Ever since The Orville wrapped up its third season all the way back in 2022, we've been dying for news of a follow-up. Dubbed The Orville: New Horizons, season 3 was such a step above everything that had come before that it was mind-blowing. Not only was it a great season of Seth MacFarlane's comedic sci-fi drama, it was also just one of the all-around best seasons of science fiction television of that year. Alas, it was also a big, expensive season of television that took more than two years to produce, and Hulu did not rush to give season 4 the green light.

But hope has remained alive for the past several years. Whenever The Orville comes up in interviews, its cast has kept that torch burning. Lead star and general creative force behind the series Seth MacFarlane (Ed Mercer) reassured fans in early 2024 that "the show is not dead," and...