New Series--The Orville

[Spence]

It really wasn't bad at all. Actually less wooden than Star Trek Next Gen was at first.

 

Watch Orville as Orville and it wasn't bad at all.

 

Watch Orville looking for Trek or Family Guy, and well it isn't.

 

As for Sir vice Ma'am. It's just lingo. I've heard both on the hanger deck in last few weeks. Just like saying Petty Officer Smith instead of the more familier P.O.1 or AT1

 

But generally the show looks good. In the preview show, Seth called it a comedic drama and went on to say they were aiming to bring back lighter not dark not dystopian scifi.

 

And I'm good with that. I've become seriously jaded on grungy dark future, dark conspiracies and evil guberment....

 

I seriously like to see something tgat is not just another bandwagon editorial. I mean TV shows have always injected a small dash of political or social opinion into the entertainment. The problem is that today shows are mostly political or social opinion with a tiny dash of entertainment. And the theme seems to always be dark.

 

In the end Orville is a decent show in early stages that is aiming to fill a completely empty niche. Optimistic scifi. Just because it is not the expected clone is no reason to avoid it.

[bigdamnhero]

Actually less wooden than Star Trek Next Gen was at first

I'll definitely give you that, and that was obviously Seth's intent. Just not sure that's enough to float a series on.

 

But generally the show looks good. In the preview show, Seth called it a comedic drama and went on to say they were aiming to bring back lighter not dark not dystopian scifi.

And I absolutely don't have a problem with that. I just didn't find it particularly comedic, nor terribly dramatic. YMMV of course.

[wcw43921]

If they don't do it Wright, the audience Wilbury it.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The palindromedary says it's plane to see a lot could go wrong.

 

I admit, the Wright Brothers were the first thing I thought of when I saw the title.  And there was a scene at the end when Commander Grayson mentioned a ship called the USS Chanute.  Given that, it's reasonable to assume there are ships named the Bleriot, the Lilienthal, the Curtiss, and the Beachey--to name but a few. 

 

But not the Langley.  That one crashed on takeoff.  Twice.

 

 

I've seen a comment on a different site that says that the critics are getting The Orville wrong as a parody. It isn't one. Seth MacFarlane may be trying to develop an optimistic show like TNG, but can't refrain from inserting the occasional d*ck joke for the Family Guy fans.

 

It that's really what it is, I'm good with that. 

 

I liked it as well.  I laughed, I cheered, I enjoyed it.  The scene where Captain Mercer and Cmdr. Grayson were arguing and the entire bridge crew could hear it through the bulkhead was especially funny.  In a way the show reminds me of Doug Curtis's SpaceHack comic series, which appeared in Knights Of The Dinner Table a few years ago--enjoyable as both parody and space adventure.

 

Congratulations, Mr. MacFarlane--you made a show I actually like.  I will continue to watch.

[Spence]

 YMMV of course.

 

The operative term I  think

 

I find a lot the current comedy shows to sadly unfunny and a lot of the comedians insults to the title.    And yet people apparently not only like them, but actually think they are funny.   And don't get me started on the drama these days

 

Anyway, I hope the show takes off just so I have something mildly amusing and lacking worn out cliche conspiracies to watch for a change.  It doesn't even have to be that good, just not dark........

[Nolgroth]

So, despite my previously stated misgivings, I watched it based on the reviews above. While I didn't hate it, I think that the Orville needs to find its intended ground before I will be certain as to whether I will continue watching. Some of the silliness was over the top and it didn't need it. The story was actually quite good as a light-hearted adventure. The silliness actually detracted a bit. Tonally, I got homage (with a twist) more than parody. I think that there is definite affection for the Star Trek franchise coming from the creative staff.

 

I like the space station at the beginning and the overall aesthetic was pretty cool. It invoked more of Andromeda, I think, that Star Trek.

 

If played straight, the aliens can be a fun addition to the story. The gelatinous alien at the beginning was just silly. There was a bit of that in all of the aliens, but again, if played straight could lead to some interesting character dynamics. 

 

The good news. It went from a "Not interested at all" to a five episode trial. So it must have done something right.

 

Edit: Added some thoughts and opinions.

[zslane]

I think the pilot is almost always going to be a bit rocky, as the show has not yet found its footing. A show like this needs time to establish its tone, its character dynamics, and its overall storytelling style. Unfortunately, it might never get the time it needs if it fails to launch the way Powerless failed to. I'm hoping it acquires an audience and sticks around long enough to develop a solid identity and following, because I like the concept and I like Seth MacFarland's comedy style quite a bit (minus his tendency to hang onto a gag for far longer than it deserves, just to make audiences uncomfortable).

[mattingly]

I thought it was worth continuing. More light-hearted than outright comedy.

[Spence]

I think the pilot is almost always going to be a bit rocky, as the show has not yet found its footing. A show like this needs time to establish its tone, its character dynamics, and its overall storytelling style. Unfortunately, it might never get the time it needs if it fails to launch the way Powerless failed to. I'm hoping it acquires an audience and sticks around long enough to develop a solid identity and following, because I like the concept and I like Seth MacFarland's comedy style quite a bit (minus his tendency to hang onto a gag for far longer than it deserves, just to make audiences uncomfortable).

 

I actually liked Powerless, another show that wasn't all dark and depressing.....

[Cassandra]

I actually liked Powerless, another show that wasn't all dark and depressing.....

 

I'd trade every non-CW superhero show on TV if they would bring Powerless back, especially Agents of SHIELD.

[Pattern Ghost]

I'd trade every non-CW superhero show on TV if they would bring Powerless back, especially Agents of SHIELD.

 

Good thing that The Tick isn't on TV, then, because it's FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR better than Powerless ever was. Just finished the first half of season one on Amazon Prime. If you haven't seen it, then you might want to see it. Our tastes differ a bit, but the show's pretty consistent from the first episode on, so you should be able to tell pretty fast if you're going to like it.

[mattingly]

Really? I didn't like The Tick pilot at all.

[bigdamnhero]

Re: The Tick - I haven't seen it yet, but based on everyone I've talked to it seems to be a love-it-or-hate-it kinda show, with existing fans and newcomers on both sides.

[Cassandra]

Patrick Warburton will always be the Sean Connery of Ticks for me.

[Cassandra]

Good thing that The Tick isn't on TV, then, because it's FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR better than Powerless ever was. Just finished the first half of season one on Amazon Prime. If you haven't seen it, then you might want to see it. Our tastes differ a bit, but the show's pretty consistent from the first episode on, so you should be able to tell pretty fast if you're going to like it.

 

But is the new Tick better then the 2001 version?

[Spence]

But is the new Tick better then the 2001 version?

The new Tick is enjoyable and I hope it continues. As good as or better than the old live action.

 

Don't know yet.

[Pattern Ghost]

Really? I didn't like The Tick pilot at all.

 

See? I was right.  You knew right away.

[Pattern Ghost]

Patrick Warburton will always be the Sean Connery of Ticks for me.

 

Same here, though the new guy, whose name I can't spell or remember, does a good job IMO.

[Pattern Ghost]

But is the new Tick better then the 2001 version?

 

They're both good, but take different approaches, so it'd be hard to say if one was better than the other. The new one has good acting all around, good writing, catches The Tick vibe perfectly IMO, and has decent production values. I wasn't expecting to like a non-Warburton Tick, but I do. The current actor does a great job.

[zslane]

Warburton had the physical size of The Tick, whereas the new guy doesn't. But Warburton's Tick seemed to trade in the goofiness of the comic for pure camp. The old Tick cartoon was a better adaptation, IMO, than either of the live-action adaptations.

[bigdamnhero]

OK, this Indiewire review is a tad harsh, but I did like this observation:

 

After watching the actual show, its intentions became clear: Seth wanted to cosplay being captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise. And Fox let him do it.

 

‘The Orville’ Review: Seth MacFarlane’s ‘Star Trek’ Rip-Off is Creatively, Morally, and Ethically Bankrupt

[Spence]

OK, this Indiewire review is a tad harsh, but I did like this ......

To be truthful, the more the "critics" pan something, the more I seem to like a show. I guess I am far enough away from the "mainstream" to no longer click. A lot, as in LOT, of what people seem to like in film/TV I find to be meh or outright garbage. On the bright side less TV leaves more time to read and game

[zslane]

How many episodes are the critics basing their reviews on? Just the pilot? Or did they get to see more at some press screening?

 

The pilot wasn't astounding, but it wasn't bad either. I think the people who are tearing it apart are mostly people who don't like it because they don't like Seth MacFarland and don't like his style of humor to begin with, and they can't (or don't want to) imagine the possibility that it will improve over time.

 

I'm willing to give it a few episodes to see what direction it will go. If it stays the same (as the pilot) or gets worse, then it will surely die a pretty quick death. However, if it gets better, then we could end up with a proverbial Galaxy Quest: the Series on our hands.

[Ranxerox]

How many episodes are the critics basing their reviews on? Just the pilot? Or did they get to see more at some press screening?

 

 

 

Well, the review that bigdamnhero posted mentioned how tone deaf episode 3 was with its message. So we know that they got watch at least 3 episodes.

[Spence]

How many episodes are the critics basing their reviews on? Just the pilot? Or did they get to see more at some press screening?

 

The pilot wasn't astounding, but it wasn't bad either. I think the people who are tearing it apart are mostly people who don't like it because they don't like Seth MacFarland and don't like his style of humor to begin with, and they can't (or don't want to) imagine the possibility that it will improve over time.

 

I'm willing to give it a few episodes to see what direction it will go. If it stays the same (as the pilot) or gets worse, then it will surely die a pretty quick death. However, if it gets better, then we could end up with a proverbial Galaxy Quest: the Series on our hands.

 

Your comment on "how many episodes" is a key one.  They were bashing it before anything even aired.  

 

From my perspective they had decided it was supposed to be a super-campy Galaxy Quest based entirely on MacFarland being involved and to heck with forming an independent unbiased opinion on the show itself.  And then when it wasn't what they had decided it should be, they panned it.

 

I was hoping for something that wasn't just a clone of pretty much all the scifi in the last 5 to 10 years and I got that.  It is heavily influenced by Trek and that isn't a problem.  Many other shows are influenced by Star Wars, Road Warrior or even Terminator and that didn't make them bad.  Being influenced isnlt a show stopper, I jjust wnat the influnece to be a little lighter and less grungy with all people and cynically evil for a change.

 

I enjoyed Killjoys and Dark Matter for a while, but after they disappeared down the Dark Conspiracy hole I lost interest.  

 

The Expanse is holding my interest basically because they don't have artificial gravity, replicators and actually understand you can do space combat without spaaaaace fighterssss zooooooooommmmmm.........

 

Did Orville knock it out of the park and shatter all preconceived notions of science fiction entertainment?  No

Was it entertaining? Yes.

Does it have the potential of being a real good show with many years of fun?  Yes.

Will it?  We don't know.

[bigdamnhero]

They were bashing it before anything even aired. 

Well yeah, that's kindof their job; they get to see things before they air and then write about if they liked it or not. I've only read a handful of reviews, but all of them had clearly seen at least the first few episodes, not just the pilot.

 

I was hoping for something that wasn't just a clone of pretty much all the scifi in the last 5 to 10 years and I got that.

I get that, and I admit I'm burned out on Grim Conspiracies too. But instead we got a clone of scifi from 1990, and I'm not sure that's much of an improvement.

 

It is heavily influenced by Trek and that isn't a problem.  Many other shows are influenced by Star Wars, Road Warrior or even Terminator and that didn't make them bad.

Sure, but most of those at least attempt to do something original, rather that straight-up remaking an old show with the serial numbers filed off. I'm glad some of you are enjoying it - and with MacFarlane's name on it, at least it's less likely to get cancelled before it can find its feet. Like I said, I'll watch a few more and see if it gets better, but so far I'm underwhelmed.