TV show · 2017 · Drama, Comedy, Sci-Fi & Fantasy · English
Curator score: 4.7/10 (110.7K ratings)
New home. New missions.
Overview
Follow the crew of the not-so-functional exploratory ship in the Earth's interstellar fleet, 400 years in the future.
Ratings
Curator score: 4.7/10
IMDb: 8.0/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 77%
Metacritic: 36
TMDB: 7.6/10
Production
20th Century Fox Television, Fuzzy Door Productions, 20th Television
Cast
Seth MacFarlane, Adrianne Palicki, Penny Johnson Jerald, Scott Grimes, Peter Macon, Jessica Szohr, J. Lee, Mark Jackson, Anne Winters
Where to watch
Hulu
Curator Review
Verdict
A smart, affectionate Star Trek-style space adventure that starts as a broad comedy and gradually becomes a more sincere, ambitious sci-fi dramedy. It’s uneven early on, but the best episodes and the later Hulu-era stretch make it a rewarding watch for fans of optimistic, character-driven genre TV.
Best for
Star Trek fans looking for a lighter, more accessible entry point
Viewers who like ensemble sci-fi with humor and heart
People who enjoy episodic adventures mixed with serialized character growth
Fans of optimistic future-worldbuilding and moral-issue storytelling
Skip if
You want a consistently serious tone from the start
You dislike workplace comedy or Seth MacFarlane’s brand of humor
You prefer tightly serialized prestige sci-fi with minimal filler
You’re not interested in homage-driven genre storytelling
Overview
The Orville begins as a knowingly goofy riff on classic spacefaring television, but it quickly reveals a real affection for the form. Beneath the jokes and occasional crude humor is a surprisingly earnest crew drama, with strong worldbuilding, clean episodic storytelling, and a future that feels aspirational rather than dystopian. The series is at its best when it leans into ethical dilemmas, alien cultures, and the chemistry of its ensemble.
Worth noting
The first season is the roughest because it’s still balancing parody, sitcom rhythms, and genuine sci-fi adventure. By season 2, the show settles into a much stronger identity, and the Hulu-era season 3 is the most polished and ambitious, with bigger visual scope and a more confident dramatic voice. If you can get through the early tonal wobble, the payoff is a thoughtful, often moving space series that grows into something more than its premise suggests.
Bottom line
It’s not as sharp or as consistently brilliant as the shows it admires, but it is unusually sincere for a modern genre series and often very bingeable. The result is a good recommendation for viewers who want comfort-food sci-fi with enough emotional weight to keep it from feeling disposable.
1997 · Curator 7.7/10 (110.5K ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, MGM Plus, Philo, Spectrum On Demand, Netflix Standard with Ads, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Pluto TV, Amazon Prime Video Free with Ads
A long-running, approachable adventure series with humor, team chemistry, and a steady episodic pace.