THE ORVILLE ©2018 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Kevin Estrada/FOX
After two seasons on FOX, “The Orville” is getting a new home for season three.
In conjunction with San Diego Comic-Con, news comes that the show’s third season will air as a Hulu exclusive. Per a FOX press release, the new episodes will likely air in late 2020.
Commenting on the move, creator, star and executive producer Seth MacFarlane acknowledges the tricky production timeline.
“The Orville has been a labor of love for me, and there are two companies which have supported that vision in a big way: 20th Century Fox Television, where I’ve had a deal since the start of my career, and FOX Broadcasting Company, now FOX Entertainment, which has been my broadcast home for over 20 years,” said MacFarlane. “My friends at the network understood what I was trying to do with this series, and they’ve done a spectacular job of marketing, launching and programming it for these past two seasons. But as the show has evolved and become more ambitious production-wise, I determined that I would not be able to deliver episodes until 2020, which would be challenging for the network. So we began to discuss how best to support the third season in a way that worked for the show. It’s exactly this kind of willingness to accommodate a show’s creative needs that’s made me want to stick around for so long. I am hugely indebted to Charlie Collier and FOX Entertainment for their generosity and look forward to developing future projects there. And to my new friends at Hulu, I look forward to our new partnership exploring the galaxy together.”
The space adventure series has not been a live+same-day ratings winner, but it has cultivated a passionate fanbase. It also posts solid non-linear numbers, thus suggesting its fitness for the world of streaming.