The first season of Orville was practically Friends, what with how much time they fixated on the sexual tension between the various crew members. But it still managed to do good Sci-Fi in between MacFarlane’s cheesy jokes.
Second Season Orville was TNG quality episodes with MacFarlane playing it more-or-less straight the whole time. The rest of the cast is great. The writing is solid. The story arcs keep you invested in the overall plot, without denying the show the ability to be episodic in the mid-season.
Third Season is flat out great. High Sci-Fi premise, uncompromisingly good politics, excellent acting, excellent special effects. They do send the entire officer’s crew into a giant space anus without giving them so much as space suits, but if you kinda try not to think about that too much, its a flawless Star Trek spin-off.
