The Orvillestar and creator Seth MacFarlane shares an optimistic update about the show’s future.The Orville: New Horizon, the sci-fi dramedy’s third installment, debuted in June 2022 on Hulu. Even thoughThe Orvilleseason 3 finaledoes offer a sense of closure, a door is left open to keep the story going.
More than three years afterNew Horizonwrapped, there haven’t been any major developments on new episodes. The actors and crew have struck optimistic tones about the possibility when asked, but nothing has been confirmed. MacFarlane’s recent remarks onThe Orvilleseason 4could turn things around, though.
In an interview onWhere Everybody Knows Your Namepodcast with Ted Danson, MacFarlane briefly shares that he still plans on doingThe Orvilleseason 4. The creator ofFamily Guymakes a larger point in the quote below, talking about how Hollywood has tended to favor pessimistic narratives over a more optimistic outlook. But in the process, he confirms that the Hulu sci-fi series is still alive:
That’s why I did The Orville, and that’s why I, you know, we’re, we’re gonna, we still have yet to do a season four. That’s why I did that show. Because when I was a kid, Hollywood was providing that voice through, in various forms. There was a lot of hope. And we’re doing—you know, some of the blame lies right here in this town. Like, we are, the dishes that we are serving up are so dystopian and so pessimistic. And, yeah, there’s a lot to be pessimistic about, but it’s so one-sided. There’s nothing we’re doing that’s providing anyone an image of hope.
I mean, look, I love The Handmaid’s Tale. It’s a great f–king show, beautifully written, beautifully directed, but it’s… there’s a lot more of that than there is of, you know, what we used to get from, from Captain Picard. It’s like there’s, where, where is Hollywood’s… they’re certainly giving us a lot of cautionary tales. But where are blueprints that they once gave us for how to do things correctly? It can’t all be just, “Here’s what’s going to happen to you if you f–ck up.” You do need, “Here’s what you can achieve if you change your ways and do things right.”
What This Means For The Orville Season 4
More than anyone else inThe Orvillecast, MacFarlane has kept hope alive about the dramedy getting brought back. Back in January 2024, the Emmy winner clarified that “there is no official death certificate” for the streaming series. Co-star Scott Grimes concurred, noting that there were still discussions on how to bring the fan-favorite sci-fi back.
But outside of comments like those from the actors, there has been no official news onThe Orville,and executives have been careful not to say anything definitive. The season 3 finale was appropriately “Future Unknown”, concluding with a ceremony and allowing familiar faces likeAlara (Halston Sage)to return.
The Orvillestreams on Disney+ internationally.
If there’s anything to be taken away from MacFarlane’s remarks, it’s about the tone ofThe Orvilleif it does come back. The series grew steadily more serious as it went along, perhaps surprising considering MacFarlane’s legacy with raunchy comedies. It could be the case that if the space saga is revived, then it will be a little bit lighter once again.
Our Take On MacFarlane’s Comments
What is noteworthy about the sci-fi series is that streaming services are rarely ever shy about cancelling their originals outright. The fact thatThe Orvilleis still in limbo could be taken as a positive fact, not to mention the fact that its creator knows the approach he wants to take for a potential next chapter.
