Genre: Science fiction/Comedy-drama

Created by: Seth MacFarlane

Starring: Seth MacFarlane/Adrianne Palicki/Penny Johnson Jerald/Scott Grimes/Peter Macon/Halston Sage/J. Lee/Mark Jackson/Chad L. Coleman.

A/N: Links will be numbered, Link information is at the end.

'The Orville' is a sci-fi television show created, produced and stars Seth MacFarlane. The show is a futuristic show based on the ship named the Orville and its crew. Each episode is almost a stand-alone episode containing a different storyline.

When I first heard of the show and that it was created by Seth MacFarlane I decided not to watch it since I had heard a few rumours claiming that MacFarlane was hard to work with, so the thought of watching a show of his was offputting.

Deciding to give the show a chance since, admittedly, it sounded like something I would watch and had piqued my interest. As soon I started watching the show my previous dislike had turned to an almost admiration. The show, I think, is astounding. From someone who analyses film and tv shows for their directing skills and camera work as much as their skills to write a good storyline, I was astonished at how well made the TV show is.

Each episode has its own storyline, from what I have seen they are never really interlinked. Someone could start watching the show in the middle of the series and understand what is going on.

Not to mention the storylines are creative, each one is set in a different timeline, almost. From one episode being extremely futuristic and containing many different aliens to the next episode being based on a spaceship that hides a giant town and farms that do not think travelling through space would ever be considered possible.

One of the first things that screamed out at me when watching the show was the humour. Granted Seth MacFarlane has been in comedy for a while, but comedy is often difficult to watch since the writers that don't normally write in comedy do not know how to execute a good joke in script form whilst also making it sound realistic. I have gone off a lot of TV shows because the jokes that are told aren't funny and aren't realistic, they aren't set correctly or the reactions are too much. Sometimes a reaction from another character can be too overdone for the joke that has been told and it feels more like the writers are just patting each other on the back for a poorly executed joke/funny moment.

However, in this show, the comedy feels natura. It feels like people actually having a conversation. The execution is on point and the reactions aren't overdone. The jokes flow and some are even unexpected despite it being a comedy, which makes it so much better.

Whilst watching the show I found the writing for the show was also rather good in the planning aspect. Having the actions of the characters seem so natural that when they do something that then comes back to either haunt them or to help them it turns it into an "a ha of course" moment. For instance, in the first episode, a few of the crew go to Earth to the science lab. Once there one of the scientists walks the crew through the lab, heading to a certain room but on the way the scientist shows the crew a few of the experiments that are currently being done out in the open. One of the experiments is creating some type of seed that can grow on its own without water/oxygen (If I remember correctly). The Scientist hands some to Mercer (MacFarlane's character) saying that the seeds are tasty as well. Mercer takes a handful and eats one before placing the others in his pocket for later. Then at the end of the show when the final battle type moment happens it is the seeds that save them.

By the time I reached the "final battle" type moment, I had forgotten about the seeds since at the time it just seemed like a funny moment that I didn't bother to think that the seeds would become useful later on which is how I became surprised. The scene was short and funny but at the time didn't feel important to the main storyline.

I have read a few books and seen a handful of films that give writing tips and they have all said that if you add a prop into the story make sure it has a purpose, make sure it lives out its usefulness and normally when watching shows the writers do stick to this rule but they don't seem to understand the concept fully. In some shows, there is no element of surprise instead it's almost shoved down our throats. I have seen shows that just straight up tell you that the prop will be important later on and not even in the most artistic way, but as though the writer had just gotten bored and sloppy. In just the first episode alone 'The Orville' proved to be well written, the object that saved the day was tiny, almost non-existent had it not have been pointed out by the scientist to Mercer. Instead of a "This will save the world one-day" talk/poorly written foreshadowing, the writers turned it into a funny and nice moment where the scientist was simply excited about the seeds and the experiment and wanted to show someone on the outside. Basically, it's good and clever writing that has been well thought out.

Another point I wanted to talk about was the CGI. In most TV shows that use CGI, it is either badly used or isn't good quality since it can become quite expensive and shows don't always have a large budget. Take 'Once Upon a Time' for example, the first use of CGI made me want to turn the show off (1). But since 'The Orville' uses prosthetics and props/models and uses CGI to blend it together (Which is the right way to use CGI) rather than relying on CGI to do the whole job.

The ship is an actually miniaturised prop that they have built and film that for the shots instead of creating it out of CGI. (2). The aliens are made prosthetics and makeup instead of using motion capture (3/4). All these things create a realness to the show.

I asked my mother what she thought about the show and she replied saying she wasn't sure about it, she thought it wasn't sure what it wanted to be yet since its funny but also has serious moments and discusses some serious topics. I realised, though, that that is the point. It is it's own thing, it's something that no-one has seen before, it's a show that is funny and also dark at time, that discusses topics that are serious but since it's it is a futuristic show it speaks to them from an outsiders perspective whilst on a ship saving people and having fun.

All in all, I think 'The Orville' is brilliantly written and creative. The actors are funny and fit the part. The directors, makeup artist and wardrobe are extremely talented as well as the set designer, Stephen J. Lineweaver, who has never worked on a sci-fi show making a space-ship before and yet has nailed the look of a spaceship. (5). I would recommend this show to anyone who loves a good story-line and a bit of comedy, sci-fi nerd or not.

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LINK:

1) The first use of CGI in 'Once Upon A Time'

2) Seth MacFarlane Explains How The Orville Takes Flight

3) Crafting The Aliens With Howard Berger

4) The Orville's Krill Makeup Demo at KNB EFX

5) Seth MacFarlane Discusses Designing The Future