when necessary.
"The show can't just be fun space action," said Goodman. "Commenting on current society and social mores—we almost consider that our responsibility. The reason people watch is the characters. Those emotional stories really drive the show."
A teaser trailer released to coincide with the announcement that the show would be back in March 2022 does reveal a couple of things.
First, the series will now be known as The Orville: New Horizons.
And second, if the teaser is anything to go by, things are going to get more dramatic this season. The trailer features The Orville's bridge, and two empty seats while dialogue from the series plays in the background. As the lights in the cabin go from blue to an ominous red, the voices sound more dramatic, before ending with "You will surrender or you will die." Well, we're scared.
The Orville season 3 trailer: When can I watch it?
Here's the teaser trailer – a full-length trailer is likely to be released the month before the series returns in 2022.
The Orville seasons 1 and 2 are available to stream on Disney+.
20th Century Fox The Orville season 1 DVD
20th Century Fox The Orville season 2 DVD
20th Century Fox The Orville seasons 1-2 DVD
Freelancer writer
Sam is an entertainment writer with NCTJ accreditation and a twenty-year career as a film journalist.
Starting out as a staff writer at Total Film, moving up to Deputy Online Editor, Sam was responsible for Total Film’s YouTube channel, where he revolutionised the magazine’s approach to video junkets, creating influential formats that spread to other outlets.
He’s interviewed a wide range of film icons, including directors such as David Lynch, Quentin Tarantino, Paul Thomas Anderson, Sofia Coppola, Ridley Scott, Michael Bay and Sam Raimi, as well as actors such as Meryl Streep, Nic Cage, Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Anne Hathaway, Margot Robbie, Natalie Portman, Kermit the Frog, all of the Avengers and many more.
Sam has also interviewed several comic creators, including Stan Lee, Alan Moore, Grant Morrison, and he has a zombie cameo in The Walking Dead comic.
In 2014, Sam went freelance, working directly for film studios including Warner Brothers, 20th Century Fox and Disney, as well as covering red carpet events for film marketing company PMA Productions.
Sam is the co-host, producer and editor of the Arrow Video podcast, which has seen year-on-year growth since its creation in 2017, gaining over half a million listens in that time.
His byline has appeared in outlets such as Yahoo, MTV, Dazed, Esquire, Harper’s Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, Elle, and Good Housekeeping among others.
In 2012, Sam made it to the final of the Leicester Square Theatre New Comedian of the Year competition, and went on to become a filmmaker himself, directing three features that have all played major festivals, and secured distribution – starring in two of them.
Jim Carrey once mistook Sam for Johnny Cash, and John Carpenter told him to ‘Keep up the good work.’ He promises to try his best.
