Posted in: Hulu, Preview, TV | Tagged: hulu, orville, preview, season 3, seth macfarlane

The Orville: More Questions Reportedly Surround Hulu Series' Future

Earlier today, the news hit that Seth MacFarlane and Scott Grimes had joined the cast of Peacock's upcoming live-action series take on the Ted films. And while that was news we were definitely happy to hear, Deadline Hollywood is signaling why that shouldn't be too good of news for fans of The Orville. With the series ready to return this summer for its third season ("The Orville: New Horizons"), DH is reporting that "there are no current plans for a fourth season." Now while that's not much different from what Jordan Helman, head of Hulu's scripted originals, had to say back in August 2021 during the streamer's Television Critics Association (TCA) session (more on that below). But the report continued by adding that the cast was reportedly "released in August when their most recent options expired." But with that said, reportedly the third season is "not designed as a definitive ending to the series" and the franchise will be left open-ended enough for MacFarlane to revisit if he so chooses (though that would require reassembling the cast and new contract deals).

Now here's a look at what's ahead this summer when The Orville returns to Hulu:

Here's a look at MacFarlane's tweet going into further details on the delay as well as appreciating the fans' patience:

Now launching on June 2, The Orville fans were treated to a look at Capt. Ed Mercer (MacFarlane), Cmdr. Kelly Grayson (Adrianne Palicki), Lt. Gordon Malloy (Scott Grimes), and Admiral Halsey (Victor Garber) in their welcome return. But that wasn't all, with looks at the season's newbies like Winters as well as Bruce Boxleitner (Babylon 5) and the late Lisa Banes (Royal Pains, Nashville) guest-starring as President Alcuzan & Senator Balask.

The upcoming season also stars Penny Johnson Jerald (as Dr. Claire Finn), Peter Macon (as Lt. Cmdr. Bortus), J. Lee (as Lt. Cmdr. John LaMarr), Mark Jackson (Isaac), Chad L. Coleman (Klyden), and Jessica Szohr (Lt. Talla Keyali). In addition, the late Norm Macdonald will be heard once again as the Gelatin lieutenant Yaphit, with Eliza Taylor (The 100) onboard to guest-star (with no additional details released). With a new home & new missions, here's a look back at the teaser for Hulu's The Orville: New Horizons, set to land on viewers' streaming screens on June 2, 2022:

At Hulu's Television Critics Association (TCA) session in August 2021, Helman revealed that he had seen cuts of the third season. And while there wasn't a premiere date to announce at that time, Helman was hopeful that the wait wouldn't be much longer- and from what he had seen, it sounded like the wait would be worth it. "The past year and a half has been complicated for a variety of levels as it pertains to production. I can't share a launch date, but we're really excited about what we've seen thus far," Helman told Deadline Hollywood (while also confirming that MacFarlane and Jon Cassar would be directing episodes). As for where the future of the popular sci-fi series may go from here, Helman is keeping all options on the table as the "future of the show remains an open conversation and there have been no conversations otherwise." In fact, Helman sees the third season as having the potential to grow the series' fanbase even further. "I believe the fans of the show that are coming to us from Fox will be deeply excited and satiated. I also think for new fans that maybe didn't experience it, it will feel new to them," he explained.

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