The Orville Season 4 Gets Major Script Update As Seth MacFarlane Confesses One Hurdle After Four-Year Hiatus

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Seth MacFarlane just revealed why a fourth season of The Orville still hasn’t been filmed.

The sci-fi comedy-drama first aired in 2017 and has run for three seasons, with the latest one released in 2022. Since then, fans have been wondering if the show will be back for another season.

Seth MacFarlane has revealed to The Hollywood Reporter that ten episodes are already written for the fourth season of The Orville. The biggest challenge now is simply scheduling everyone involved to actually make the season happen.

To be upfront, we’ve already finished writing Season 4. The only thing holding us back now is finding the time to actually film it.

MacFarlane takes responsibility for the hold-up, explaining that he needs to prioritize the project when his schedule allows. He believes once he’s able to focus on it, he can start working on it immediately and make quick progress.

I’ve finished the ten scripts. The delay isn’t due to the work itself, it’s down to me and managing my time. I’m confident we can make significant progress as soon as I get everything organized, especially with all the other projects we’re already developing. We’ll be ready to move quickly once that happens.

The sci-fi series The Orville is visually impressive, relying heavily on special effects and CGI. While critics give it a 77% rating, audiences love it even more, with a 90% score on Rotten Tomatoes. To continue making the show, Hulu would need to commit to a significant budget to support creator Seth MacFarlane’s creative goals.

Bringing the original actors back for a new project is complicated because their old contracts have run out, meaning everyone needs to agree to new terms.

Adrianne Palicki, who plays Kelly Grayson on the show, has suggested she may not return for a potential fourth season of The Orville. This could significantly alter the show’s relationships and force creator Seth MacFarlane to revise scripts, especially the ten he’s already written that include her character.

Seth MacFarlane doesn’t just act in The Orville—he’s also the driving force behind the scenes, creating, running, and executive producing the show.

He’s a big Star Trek fan, and The Orville clearly takes inspiration from it. Like Star Trek, The Orville follows the exciting adventures of a spaceship crew as they journey to different planets and face challenging situations.

Several actors from Star Trek have also been on The Orville, such as Robert Picardo, Marina Sirtis, Tim Russ, and John Billingsley.

Seth MacFarlane appeared in two episodes of Star Trek: Enterprise, and his Orville co-star, Penny Johnson Jerald, was a regular on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine during its later seasons.

As a big fan, it’s really cool to see how connected everyone is! I learned that a lot of the people working on The Orville actually have deep roots in Star Trek. For example, Brannon Braga, who helped create Enterprise, was involved, and Jonathan Frakes – Riker himself from The Next Generation – even directed some episodes. It just shows how much Star Trek legacy influenced the show, and it’s awesome to see those connections!

The show features a talented cast including MacFarlane, Palicki, Jerald, Scott Grimes, Peter Macon, J. Lee, Mark Jackson, Jessica Szohr, Anne Winters, and the late Norm Macdonald.

The Orville aired its first two seasons on Fox but moved to Hulu for season 3.

Although the streaming service hasn’t officially announced whether The Orville will be renewed, Seth MacFarlane has hinted that an announcement is coming. The delay is simply due to fitting production into his packed schedule, especially since he recently executive-produced a new version of The ‘Burbs and created the latest season of Ted, which will be available on Peacock starting March 5th.

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2026-03-04 19:19