Posted in: Hulu, Preview, streaming, TV | Tagged: hulu, season 4, seth macfarlane, The Orville

The Orville: Adrianne Palicki Wants Kelly as Captain; Brief Update

Seth MacFarlane's The Orville star Adrianne Palicki would like to see Kelly become captain if ("there have been talks") there's a Season 4.

Since near the end of March, we've been getting some "cautiously optimistic" vibes from series creator Seth MacFarlane and star Chad Coleman regarding the show's future. And then, last week, we speculated on how The Walt Disney Company's long-term plans for Hulu could also end up answering some questions (more on that below). And yet, we've reached the 265th day since the last episode of Hulu's The Orville: New Horizons hit Hulu screens, and things are… pretty much where they were at on the 183rd day. And the 84th day. But maybe Adrianne Palicki (Cmdr. Kelly Grayson) had something more to throw into the mix during her interview with Den of Geek? Or maybe not? "I mean, there have been talks," shared Palicki, which is never a bad thing (though at 265 days, we're curious what the conversations could be about). "There have been rumblings about it, but there's nothing official." Well, that last part? We know that all too well – but it's always good to hear the stars of a show acknowledge the buzz. But if the series does return, what would Palicki like to see for Kelly. "I would like to see Kelly take over as captain [laughs]," Palicki shared. "I mean, she pretty much is anyway. But I don't know, I'm sure there'll be even more conscious conversations happening at that time period, whenever that is." But has she run the idea by MacFarlane (Captain Edward "Ed" Mercer)? "Oh yeah," Palicki adds. "He knows. He's not completely opposed, either."

The Orville Future Gets Clearer This Week?

If you've been following Disney's financial dealings over the past few months, then you know that Disney CEO Bob Iger confirmed last month that three rounds of layoffs were on the way as the company looked to reduce its workforce by approximately 7,000 employees. The move is part of an overall cost-cutting & restructuring plan meant to reach $5.5B in overall cost savings for Disney, with the first wave of layoffs hitting prior to the company's most recent investors call at the beginning of April. But as Deadline Hollywood and other entertainment business sites have been reporting, the second & biggest wave is expected to hit this week, Monday, April 24th, through Thursday, April 27th – with some already in play. And while all areas are expected to feel the hit, Film & TV are expected to be hit the hardest. While network programming and studio marketing are expected to be top targets, analysts are also keeping an eye on cuts to ABC News, ESPN, and… Hulu.

With Iger's comment earlier this year that "everything is on the table" regarding the future of Hulu, the Disney CEO blew apart the assumption many had that Disney would just buy out Comcast's 33% financial stake in the streamer when their "put/call" deal kicks in next year. Not helping Hulu's future with "The Mouse" is that the streamer helped contribute to Disney's overall losses in streaming, amounting to $1.5B in the most recent quarter. And then, add into that mix that Disney would need to commit a minimum of $9B to the deal (with the agreement fixing the minimum value of Hulu at $27.5B at the time of a transaction). And all of this would be coming at a time when (as you can see above) Disney may not be looking to spend that much in the face of mass cost-cutting.

So what does that mean for The Orville? That the series remains in limbo until Disney gets a better sense of its long-term streaming future – and that we might be getting some clarity on that topic this week. So when it comes down to not wanting Disney to mention the series at all this week, it comes down to superstition and a little entertainment business common sense. Because if we are looking at four days of major layoffs, then we're betting that Disney probably won't be looking to announce anything big that requires big spending money – not during what could be an especially brutal cost-cutting cycle. So maybe – just for next week – no news really could be good (or at least still promising).

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