The Orville Season Two - Thoughts?

CapnZapp · Apr 14, 2019

I guess I'm about to give up on this show.

Far too much preachy stuff with the crew on the obviously good side, with little complication or nuance. I guess unavoidable given your political climate in the US, but still. (In a show like Madam Secretary that so obviously is counter-programming to real politics I get it, but here...?)

I miss the show where the crew members were fallible. Schlobs, adulterers, drunkards, pheromonal goo-lovers... I miss the sense of them being decidedly a B-team.

Now they're the crew at the forefront of every major crisis in the Union, and every flaw has been polished away.

This show is interested in bashing in already wide-open doors. It makes me long for the irreverence of McFarland's other shows.

It was there in S1 but I'm afraid that after this week's episode any hope of it is thoroughly gone.

Ryujin · Apr 15, 2019

It has been watered down a fair bit from season 1, but I recall an awful lot of complaints about its tenor.

Morrus · Apr 15, 2019

I think I’ve finally become bored with this — I don’t dislike it, but I haven’t bothered watching the last episode yet. The erratic scheduling doesn’t help.

CapnZapp · Apr 15, 2019

Ryujin said:
It has been watered down a fair bit from season 1, but I recall an awful lot of complaints about its tenor.

Yes the critical premiere reviews were scathing. The change in direction is consistent with what one would do to please those critics.

Trouble is, the audience liked what was there. They don't seem to like what the critics made the show into.

Ryujin · Apr 15, 2019

CapnZapp said:
Yes the critical premiere reviews were scathing. The change in direction is consistent with what one would do to please those critics.

Trouble is, the audience liked what was there. They don't seem to like what the critics made the show into.

I think that I can see the cause of this. Other than MacFarlane there are TWENTY ONE producers, co-producers, executive producers, and co-executive producers on this show. Those are the money people. I suspect that those people put pressure on to "clean things up', in order to get better critical reviews.

Legatus Legionis · Apr 16, 2019

CapnZapp · Apr 16, 2019

A show having multiple directors is perfectly normal.

In fact, a show having multiple producers is perfectly normal too.

That doesn't mean you're wrong - just that a show with even one producer can experience this "the producer leaning on the writers" effect

Dannyalcatraz · Apr 16, 2019

While I would prefer The Orville to retain SM’s signature touches, I can’t say I’d be all that unhappy if it mererly became an extremely good homage to the original.

CapnZapp · Apr 16, 2019

I am much more interested in the captain Mercer who, upon being incarcerated in a zoo, immediately gives up personal hygiene; than the captain Mercer without which the Union would get repeatedly invaded and broken up.

Sure Seth MacFarlane has blinding white teeth, but he's no capt Picard. The crew was so very clearly conceived to be a B-team, and season 2 has tried to re-engineer them as infallible heroes.

Ryujin · Apr 16, 2019

Legatus_Legionis said:
I too dislike how the show had to "alter" itself from what the fans loved to what the critics/media wants instead.

And how much of that has to also do with not just all the producers, but also the number of directors they are using this season (over season 1).

There has been 13 different directors to-date.

6 did 1 episode each.
4 did 2 episodes each.
1 did 3 episodes
1 did 4 episodes (that was Seth himself with "Deflectors", "A Happy Refrain", and "Ja'loja")
1 did 4 episodes.

Multiple directors can change the tone of the delivered product, but it's the writers who give broader continuity. Producers have a wider effect, due to them being the primary funders of a show. (It's why groups like Zombie Orpheus Entertainment don't do the big investor thing).