SS > SF > TV > The Orville

season 1. 2017
season 2. 2019

This is billed as a “comedy-drama” – the drama being adventures set on an Enterprise-like starship, the comedy being the pranks of the bridge crew, the bickering between recently divorced captain and first officer, and alien culture misunderstandings, sometimes riffing off Galaxy Quest-like self-parody, sometimes being more juvenile in tone.

This is surprisingly good, despite the juvenile humour, which is leavened by the pranksters being really good at their jobs, by it making the characters more “human”, and by it being only a minor part of the show. Also, the “drama” part has some interesting plotlines, with moral conundrums that have no easy answers, and some good science fictional twists. One episode does have a plotline where the conflict is resolved essentially by drugging the adversaries to behave temporarily out-of-character, without any of the consequences that are worked into other episodes.

It can be surprising dark in places (for a comedy, that is; nothing like as dark as ST:Discovery, say), with violence, torture, and death in many episodes. But you come to care for the characters. It feels like ToS Star Trek without the saccharine, with better special effects, and with rather more pranks.

reviewed 2 December 2020

The second season keeps up the quality. The humour has become somewhat more “domestic”, and somewhat less “laddish”, which is an improvement, while the plots continue with their drama, darkness and serious themes.

We lose Lt. Alara Kitan after only a few episodes, but she gets replaced with a similar officer, although without so much angst. Isaac has a complicated arc throughout the season, and Bortus continues to have a range of domestic problems. All in all, adventure in space with people who have ordinary lives outside the day job.

reviewed 14 February 2021

The Orville

2017 / DVD

2017 / DVD