Don’t worry, The Orville isn’t cancelled. In fact although it has already been renewed for season two, FOX is reducing the space dramedy’s season one episode order from 13 to 12. It seems this has more to do with scheduling than anything else. TV Guide reports the lingering episode will be moved to the second season on FOX.
A FOX sci-fi series, The Orville stars Seth MacFarlane, Adrianne Palicki, Penny Johnson Jerald, Scott Grimes, Peter Macon, Halston Sage, J Lee, Mark Jackson, Chad L. Coleman, Norm Macdonald, Larry Joe Campbell, Victor Garber, Brian George, and Rachael MacFarlane. Set in 2417, the story follows Ed Mercer (MacFarlane), the new captain of The U.S.S. Orville, his ex-wife, First Officer Kelly Grayson (Palicki) and the rest of the crew.
Here’s more from TV Guide:
The reason for the change is likely due to scheduling. Since the series was never envisioned as a 22-episodes-per-season show, Fox probably wanted to squeeze the entire season into the calendar year rather than leave a few episodes for after the break or in mid-December after other shows have exhausted their new episodes for the year. It’s such a logical decision, we think Isaac would agree with it.
What do you think? Have you been watching the first season of The Orville TV series? How do you feel about losing an episode, this season? Let us know, below.
The Orville is an American science fiction comedy-drama series created by and staring Seth McFarlane. Set 400 years in the future in 2417, TheOrville follows the exploits of the U.S.S Orville and her crew exploring space. The series is from creator and actor Seth MacFarlane (Family Guy, Ted) who plays the Captain of this ‘mid level’ spaceship.
The series was inspired by Gene Rodenberry’s Star Trek. In particular, the first series’ visual effects were very reminiscent of Star Trek: The Next Generation. To this end the first series did extensive model shoots supervised by Oscar winner Rob Legato and with help from VFX Supervisor Glenn Derry (then with Technoprops). The practical model work was filmed, for the first season, in one initial major models MoCap shoot. The material was then used and reused throughout the 13 part series in much the way it was in the original Star Trek: The Next Generation.
For series two, the visual effects style changed, so too did the use of models. While the model work of series one has a feeling very much like Star Trek, one could argue the Spaceship work of the second series moved to a VFX style that is more like Star Wars. It also includes with very respectful homages to a variety of other landmark films from Fritz Lang 1927 groundbreaking Metropolis to Ridley Scott’s Prometheus. Pixomondo was a principle VFX vendor this season and VFX Supervisor Nhat Phong Tran comments that the camera work evolved. “In season one, the camera was leading the ships and in Season 2 the ships were leading the camera” he commented.
There was no physical model shots used in season 2. This decision allowed the camera to be freed up. There was a deliberate more to using a more dynamic camera. “We wanted to get in season two and the camera always had to be moving, he (Seth MacFarlane) was very contented to have a ‘more is less approach’, with very clean moves, but this season it seemed everything had to have a push in, pull out or whip pan”, Nhat Phong Tran comments.
Episode 9, part 2 of Identity featured an eight-minute space battle that is arguably the longest continuous space battle in TV history. Fxguide covered this battle, interviewing the other key VFX vendor, FUSE FX, in a previous fxguide story. Fuse FX and Pixomondo were both large contributors to this enormous space battle. CoSA VFX and Crafty Apes also contributed to the season and Episode 9.
Fuse FX works primarily in 3ds Max, while Pixomondo uses primarily a Maya pipeline but with enough 3ds Max, that sharing assets was never a problem. Most critically, both team’s render using V-Ray for the final imagery and the spaceships appear very similar in textures and appearance.
One of the most beautiful sequences of this whole season was Pixomondo’s work for the arrival at the Kaylon city in episode 8, especially in the lighting and volumetric work. The previz team quickly and very successfully pre-vized the arrival sequence. The show’s creative team responded very strongly to the visuals of the sequence. The final shots, while very complex and detailed, came together remarkably quickly. As seen in the video below there is a very clear and direct path from Previz to the final V-Ray renders.
Daniel Carbo, Pixomondo VFX Producer recalls that “it was really cool to see the evolution from very simple of a skeleton idea (in the script), then getting visualized by our previz group really quickly and really successfully. And then seeing the design team take that, along with our environment leads, and do such amazing work. It was really a cool process to witness, and then have Seth and everybody really stoked about it. It was really cool to see that whole process come together”.
Previs
Pixomondo previsualized over 1400 unique shots for the 13-episode second season, including over 350 shots for the universally acclaimed 2-part episode, Identity.
Pixomondo’s creative involvement in production of the 13-episodes of season 2 lasted approximately one full year, starting from the writers room and extending to just a few weeks before each episode’s airing. The Previz team consisted of a supervisor plus an average of 3 artists – with the team expanding to accommodate each episode’s layout phase. Far cry 1 highly compressed 100mb.
Being used more than just as a narrative guideline, the previs for The Orville was systematically treated as the final shots in edit by the production. The visualization lended itself beyond just a template for action choreography and composition, but was heavily utilized in the art directive side as well – helping establish lighting cues, ship design, color theory, and general look development for the show.
Because the production was so invested in the previs, it provided a 1:1 blueprint for the finals team and brought Seth MacFarlane’s creative vision to life almost a year before each episode hit network.
![The Orville Episode Guide The Orville Episode Guide](/uploads/1/2/3/2/123289078/549917292.jpg)
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The Road Not Taken
Season 2, Episode 14
April 25, 2019
![Guide Guide](/uploads/1/2/3/2/123289078/465053700.jpg)
In the Season 2 finale, the crew must contend with the disastrous fallout from Kelly's decision.
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Tomorrow, and Tomorrow and Tomorrow
Season 2, Episode 13
April 18, 2019
A time distortion affects Ed and Kelly's relationship.
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Sanctuary
Season 2, Episode 12
April 11, 2019
Ed discovers that Moclans aboard the Orville are harboring a secret.
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Lasting Impressions
Season 2, Episode 11
March 21, 2019
![When When](/uploads/1/2/3/2/123289078/332454426.png)
The Orville crew members open a time capsule from 2015.
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Blood of Patriots
Season 2, Episode 10
March 7, 2019
Ed must initiate peace talks with the Krill.
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Identity, Pt.1
Season 2, Episode 8
February 21, 2019
Part one of a special two-part episode of The Orville.
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Deflectors
Season 2, Episode 7
February 14, 2019
A Moclan engineer upgrades the ships deflector system.
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A Happy Refrain
Season 2, Episode 6
January 31, 2019
The Orville crew is surprised when Claire's personal life takes an unexpected turn, and Gordon makes an unusual grooming suggestion to Bortus.
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All the World Is Birthday Cake
Season 2, Episode 5
January 24, 2019
The Orville makes First Contact and a new crew member joins the ship.
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Home
Season 2, Episode 3
January 10, 2019
Ed, Gordon and Alara visit Alara's home planet.
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Primal Urges
Season 2, Episode 2
January 3, 2019
Ed and the crew discover a planet about to be destroyed by its sun, while Bortus struggles with a controversial addiction that throws his marriage to Klyden into crisis.
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Ja'loja
Season 2, Episode 1
December 30, 2018
In the Season 2 premiere, the Orville heads towards Moclus for a unique ceremony. Life aboard the ship heats up when Kelly gives Ed some startling news, Gordon enlists John's help with his dating life and Claire turns to Isaac for unlikely parenting advice
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There's some off-color humor, but it's never (so far at least) particularly offensive, or at least its offensiveness pales in comparison to many of McFarlane's other works. Still, it's distinctly him, so it's not going to be appealing to everyone.
In any case, I've really enjoyed The Orville. It's not a perfect show. Some of the jokes do fall flat. But I love its spirit. I love that someone is actually trying to make a Star Trek show that isn't just filled with explosions, space battles and gritty action. You should check it out and make up your own mind. Maybe you'll hate it, but maybe not. It's fun and kind of sweet and I'm happy it's a thing, however weird and unexpected it might be.
The Orville Season 2 Episode 14
Update: November 2017 The show keeps getting better from week to week and it seem has now found its groove. The Orville uses its adventure-of-the-week format to explore modern-day social issues and tackle current moral dilemmas in a sci-fi venue. The show is refreshingly progressive in its politics, and optimistic to its core. It is a Star Trek show for folks who want something a bit old-school. By not having a budget (or requirements) for wall-to-wall spectacle, the hour-long Fox show is forced to focus on character, chemistry, sci-fi plotting and moral debates that have partially defined Gene Roddenberry's property for generations. (though the special effects look superb and almost movie like)
The Orville Season 3
Yes, to a certain extent it's fan fiction, but then so is so much of our current pop culture entertainment. But by being a network television show, it is forced to be the kind of Star Trek that fans claim the recent movies have neglected in favor of four-quadrant blockbuster thrills. The Orville is not a spoof, but rather a straight-faced Trek show with characters who are funny and which you can learn to love.