Among the many television shows scheduled for the upcoming 2017-18 prime time television season is a brand new program from Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane. No, it’s not another animated series like The Cleveland Show or American Dad! Instead, it’s a science fiction comedy spoof series. In this new FOX TV series, MacFarlane is the captain of a space ship called The Orville. Hence … the name of the show.
Better yet, here’s the trailer for the series.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yy9sKeCE8V0
Um… well… er…
Here’s the problem. Unlike in the U.K., where sci-fi space comedy shows have run for years and years (Red Dwarf, for example), such shows die quick, painful deaths in the US.
And as much as I would love to rally around The Orville, in that I would LOVE to see a true science fiction space comedy spoof in prime-time television, I know that previous attempts to create something like this have failed miserably.
Exhibit A. In the late 1970’s, NBC aired a sci-fi spoof show called Quark, starring Richard Benjamin as the captain of an intergalactic garbage ship. This show was a spoof of Star Trek, Star Wars and other space operas of the time, and although the Barnstable Sisters (as clones Betty and Betty) were a nice slice of eye candy, the show had crummy ratings and was not renewed past its initial order.
Exhibit B. One of UPN’s early TV comedies was the high-concept Homeboys in Outer Space, which spoofed everything from Star Trek to Star Wars to Red Dwarf, and even had cameo appearances by Star Trek‘s James Doohan playing a character named Pippen. Oh I get it. Yeah, and what I also got was that this show is frequently listed as one of the worst TV prime time shows of all time. OF ALL TIME!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_ruNzoE0wY
Exhibit C. Even when sci-fi space comedies prosper in foreign countries – Red Dwarf being a great example – American attempts to recreate that same type of show have landed with a resounding plop. What you’re seeing here is a very lame attempt to create an American version of Red Dwarf, and if you look closely you can see Jane Leeves (Frasier) as the computer-controlling disembodied head Holly. Urgh.
So we’ve already seen how well prime-time space comedies have done.
Another problem with The Orville is that it’s a live action Seth MacFarlane production. And unlike Family Guy, MacFarlane’s live-action comedies have died quickly. If you remember The Winner … or Dads … you were probably one of the tens of people who watched both those shows. I feel your pain.
And a third problem? Honestly, how many Fox sci-fi space dramas have gone on to rich and productive and long-lasting runs? Let’s see, there was Firefly … and before that, there was Space: Above and Beyond … and before that, there was … well … there was … (scratching head) … yeah, there wasn’t.
So it’s a science fiction space opera … produced by Seth MacFarlane … and it’s a comedy … and it’s on FOX …
Yeah, I think The Orville is not wright for this world. What do you think, blog readers? Six episodes before this show gets culled?
Besides, if I really want to see a science fiction comedy series, I’ll go find my old VHS copies of Galaxy Quest or Spaceballs… which were much, much funnier than what I’ve seen from The Orville.
Chuck The Writer 