But to be honest, S2 HAS been "much more like average". That edge that set Orville off (from just being much like yet another season of TNG) has been sandpapered down quite a bit. I guess that's what happens when you listen more to the critics (that hated S1) than the viewers (which were quite happy). :-/
That narrative would hold if it had been a slow erosion over time, with Season 2 opening with Season 1 ratings, and folks dropping off as they realized the "edginess" was gone.
But that's not supported by the data. Season 2 opened with a 33% drop in overall viewership, and 44% drop in the key 18-49 demographic, from its season 1 premier. That means a third of the viewers who watched the Season 1 premier
didn't even try Season 2. Season 2's lack of edge can't be blamed for their drop off if they didn't try it.
Another bunch dropped off after the season 2 premier, without going on to Episode 2 of season 2. You'd have to argue that the first episode was *SO INCREDIBLY* indicative of lack of edge, that folks didn't come back for a second episode.
From there, the ratings have been pretty constant, minor ups and downs, resulting in an overall net slow *rise* in viewership after that initial drop at the start of the season.
A narrative that fits this data better is:
Season 1 has a whole lot of buzz. There's lots of curiosity. Viewers of all types flock in - some like Mac Farlane, others like Trek, others are just curios about buzz, and so on. Lots of folks are willing to give a show one season to prove itself...
But a lot of them didn't come back. Some did come back. They saw the premier, and about half of those said, "Yeah, I guess it was like I remembered from last season. Bleah! I'm not going to keep watching," and left after this season's premier.
What's left is actually the core audience.