While I am very happy with the sci-fi shows from this past summer, I would be happy to see the return Seth MacFarlane’s The Orville, if only rumors were true. Yes, the series seemed to start as a spoof of Star Trek, but it found its own unique footing and grew on me over time. Hence, I was not happy to see it end in 2022 after 3 seasons and 36 episodes.
You may remember back in January 2024 when MacFarlane told The Wrap somewhat cryptically:
All I can tell you is that there is no official death certificate for The Orville. It is still with us. I can’t go any further than that at the moment. There are too many factors.
And then this time last year, some sites, such as The Cinemaholic, were reporting that filming for season four was to start in January 2025.
While the filming rumor was false, as recently as August of this year Seth MacFarlane kept rumors alive when he told Ted Danson that he still plans to do a season four, or that’s how the media reported it. Actually, if you listen to the interview, what he said was, “We still have yet to do a season four.” This is a correct statement, but not really a statement of intent.
Can we hang our hats on the word “yet” and start to assume a fourth season? That would not be a safe bet. Many artists feel their work deserves more running time and will not let go, if only for the sake of the fans.
So I am deciding to focus on the new sci-fi shows from the last 12 months that really are returning or seem to have a strong shot at another season, which includes:
- Dune: Prophesy – already renewed
- Murderbot – already renewed
- Alien: Earth – still up in the air, but an announcement should be made this month
That said, I am not giving up on the return of The Orville.
Our Awesome Universe 