Made by the creator behind Family Guy and American Dad, The Orville is a sci-fi TV show that takes inspiration from Star Trek with a more satirical take. However, The Orville takes things a step further than being simply a Star Trek rip-off. Its well-written characters and superb soundtrack have made it beloved among fans of the genre. The Orville initially premiered in 2017 on Fox, but after two seasons, it moved to Hulu.
The Orville's Season 3 premiered a little over a year ago on August 4, 2022. Since then, a new season hasn't been confirmed. The final episode of Season 3 did leave behind some unanswered questions and open-ended storylines for the show to pick up. Though it isn't confirmed yet, The Orvilled will probably get renewed for a Season 4 at some point considering recent hype and rumors.
The Orville Season 4 Isn't A Sure Thing
While there is fan demand and hype around the show, The Orville may not get renewed for a fourth season after all, and there are multiple reasons behind it. Adrian Palicki, the actor behind First Officer Kelly Grayson, has stated that despite all the rumors surrounding the show's fourth season, nothing has been confirmed. Additionally, all the actors from The Orville's cast have been released from their contracts, even lowering the chance for the show to return.
Seth MacFarlane, the show's producer and the actor behind Captain Edward Mercer, also tweeted a while ago that despite their love for The Orville, the show is quite expensive to produce in what he referred to as a "tough streaming climate." This seems to imply that despite fan interest, renewing the show may not be very profitable after all. It's been more than a year since Season 3 premiered, and no news about Season 4 has made fans skeptical if their comedic sci-fi will be returning or not.
The Orville Season 4 Is What Fans Deserve
It would be safe to assume that The Orville has become a cult favorite show. The viewership of the show is extremely high, with 87.6 million worldwide viewers. The never-ending support and love from fans throughout all the seasons is what made the show so successful in the first place. Despite Season 3 ending over a year ago, the demand for a Season 4 still remains high.
The Orville has become a topic for discussion again with speculation and rumors of the show returning for a fourth season. Fans have even started a petition for a Season 4 that has received almost 31k signatures out of the target of 35k. If Season 4 isn't enough, fans want The Orville to go on for multiple years and promise their support throughout. Even Chad Coleman, the actor who plays Klyden, is hopeful for the show's renewal, and says that fan demand could incline the show-runners to renew The Orville for its 4th Season.
What Stories Were Set Up For The Orville Season 4?
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If The Orville Season 4 does happen at some point, which seems more than likely, The Orville has many storylines to finish, as well as new ones it could explore. The first major one is about Ed Mercer and his half-human, half-Hrill daughter. Considering how high the political tension between the Krill and the Planetary Union is, Anaya's existence was kept a secret. With her mother Teleya in prison, Ed has no knowledge about her daughter's whereabouts. This was a huge plot point in the last season, and could be one of the major storylines to explore in the fourth season.
The Krill and Moclan alliance is also a huge threat to the Planetary Union and the Orville. While the Krill had a peaceful relationship with the Planetary Union, it was brief thanks to Teleya, and led to tension between the Union and Krill once again. On top of that, The Moclan sought an alliance with the Krill after being removed from the Union due to their treatment of women. With Teleya's arrest, the Krill and Moclan will surely take their revenge against the Union. This conflict is one of the biggest cliffhangers from Season 3.
Furthermore, Ed and Kelly's relationship needs redemption. Despite their ups and downs, both characters seem to still be in love, even if they always prioritized their work over their relationship due to their emotions interfering. However, in the third season, the ex-couple had their moments. They even held hands in the last episodes which implies that in the future, Ed and Kelly may rekindle their romance relationship.
Despite the incomplete storylines and demand from fans, The Orville Season 4 hasn't been officially confirmed. However, recent support from fans fired by rumors suggests that The Orville may return. After all, there's no reason for it not to.
The Orville Seasons 1-3 are available to stream on Hulu and Disney+.