It was like Seth wanted to put out a regular trek series but wasn't allowed to unless he sold it as a comedy.
Right? I wonder if he approached them first and got shot down? Or what's it they say - it's better to ask forgiveness than permission? Heh. I'll give it a few more episodes likely.
I liked the second episode more. The only thing that's nagging me (and this happens in LitRPG a lot - even RPO) is that it's supposed to be hundreds of years in the future, but they're dropping pop-culture references from our time period. It would be like us using references from the 1600s. Other than that, I see this series continued for many seasons.
I've not really been that impressed with the show. So far, the first two episodes have been about as SJW preachy as I was expecting. I'm actually dreading the gender identity and inevitable "multiculturalism" sermon that I'm figuring episode three is going to degenerate into. Screw it, Bruce Campbell in Ash vs Evil Dead it is.
I feel like Seth is funnier when he's disguised as someone else. Ted (Not 2) was good. Family Guy, American Dad, Cleveland show. And then there's A million ways to die in the West..
Just watched episode 3, you aint seen nothing yet Seagrim. But I actually enjoyed it... weirdly it felt like it pulled off the crap they always tried to pull off in post Picard Star Trek. But with the original series vibe. I legitimately thought the comedy space-adventure format had a better emotional connection than any episode of Voyager I ever watched. Having said that, god damn is there just awful timing and joke usage on the show... I think if this gets some room to grow it could for realzy be a favorite of mine. Scott Grimes being a goof & the "stewing in it" humor have so far been the only parts that really made me laugh. They've got 44 minutes so I doubt the show will self correct in season 1 unless they're still shooting, but if they get a season 2 I'd have a hard time believing it won't get better. But its Hollywood... so there could be levels of hubris I can't even fathom in play.
The timing of the humour just isn't working for me. I got so bored halfway through the second episode I wandered off to another room. Still haven't watched the 3rd episode mainly because I can't be bothered. Will watch the new Star Trek Discovery pilot episodes tonight and see how it compares to The Orville.
Watched them the ST Discovery episodes this afternoon and I definitely preferred them. Like I said, the humour of The Orville didn't quite work for me and without the humour, The Orville didn't have much left in terms of plot, science or character to keep me interested. While ST Discovery had a couple of flaws, at least it tries to tell a coherent story and though I don't agree with a few choices one particular character made, at least they try to make the actions plausible from the character's point of view. Let me put it this way: I still haven't been able to motivate myself to watch the 3rd episode of The Orville, while I'm quite interested to see what they are going to do in the 3rd episode of ST Discovery to move the plot forward and convince me to care about one of the (presumably) main characters.
When the new Star Trek abbreviates as "STD" I have to question just how much thought has been put into it. It really feels like STD has been pushed as good before it was ever even out, and while the Orville has terrible joke placement, I think the potential for a mash up of modern humor / future drama will cut a lot of red tape usually present in the Star Trek universe. Episode 3 gave me that hope anyways, and it pissed off all the usual "you can't talk about transgender only transgenders can talk about transgender!" types. When has Star Trek ever been called objectionable in the past? Whenever it was actually doing something interesting. Kissing a black lady comes to mind. If for once a species of asshole aliens could be blown away without the "What could have been" sad-face tea-drinking while staring into space after the fact brooding... that would be great. Plus I think Orville won't be able to help itself and they are going to tackle the "Jews in Space" and "Chinese in Space" tropes in a super hilarious way. I already have Dark Matter for a racially diverse cast that doesn't have the backing of a Federation... STD isn't even on my to watch list because of what I know about Star Trek itself. The shit the show runner said about Klingons being genocidal Trump supporters was also a bit much. Whats crazy is I doubt any Trek fans really care because Klingons are awesome anyways and making them genocidal racial purists just makes them more aggressive, so woohoo, but Orville hits closer to "classic" and TNG than anything since those two imo. Its hard to imagine the ST franchise reversing course now and becoming relevant even if only in a South Park topical way. I had no interest in Orville, and now its near the top of my list. I'm really hoping that they worked out the kinks as they filmed, but even if they didn't I'd still like to see a Season 2 with a fresh set of eyes and better delivery and timing. The Family Guy delivery just doesn't work in live action.
I actually like The Orville a lot more than I thought I would. I went into it expecting the standard Seth McFarlane juvenile family guy-style schlock and what I saw was a show that's trying to tackle modern problems with a lot of heart and charm. Much like the original series tackled problems in its day, except TOS didn't use humor as a vehicle. I also quite enjoy the humor in Orville so I guess like with all comedy, it's a matter of personal taste.
The comedy's pretty bad. Whether I actually could write anything better, I doubt it, but Seth McFarlane's always been a hit-or-miss comedian.
All I have to say is the prank with the leg was f'n funny. I laughed for hours afterward. I like Orville's awkward humor, it actually works for me.
