The fact that the new Fox series “The Orville” is an hour-long “space adventure,” not a half-hour sitcom, has proven to be a major surprise for fans of creator Seth MacFarlane.
It makes sense, given that he’s best known for the hundreds of episodes of animated comedy he’s produced since the launch of “Family Guy” in 1999. In addition, there’s much of the show’s marketing: Looking back at the original trailer presented during the Fox upfronts, from the music choices and the punchline-heavy editing to the tagline “the universe has a crew loose,” it’s easy to see why people still seem to think the series is a half-hour comedy.
Of course, as viewers now know, “The Orville” is twice the length and nowhere near as funny as expected. Instead, the freshman drama aims to create a new spin on classic science fiction series like “Star Trek” — and not that successfully.
It makes sense, given that he’s best known for the hundreds of episodes of animated comedy he’s produced since the launch of “Family Guy” in 1999. In addition, there’s much of the show’s marketing: Looking back at the original trailer presented during the Fox upfronts, from the music choices and the punchline-heavy editing to the tagline “the universe has a crew loose,” it’s easy to see why people still seem to think the series is a half-hour comedy.
Of course, as viewers now know, “The Orville” is twice the length and nowhere near as funny as expected. Instead, the freshman drama aims to create a new spin on classic science fiction series like “Star Trek” — and not that successfully.
- 9/14/2017
- by Liz Shannon Miller
- Indiewire
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