Posted in: Hulu, Preview, streaming, TV | Tagged: brannon braga, hulu, The Orville, The Orville: New Horizons, tom costantino

The Orville: NH EPs: Braga, Costantino on Comedy/Drama Balance & More

The heat this past weekend did not stop journalists from packing into a crowded San Diego Comic-Con press room for the chance to speak with the cast and creators of Hulu's space epic The Orville: New Horizons. Seth MacFarlane's epic space adventure series returns exclusively as a Hulu original series, with The Orville: New Horizons finding the crew of the U.S.S. Orville continuing their mission of exploration as they navigate both the mysteries of the universe and the complexities of their own interpersonal relationships. Sitting down to chat was Executive Producer Brannon Braga and Co-Executive Producer Tom Costantino. The duo discussed the decision to dial down from the comedy that fans had come to expect from the series and steer into more meaningful, heartfelt stories through a science fiction lens.

"In the first season, obviously, there was this expectation among many people that it was going to be a satire. Seth's intention was always to do a great science fiction show. First and foremost, a great science fiction show. That meant there was going to be comedy, [and] the characters were going to be more accessible and down to earth," Braga explained. Watch the full video below as Braga also explains how MacFarlane made some very shrewd decisions in storytelling and the order in which the episodes come out to seal the tone of the show. Braga also explains to journalists that the main reason MacFarlane wanted to move the show to Hulu was to "liberate our storytelling from the constrictive running time" since "our stories were getting bigger… our editor was leaving too much on the cutting room floor." Braga continued, "We would never have attempted to do a story about suicide when we're having to wedge Colgate commercials in as quickly as possible."

The ensemble cast includes MacFarlane, Adrianne Palicki, Penny Johnson Jerald, Scott Grimes, Peter Macon, J Lee, Mark Jackson, Chad L. Coleman, Jessica Szohr, and Anne Winters. The series is produced by 20th Television and Fuzzy Door. The series was created and written by MacFarlane, who executive produces alongside Brannon Braga, David A. Goodman, Jon Cassar, Jason Clark, and Howard Griffith serve as executive producers.

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