Here's what to expect from The Orville season 3, including when it might release and what its story could be. Created by Seth MacFarlane, who also stars in the series as Captain Ed Mercer, The Orville's cast features Adrianne Palicki, Penny Johnson Jerald, Peter Macon, and Scott Grimes, among others. Together they traverse through space on The Orville starship.

Heavily inspired by Star Trek, the staff of The Orville is similar to the ones included in that franchise, with the captain being joined by a first officer (who's also his ex-wife), a second officer, a chief medical officer, a helmsman (who's also the captain's best friend), and a security chief. The Orville season 2 saw the crew face down new alien threats, while Ed and Kelly (Palicki) moved closer together once more, with the latter accepting to go on a 2nd date with him.

With things nicely poised for The Orville season 3, fans have been wondering what the current status of the show is. Fox had renewed The Orville for season 3 as of May 2019, but plans for the show have changed since then. Here's the latest on season 3 of The Orville.

The Orville Season 3 Renewal


Fans can rejoice now, because The Orville season 3 is happening. The show will not be quietly disappearing forever, although it will be leaving FOX. Instead, Hulu has stepped in and picked up the series for 11 episodes with a longer running time (adding about 10 minutes to each). MacFarlane announced the new deal at San Diego Comic-Con in July of 2019. Both Hulu and FOX are owned Disney, so it should be a seamless move for cast and crew.

The Orville Season 3 Release Date Info


The Orville season 3 has started production, but an actual release date for the renewed show has not been announced. Part of the delay is due to the actual production of episodes. MacFarlane said that The Orville had become more ambitious over time, causing it to take longer to finalize and deliver episodes, per Variety. It was generally expected that The Orville season 3 would be available on Hulu by late 2020. However, as with many series and movies, the coronaviurus has postponed production for The Orville, so that expectation may not be met.

The Orville Season 3 Story Details


MacFarlane is proud of the show's episodic story-telling, so look for more of that in The Orville season 3. He's also said that the upcoming season will "cement" The Orville as "its own animal" and not just a Star Trek-inspired space show, per SYFY Wire. Of course, the move to Hulu means that the series is no longer obliged to meet restrictive broadcast standards, so more adult themes could come into play in season 3.

There are very few details out there regarding what's in the actual scripts for The Orville season 3, but co-producer and editor Tom Costantino said to Trekzone, "There will be a continuation of things we care about, characters we care about." He also added that writers would address previous fan complaints in The Orville season 3. Finally, if season 2 was any indication, the comedy will focus less on jokes and continue to develop more dramatic plots.