The Orville: You're Overthinking It

If you are a fan of Sci-Fi and don't much care for The Orville, you're probably overthinking it.

Before I get too far into the weeds, I have a system to decide what i want to watch. The scale goes from "can't miss" at the top end to "I'll catch it later" in the middle and "nope" at the bottom. As I have limited time, "can't miss" shows are limited to about 6-8.

The Orville has become a "can't miss" show for not just me but my wife and daughter as well. Every review I have seen of this show has been "I don't get it" or tries to put it in a box by making unfair comparisons to shows that are not doing what this is trying to do. 

Do I know what this show is trying to do? No, and I don't care. It's different. It's new. It is something my family enjoys. We are not trying to figure out what Seth MacFarlane is trying to do; we are not trying to classify it as something it isn't; and we certainly are not comparing it to other sci-fi.

But let's dabble with a few comparisons anyway.

Most reviewers are comparing it to Star Trek: The Next Generation. While it certainly has that feel in many ways, I liken the show itself to be more Firefly-esque. That much beloved show was very different than any other Sci-Fi TV show at the time. That show was trying to do something different as well and few at the time really understood what it was supposed to be - including this writer. FOX, in their own admitted shortsightedness, cancelled the show after 13 episodes.

The critics believe the same fate will befall The Orville.

I, for one, sure hope that we see 2 full seasons out of this before FOX makes any decision. As they have already learned, it takes people a while to warm up to something new in Sci-Fi. I think if people just go along for the ride rather than pick it apart for reasons to dislike it, you might actually enjoy it. 

I have learned my lessons from Firefly. The question is, has anyone else?

MR GB