News Seth MacFarlane’s The Orville

[KirkusOveractus]

The Arbor Day line, followed by the quick discussion afterward made me laugh. That was something you'd see in a lot of classic TV series, and I liked how it was done here. Another one was opening the hatch to get out of the research facility. After Alara breaks it down, Mercer saying, "I loosened it for you" was something you'd see in those 60's TV adventure shows where the banter was there to not make things too serious to the point of tedium.

And put me in the camp with laughing at the Krill siding with Kelly about marriage. The episode actually had some really nicely placed humor.

 

[RAMA]

The critics hated it, but the casual viewer has a positive impression. A score of 7.6 at IMDB right now and the Twitter responses are 90% positive.

I can actually summarize Orville in one word: footnote

RAMA

 

[Mudd]

I can actually summarize Orville in one word: footnote

RAMA

Turns out that you had something to say after all.

Quelle surprise.

 

[ChasFink]

Give it some time. Maybe it will just be mediocre for two seasons and then suddenly become awesome. It's been known to happen.

Only if someone grows a beard!

Seriously, now that I've seen the pilot, I agree. A little rough, very Trek-derivative, but enjoyable. My feeling is that this was an attempt to get back to the promise of TOS, without all the baggage that's accumulated in the last 50 years. I think it will find its own voice, and prove no more a Trek ripoff than Trek ripped off Forbidden Planet. (Krell? Krill? Hmmm...)

I liked it a lot more than I thought I would, but I went into it without believing it would automatically suck.

That should be and, not but. I think pre-premiere doubt made some people too critical. I also went in with an open mind and liked it overall.

There's a demarcation between situations that call for sarcasm and situations that call for seriousness. Orville has no such demarcation, so the serious scenes end up having no seriousness.

IMHO this is a weakness I've noticed in MacFarlane's writing generally, and perhaps the weakest part of what I saw. That being said, humor in serious situations can sometimes be realistic - as in "should we be talking about this?"

Once other writers kick in, we might be pleasantly surprised to see the show hover between "Tribbles"-style humor and the general fun of TOS.

The story was as one dimensional as it gets, with an ending that was so obvious that I thought for a second it was a setup for something...less obvious.

Without revealing the spoiler, I disliked the way the ending violated the laws of conservation. However, it's not like we haven't forgiven such things in the past.

Honestly, I haven't seen "The Outcast" in many, many years and certainly not since I've become better aware about transgender issues. I wonder how I would take it now.

I haven't seen it in entirety since it was first on - and then I took it to be a metaphor for acceptance of homosexuality, not a direct commentary on transgender issues, which were not big in the public consciousness - and I didn't like it then. I couldn't bring myself to watch it when it was on a little while back. I remember it as not being very forceful in its supposed message of acceptance.

I will reserve judgement on The Orville's Very Special Episode, but if it manages to make some people in the audience even think seriously about transgender issues for the first time, I'd consider that a success.

 

[Mr Awe]

I enjoyed the first episode. It wasn't fantastically amazing, or even hilarious. But, it was entertaining. I guess I'm comparing this mentally to Red Dwarf. Both are comedic science fiction that contain crude elements. However, Red Dwarf easily beats The Orville in terms of cleverness. Of course, this is only the first episode of The Orville. It looks like it has potential. So, I'll be watching to see how it progresses.

 

[JasonJ]

I went in with almost no expectations except thinking it was going to be a sci-fi comedy. It felt like this pilot episode was a little bit comedy and a little bit serious drama. That much as been said by others. I think it needs to find the proper balance of both in this universe to be super successful, but as it was, I was pleased.

Some jokes were not funny... some I found amusing ("does this mean we won't be out by 5?"), and others were borderline hilarious (Krill/ex-wife/Ed banter, as well as the seatbelt joke). About those shuttle seatbelts for a second; I think that going from red to green is actually a FANTASTIC real world idea.. besides the audible click, why don't real seatbelts have a status indicator?

Some of the serious stuff, felt really serious, i.e. the accidental homicide of the researcher in the lab. I think this pilor was more entertaining than Encounter at Farpoint, despite not taking on such heavy philosophical issues as EAFP. Most all series premieres get better over time... if given a chance. I think The Orville has good promise if it finds balance between the serious and the comedic.

Favorite character/dialogue interaction thus far: Justin the Ogre. Did not expect any of that; thoroughly enjoyed that scene.

 

[Romulan_spy]

I say cut down on the bathroom jokes and do more humor that pokes fun at some of the absurdities of the scifi genre and where the characters don't take themselves too seriously. The fact is that there is a gold mine of Star Trek cliches like red shirts, holodeck malfunctions and absurd technobabble that is just begging to be poked fun at. The main screen "framing" joke was good.

 

[Paul Weaver]

So it's launched then?

Could someone update the thread title to explain that this is a spoilery thread?

Finally, the statute of limitations on whether to consider an episode/film free of spoilers is SIX MONTHS from the time when it first airs, wherever it first airs. If a new episode of a series or film airs on June 1st in England then on Aug 1st in the US, the clock starts ticking on June 1st.

 

[Campe]

Just finished it. It's... um... okay?... I guess?

The biggest thing I liked was the solution to the problem near the end. It was genuinely clever. And the whole Arbor Day bit was the one and only time I chuckled in the episode.

The visuals are fairly well done (particularly since some of them are practical?) but the lighting and set design is boring and uninspired.

I really don't like McFarlane. He's not that great of an actor. The rest of the crew is fairly okay. Also, the dialogue... maybe after years of Berman Trek, I'm used to a certain kind of language when it comes to my sci-fi based ship shows, but I cringed at some of the modern dialogue in the show.

And some of the gags? I mean, when the Doctor from the science station on the comm, a dog is licking itself? THAT's funny?!? Sorry. Not to me.

I think my biggest problem with the show is that it's really when it comes down to it, a workplace comedy. Which is fine if that's your thing. But between The Office, Parks & Recreation and Brooklyn Nine-Nine, I think I'm getting tired of that kind of show. Admittedly, B99 is even starting to wear on me.

But I'm willing to give it another episode. It felt like they're really trying and that gets some points from me.

 

[Matthew Raymond]

Yeah, the pilot was sort of a weak TNG episode with some weak humor thrown in, but I didn't hate, probably for the following reasons:

1) I really miss having new Trek, and the pilot actually felt a lot like a TNG episode.
2) The Fall 2017 television season SUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCKS!

So I'll keep watching, and I suspect even some of the people complaining about the pilot will as well for the reasons above. It could be better, but it's certainly not as bad as I was expecting going in.

Without revealing the spoiler, I disliked the way the ending violated the laws of conservation. However, it's not like we haven't forgiven such things in the past.

It was a bit unscientific, but it was a far more clever solution than what you see in a lot of sci-fi TV shows. The funny thing is, I would have totally made that Arbor Day joke if I were captain.

 

[Mudd]

I was really surprised and impressed by what happened to the researcher. Now there's your "show, don't tell:" here are the stakes.

I'm not interested in how "realistic" the show is.

 

[Guy Gardener]

Just finished it. It's... um... okay?... I guess?

The biggest thing I liked was the solution to the problem near the end. It was genuinely clever. And the whole Arbor Day bit was the one and only time I chuckled in the episode.

The visuals are fairly well done (particularly since some of them are practical?) but the lighting and set design is boring and uninspired.

I really don't like McFarlane. He's not that great of an actor. The rest of the crew is fairly okay. Also, the dialogue... maybe after years of Berman Trek, I'm used to a certain kind of language when it comes to my sci-fi based ship shows, but I cringed at some of the modern dialogue in the show.

And some of the gags? I mean, when the Doctor from the science station on the comm, a dog is licking itself? THAT's funny?!? Sorry. Not to me.

I think my biggest problem with the show is that it's really when it comes down to it, a workplace comedy. Which is fine if that's your thing. But between The Office, Parks & Recreation and Brooklyn Nine-Nine, I think I'm getting tired of that kind of show. Admittedly, B99 is even starting to wear on me.

But I'm willing to give it another episode. It felt like they're really trying and that gets some points from me.

You train a dog to do that by peanutbuttering it's junk.

A wrangler was paid to do that, and then paid taxes on that income.

 

[plynch]

I'm really floored that people find the humor actually funny. Like, you truly laughed? Toward the end, the whole framing, can you move over, etc. . . it just wasn't funny . . . to me, anyway. Seinfeld's funny. The Office. Better Call Saul, Louie, I've literally laughed so hard I couldn't breathe. Orville - - just not funny. YMMV, and apparently does.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

I enjoyed it. At least for me it's in the category of shows to watch if I am home, but not worth making up if I miss it.

I think critics are overly harsh. It has 35 on Metacritic. I think 50-60 range is fairer.

I agree with the sense there are either too many jokes or too few. More jokes, it could be a full on comedy and clever parody. Fewer, it would be in that Buffy/Stargate category of adventure heavy on comic relief.

O'Neall jokes during serious situations, but he's doing it to aggravate the enemy into making mistakes and gain a dominant negotiation position. Buffy jokes when she's confident of victory and is appropriately serious when she's not. Macfarlane's character is doing it because of his emotional issues. And that's the problem. Some characters act like they are in a comedy, some act like they are in an adventure, and neither seems to notice or mind the inappropriate behavior of the other.

You know that Galaxyquest series we keep hear being tossed around? They should have made that show and recruited MacFarlane to make it.

 

[Romulan_spy]

Remember folks, this was just the pilot episode. If you think the pilot was meh, keep in mind that a lot of shows have iffy pilots but get better with time. Heck TNG's entire 1st season was pretty bad but it is now revered as a great show. I think the key will be if The Orville can deliver fun and interesting scifi adventures of the week, I think it will be a good show. If I am like "I wonder what wacky adventure that zany crew of the orville gets into this week, it will be a show worth watching IMO"

 

[JasonJ]

I was really surprised and impressed by what happened to the researcher. Now there's your "show, don't tell:" here are the stakes.

I'm not interested in how "realistic" the show is.

Yeah, that scene was actually very serious.. like something you'd see in NCIS or CSI; then they killed her, tragically, and showed it... at 8:00pm EST... I respected that decision. It was ballsy- no pun intended.

I'm really floored that people find the humor actually funny. Like, you truly laughed? Toward the end, the whole framing, can you move over, etc. . . it just wasn't funny . . . to me, anyway. Seinfeld's funny. The Office. Better Call Saul, Louie, I've literally laughed so hard I couldn't breathe. Orville - - just not funny. YMMV, and apparently does.

SOME of the humor was funny... the dog licking itself, no. Showing it, fine, some might not even have noticed; but it did not need a line of dialogue to point it out. The villain framing on the viewscreen, that was humorous (not hilarious, just amusing funny). It won't appeal to everyone.. but you have to remember, MacFarlane's comedy style is extremely popular with some.. Ted, Ted2, Family Guy and American Dad had/have lots of viewers.. even and despite what people think of Seth's style.

As for MacFarlane himself as an actor, he's OK, bit great ... I think this will make him better as the show goes on. If anything, he is believable as his character, especially in the serious scenes.

I should also add that I thought the set design and production quality was fantastic.

 

[JasonJ]

Remember folks, this was just the pilot episode. If you think the pilot was meh, keep in mind that a lot of shows have iffy pilots but get better with time. Heck TNG's entire 1st season was pretty bad but it is now revered as a great show. I think the key will be if The Orville can deliver fun and interesting scifi adventures of the week, I think it will be a good show. If I am like "I wonder what wacky adventure that zany crew of the orville gets into this week, it will be a show worth watching IMO"

Absolutely agree here. Also, I enjoyed that the ship is the "Orville", watching sci-fi for 30 years and this is the first I can recall someone paying respect to Wilbur and Orville Wright ... you'd think the fathers of aviation would get more than the USS Kittyhawk in TNG (I think that's where it was...).

The naming of the ship also plays into the fact that like The Wright brothers, our ship and crew may not always know exactly what they're doing or be the best equipped to do it. Look at how quickly the ship took a beating and was nearly destroyed in about 4 minutes of in-universe time.

 

[The Wormhole]

I quite enjoyed the episode. While very obviously a variation of Star Trek, in many ways almost a reboot of TNG it was pretty fun. There's not a lot of depth to the show, and in some respects it's trying too hard to be similar to Star Trek, particularly Trek of the 90s. EG, when the ship is flying in FTL, we got the identical star streaks which pretty much defined Trek of 1987-2005. And despite having access to state of the art CG, the space battles are exactly like they would have been in the 90s if done with physical models, the two ships just parked in front of each other trading shots back and forth, with the clever tactic basically swinging around the enemy repeatedly. I'm letting this slide for the moment since I get the show isn't trying to be realistic at all, and there is a certain nostalgic fun to this, but at the same time it's kind of "are we seriously doing this?" And is it me, or did seeing Lt. Malloy fighting an ogre on the holodeck remind anyone else of Worf's calisthenics program where he would fight Skeletor and the Turtle-Man?

Still despite it was an enjoyable and quite engaging hour of television. I'm actually surprised at how much I enjoyed the interplay between Captain Mercer and Commander Grayson. The other characters have some potential, though there wasn't really much for any of them. I did like the meta moment during the shoot-out "I'm still learning everyone's names."

If anything this show kind of reminds me of Stargate, specifically SG-1 during the RDA years. There's a basic sci-fi formula with the characters set up and the plots that is very reminiscent of Star Trek do varying degrees, but rather than take everything so dreadfully serious they're having some fun and creating an enjoyable environment. While it might not be the most original show on television, it is damn fine entertainment all the same.

 

[Mudd]

It reminded me of SG-1 in being an adventure show that doesn't take itself seriously and has no real ambition in its story-telling...which is just fine.

 

[Campe]

You train a dog to do that by peanutbuttering it's junk.

A wrangler was paid to do that, and then paid taxes on that income.

Great! Let's add a dog pleasuring himself in every movie and TV show! Because, damn! Somebody got paid to make it happen.

I didn't think it was funny and it took me out of the show. Okay?