Seth MacFarlane has had a ton of success on TV over the years with shows likeFamily GuyandAmerican Dad, but he hasn’t done a ton of live-action TV. That is about to change as Fox has gone all in on his upcoming sci-fi comedy seriesThe Orville. Now, straight fromSan Diego Comic-Con, we have a brand new trailer forThe Orvilleseason 1, which really plays up theStar Trekparody angle.
The Orville trailerdebuted at San Diego Comic-Con but was quickly uploaded to the Fox YouTube channel. They want eyeballs on this thing and they want people to know about it. That goes without saying to some degree as any major network wants a new show to be successful, butThe Orvillelooks like a pretty loving and faithful parody ofStar Trek. That also means it is probably a pretty expensive one. Lots of special effects. Lots of makeup. That stuff doesn’t come cheap.
The Orvilleis an hour-long series set 400 years in the future. The show follows the adventures of the starshipOrville(hence, the name), a mid-level exploratory spaceship, as its crew, both human and alien alike, face the wonders and dangers that space presents. The crew will also be having to deal with the problems presented by everyday life. But in space. That even sounds a whole lot likeStar Trekon paper, but the trailer does a good enough job of distinguishing itself enough to make it a parody and not a straight-up ripoff.
For all of the problems doing a show like this on network television may represent,The Orvilleactually has a lot going for it. Despite not being known for live-action TV shows,Seth MacFarlanehas directed several live-action movies, includingTed,Ted 2andA Million Ways to Die in the West. Not all of those were great movies, but he has experience that will help him make this show a success. Not only that, but the pilot was directed byIron ManandThe Jungle BookhelmerJon Favreau. He isn’t the kind of guy who would have to do something like this if he didn’t want to, so he must have seen something in it. And, not for nothing, but he has a pretty outstanding resume as a director.
Fox is planning toboldly debut The Orvilleon September 10. Good or bad, this is certainly one of the more interesting shows to lookout for in the upcoming fall lineup. Seth MacFarlane has proved that he knows how to deliver something with a long shelf life and he is a well-knownStar Trekfan. Maybe this will serve as a nice little companion toStar Trek: Discovery? We’ll know soon enough. Be sure to check out the new trailer forThe OrvilleSeason 1 for yourself below.
