The Orville is essentially Star Trek with humour

The Orville has been high on a list of ‘things I should watch’ for a while now and I have only just gotten round to it. I always assumed it was going to be a Seth MacFarlane slightly over the top comedy which is set in a Star Trek-like universe. Which it kind of is – but it actually feels more like proper Star Trek with a healthy dollop of humour as opposed to a flat-out comedy. Think of it as a blend of Galaxy Quest and pre-Discovery Star Trek.

Basic Story

The Orville is the name of the space ship and Seth MacFarlane’s character is the captain (he is clearly a massive Trekkie). His first officer is his ex-wife and there is a crew that is satisfyingly fun and different. Unlike Star Trek, this is not the flagship of the Federation (or Union in this case), it is a mid-level exploration vessel. There is no real need to go into much detail because if you haven’t seen but are reading this, then you probably have good idea of what it’s all about.

Is the Orville any good?

I looked at some of the reviews for season one and they were split – the critics were critical and the fans loved it. Basically, the opposite of The Last Jedi. Season two seems to be liked by all. Personally, I loved it. I have only seen season one but will buy season two when I have time. Annoyingly it is free on Amazon Prime, which I am currently paying for, but as I have a UK account and am in Thailand, I can’t watch it because bollocks. (See related rant here.)

The story lines, some of them at least, are up there with Trek and the vast majority of the time the humour is additional – this isn’t a sitcom in space. So my final conclusion – watch the Orville! I keep comparing it to Star Trek because that is essentially what it is but with jokes. That is a good thing. Here is a trailer: