Anybody watch The Orville? I taped the first two. I was utterly underwhelmed by the pilot and thought maybe I misunderstood when it was billed as a comedy. I didn't laugh once. It seemed like a fan-fiction ripoff of Star Trek: The New Generation except even brander. But since pilots oftentimes have to spend too much time explaining their world and who the characters are, I gave it a second shot with another episode yet again it was not funny at all and played like a poor man's Star Trek: The New Generation with the serial numbers filed off. Not a single laugh or even appreciative smile was earned. Did anybody think this show was any good? I can't imagine it will last much longer. I expect it has only gotten this far because Seth McFarlane has a lot of clout with the network. About the only thing I found watchable was the captain's hot ex-wife executive officer:
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Didn't she play Wonder Woman as a brunette?
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I guess I was thinking it would be a little more fun (and funny) like Galaxy Quest without the conceit of actors being caught up in their roles for real.
I haven't seen it yet, but I imagined it would be Seth McFarlane's nostalgia for 80's sci-fi (TNG in particular) made into a TV show, so I'm not surprised by your impression.
It seems a bit serious for a comedy. But since quite a bit of the comedy in the first two episodes fell flat with me, I'm OK with that. The third episode had relatively little comedy.
It does follow the American TV Trope of the women being smart/competent and most of the men being tools/fools.
Quote from: Tod13;995726It seems a bit serious for a comedy. But since quite a bit of the comedy in the first two episodes fell flat with me, I'm OK with that. The third episode had relatively little comedy.
It does follow the American TV Trope of the women being smart/competent and most of the men being tools/fools.
I haven't seen the third episode. It's taped and waiting but whether I get around to it depends on time. After the first two being dull, I may not even bother. I was hoping it would be funny. Coming from
The Family Guy guy, it's surprisingly unfunny and surprisingly PC.
I saw the first three episodes and didn't fall asleep which makes it better than Star Trek Discovery, otherwise it looks like a Seth McFarlane vanity project.
Quality program. My problem is that I don't need another Star Trek. And if you are going to spoof Star Trek, let's at least make it hilarious.
Yeah, it's not exactly funny. Seth McFarlane is a comic genius, great voice actor, and musical talent, but he's not an actor. All I ever see is Seth in a Star Trek uniform. Still, the "it's comedy" let's me overlook goofiness, which drove me nuts in the Star Trek Discovery pilot (which wasn't anywhere near as terrible as I worried it might be). I'd like to have a thread about the new Star Trek show...I think it's fair to discuss both of these shows in context to each other, too.
I am sad to hear Orville is not a comedy. GalaxyQuest: the TV show is a no brainer.
I actually still can't understand why Ghostbusters isn't a live TV show.
Quote from: Dumarest;995770I haven't seen the third episode. It's taped and waiting but whether I get around to it depends on time. After the first two being dull, I may not even bother. I was hoping it would be funny. Coming from The Family Guy guy, it's surprisingly unfunny and surprisingly PC.
For the bolded portion, as a bioinformatician, I know correlation isn't causation, but it's a good place to start looking. LOL :D
I liked it , thought it was fun and was pleasantly surprised it wasn't "comedy all the time" - but had actual science fiction drama for at least 50% or more of each episode.
Oh, and Seth McFarlane? For years I have his animated shows on Fox and mostly disliked him in general. If this show reflects something close to his real personality then he should have done this sooner. I can forgive all the money making obnoxious cartoons he did for 'Fox' - if that was what gained him enough clout to be able to get the green light for this show.
Its fun and on the optimistic side of Sci Fi - many days people need a little bit of that.
- Ed C.
Watched the 3rd episode. It's basically turned into Star Trek: The New Generation with a different cast and the serial numbers filed off. Note for note. Not sure why this was billed as a comedy. Three episodes, zero laughs. I've deleted it from the "to record" queue. I didn't like The New Generation 30 years ago; I don't need a remake.
Quote from: Dumarest;995770it's surprisingly unfunny and surprisingly PC.
I laughed quite a few times, but other times the humor felt reeeeealy forced. The effects though and the "look" of the show has been great (IMO) and it feels more "Star Trek" than Discovery so far.
The 3rd episode though when full SJW which really turned me off, but I'll keep giving it a chance, at least for the rest of the season.
Based on the reviews of Orville and Discovery, I am sure to...just play Starcraft instead.
Quote from: Gwarh;996349The 3rd episode though when full SJW which really turned me off, but I'll keep giving it a chance, at least for the rest of the season.
Really?? I didn't see any so-called "SJW" material in that episode - and I'm supposedly a conservative asshole according to many on here.
It is a Fun Sci Fi show.
We kind of need that these days.
- Ed C.
Quote from: Gwarh;996349The 3rd episode though when full SJW which really turned me off, but I'll keep giving it a chance, at least for the rest of the season.
I actually thought it could be read either way, since the protagonists were opposing a sex change operation, but it was poorly written so who knows? The courtroom scene was idiotic; the "big reveal" about the writer came from nowhere and made no sense. But I stopped recording the show mainly because it was boring rather than anything to do with any supposed political content.
Quote from: Spinachcat;996355Based on the reviews of Orville and Discovery, I am sure to...just play Starcraft instead.
Nah, play FASA Trek! :D
The amount of humor reminds me of my job IRL. I work at a hospital and there are always serious issues going on, but we throw out snarky quips when we can. Still, my RL job isn't a comedy and neither is Orville. I do like it better than STD though.
Watched episode 4. Similar premise to ST:TOS For the World Is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky. But handled differently. Episode felt cut short a bit--for example, the political situation was never really resolved.
The sophomoric humor that doesn't really work well for me is finding an even keel, which is good. The humor is fit more into the show and isn't an "insert unrelated joke here" type of writing.
It's a shame the otherwise engaging writing is stunted by the constant "men are stupid, unless they recognize and appreciate superior women" typical of much of US media.
Quote from: Koltar;996421Really?? I didn't see any so-called "SJW" material in that episode - and I'm supposedly a conservative asshole according to many on here.
It is a Fun Sci Fi show.
We kind of need that these days.
- Ed C.
The constant "men are fools or tools" is considered an aspect of SJW media. It's been a drag. For now, I'll watch it for free on fox.com and see if they get over it at all.
Quote from: Spinachcat;996355Based on the reviews of Orville and Discovery, I am sure to...just play Starcraft instead.
If you want to try some thing with less story or just some thing different Sword of the stars is pretty good.
Is "Sword of the Stars" the name of a TV show?
Quote from: Dumarest;997899Is "Sword of the Stars" the name of a TV show?
No a pair of 4x strategy games that are pretty good think sort of like Sid mires civ IN SPAAAAAAAAAACCEEE.
Quote from: kosmos1214;998207No a pair of 4x strategy games that are pretty good think sort of like Sid mires civ IN SPAAAAAAAAAACCEEE.
I played the hell out of SotS, both of them. I wish I had the time for a good 4x right now, I have a bunch I'm waiting to play.
Conceptually I love it, but find the execution wanting. The acting is wooden, the ship designs (other than #TheOrville itself) are ugly and nondistinctive, and unlike #StarTrek I neither want to live in that universe nor identify with any of the characters. But it took #StarTrek: The Next Generation at least two seasons before finding its voice, and it's likely this will be cancelled long before that.
One thing I find really interesting however is the Critic/Audience discrepancy on #RottenTomatoes, where #TheOrville gets Critic:20% Audience:91% (https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/orville/s01), while #StarTrekDiscovery gets Critic:87% Audience:60% (https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/star_trek_discovery/s01). That's not only extreme between the two shows, but it's especially extreme between the scores on #TheOrville, with a 71% difference!
Quote from: Gwarh;996349The 3rd episode though when full SJW which really turned me off, but I'll keep giving it a chance, at least for the rest of the season.
Again, the premise was excellent, but the execution was sloppy. Instead of focusing on how women and men are essentially interchangeable (in which case it really doesn't matter what gender you are, which invalidates the premise), they should have focused on why those differences matter.
Despite that I still found it to be a pretty damn good episode, but that's also because I can separate politics from my entertainment :)
Quote from: kosmos1214;998207No a pair of 4x strategy games that are pretty good think sort of like Sid mires civ IN SPAAAAAAAAAACCEEE.
Video game or board game? I'd love a good sci fi type board game with replayability, that is, one where there's not just one main way to win.
I will say I'm surprised that Liam Neeson and Charlize Theron have turned up. I guess McFarlane called in some favors.
Quote from: Dumarest;999524I will say I'm surprised that Liam Neeson and Charlize Theron have turned up. I guess McFarlane called in some favors.
Interesting. I did not recognize those two actors. LOL I did think that episode 5 was the best so far. (Taken by itself, without baggage I've picked up about the show from other episodes, episode 5 was actually good.)
I do like how the captain always refers to Kitan's feats of strength as "open this jar of pickles for me". It is also nice to see additional interactions among the crew, like with Grayson and Kitan this episode (or the ongoing stuff between Yaphit and Finn).
Quote from: Dumarest;999524I will say I'm surprised that Liam Neeson and Charlize Theron have turned up. I guess McFarlane called in some favors.
In the case of Charlize Theron = they became friends when she did a comedy western with him about two years ago. He asked if she would do the show and she said yes.
With Liam Neeson - I think its a case of 'wanted to be on Star Trek when it was fun/ but never got to be'.The Orville gives them a chance to be on a fun sci fi show. Also, he had no onscreen credit - that was a total surprise appearance. Often a big name actor will do a 'no credit' appearance so that they affordable to a show and they like the people involved. Years ago, Frank Langella was a two-part "Deep Space Nine" and did not have an onscreen credit.
- Ed C.
Turns out both were in his Western comedy:
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Quote from: Dumarest;999567Turns out both were in his Western comedy:
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Huh, didn't know Liam was in it. Thanks. In general, before The Orville" show happened I didn't think much of MacFarlane.
- Ed C.
Aaaaannnnddddd..... since y'all have mentioned his movie I guess now is the time to weigh in on the burning question on my mind: Given how badly A million Ways to Die in teh West actually flopped, who in dafuq is Seth MacFarland fucking that lets him keep getting shots at on-screen performances? I mean: He makes a mint practically every time he does Voice work, and blows said mint every time he puts his mug on screen...
Hollywood ain't working the way they say it works... or they haven't got the finely honed sense of pattern recognition I expect of an earthworm.
Quote from: Spike;999664Aaaaannnnddddd..... since y'all have mentioned his movie I guess now is the time to weigh in on the burning question on my mind: Given how badly A million Ways to Die in teh West actually flopped, who in dafuq is Seth MacFarland fucking that lets him keep getting shots at on-screen performances? I mean: He makes a mint practically every time he does Voice work, and blows said mint every time he puts his mug on screen...
Hollywood ain't working the way they say it works... or they haven't got the finely honed sense of pattern recognition I expect of an earthworm.
I'd assume
The Family Guy makes so much money for Fox that they can afford his inexpensive movies here and there as part of the deal. It's done well enough to generate two spinoffs. Plus
Ted made money, too.
Quote from: Dumarest;999287Video game or board game? I'd love a good sci fi type board game with replayability, that is, one where there's not just one main way to win.
It's A set of 2 computer games they are quite fun and there are multiple victory conditions.
Quote from: Koltar;999596Huh, didn't know Liam was in it. Thanks. In general, before The Orville" show happened I didn't think much of MacFarlane.
- Ed C.
I still don't. But, given time and some tightening of the script and Orville might become good enough for Fox to cancel out of hand.
Quote from: Warboss Squee;999759I still don't. But, given time and some tightening of the script and Orville might become good enough for Fox to cancel out of hand.
Well, sure, it's a scifi show on Fox so it's a dead man walking, but Fox let McFarlane have the Cleveland Show four seasons longer than it deserved, so they might just let him keep it on air for a bit.
Quote from: ThatChrisGuy;999808Well, sure, it's a scifi show on Fox so it's a dead man walking, but Fox let McFarlane have the Cleveland Show four seasons longer than it deserved, so they might just let him keep it on air for a bit.
I doubt the Cleveland Show had the same budget. Fox hates to spend money.
This show continues to deliver. The season premier was so-so. The Maklans continue to bewilder. I love Bortas and Klyden, but the seem to have become a dumping ground of nonsensical alien ideas. They only pee once a year. Do they store up a year's worth of pee? Where do they keep it all? Do they process less liquids than humans? How does that work? Ah, pee jokes. Got it.
But the 2nd episode knocked it out of the park. Lots of drama, instead of DRAMA! Great story. More Maklan stuff, but Bortas and Klyden are great characters.
you do realize there are real living creatures on earth that never pee, right? SO peeing once a year, for potty humor or not, is hardly unimaginable...
Quote from: Spike;1071090you do realize there are real living creatures on earth that never pee, right? SO peeing once a year, for potty humor or not, is hardly unimaginable...
And they've never bothered to mention that Maklan colons might allow far more liquids through than humans meaning that Bortas might constantly have Chipotle Butt.
Quote from: Anon Adderlan;999273One thing I find really interesting however is the Critic/Audience discrepancy on #RottenTomatoes, where #TheOrville gets Critic:20% Audience:91% (https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/orville/s01), while #StarTrekDiscovery gets Critic:87% Audience:60% (https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/star_trek_discovery/s01). That's not only extreme between the two shows, but it's especially extreme between the scores on #TheOrville, with a 71% difference!
Thats because RT got bought out and is little more than a shill platform for whomever greased the most palms. Same with the new Doctor Who. Also seems RT has been caught manipulating numbers at least once so it is becoming increasingly irrelevant.
Quote from: Spike;1071090you do realize there are real living creatures on earth that never pee, right? SO peeing once a year, for potty humor or not, is hardly unimaginable...
There are lot of animals that do/don't do lots of different things. My comment was pointing out that the Maklans have lots of such features. They are tough and resistant to radiation... ok, they are able to consume inorganic substances like glass... oookay. They pee once a year. oooooooookay? They are a monogendered species. That lays eggs. And has males and females. ??? It's starting to stack up.
The early part of season 1 of the Orville is a bit crass, but it was a bit of a laugh.
It gets better and quite funny as the episodes progress.
Still, Star Trek, Star Wars, they're all pretty much dead in the water and have been for some years.
At least the Orville is trying to just make is funny and light entertainment.
Watching it I think the show harkens back more to the TOS era than the TNG one. I am not a fan of the show as most of the episodes and half the humor are not to my liking. But it looks good and the acting is overall not bad. If the writing picks up then who knows?
Quote from: Omega;1071208Watching it I think the show harkens back more to the TOS era than the TNG one. I am not a fan of the show as most of the episodes and half the humor are not to my liking. But it looks good and the acting is overall not bad. If the writing picks up then who knows?
Yeah I agree it feels more original series.
But maybe that's what they were trying to do, just make things simpler and more entertaining.
"Overall not bad" is probably a good description of the series, with a few gems in there. I really like the 2D world they visited.
I'm looking forward to watching series 2.
One thing that kept occurring to me while watching the first episode was that it allmost feels like they wanted to do a live action Futurama. Then changed gears to ST. Got vetoed. And did a merger of concepts.
Quote from: Omega;1071229One thing that kept occurring to me while watching the first episode was that it allmost feels like they wanted to do a live action Futurama. Then changed gears to ST. Got vetoed. And did a merger of concepts.
Seth has said in interviews that they've intentionally been leaning into the "serious" sci-fi angle over the first season, seeing how far they could take it without losing their comedy angle.
https://ew.com/tv/2018/12/27/seth-macfarlane-the-orville-season-2/
The 2nd season has been kind of lame, until the most recent episode (when the crew go to Isaac's planet) which is probably the best one yet! To be continued..
Quote from: Robyo;1077051The 2nd season has been kind of lame, until the most recent episode (when the crew go to Isaac's planet) which is probably the best one yet! To be continued..
Big one. My brother and I were talking about it for days afterwards.
Quote from: Ratman_tf;1077072Big one. My brother and I were talking about it for days afterwards.
Now if they can make that episode the benchmark from here on out. As someone who can't stand what they did to Discovery, I hope the Orville succeeds.
Part 2 of Identity has one of the coolest space battles screened for television. Very well done!
The scene where the shuttle is spinning like a top and the pilots manage to stay in their chairs without even wearing seatbelts, I found to be pretty hilarious. If you want g-force physics realism, watch The Expanse.
Quote from: Robyo;1077579Part 2 of Identity has one of the coolest space battles screened for television. Very well done!
The scene where the shuttle is spinning like a top and the pilots manage to stay in their chairs without even wearing seatbelts, I found to be pretty hilarious. If you want g-force physics realism, watch The Expanse.
I'm actually dissapointed that it was only a two-parter.
Spoiler
Issac's heel turn made sense in that he's a second generation Kaylon, and has a precedent of being affected by his interactions with humanoids in A Happy Refrain. Still, I would have liked to see Issac actually work it out instead of suddenly turning on the other Kaylons.