IGN have published a short video interview with Seth MacFarlane in which they talk about comedy, characters and nuance.

On the topic of comedy he made two possibly related points.

Back when the show first aired, Fox aggressively pushed to promote The Orville as whacky comedy.

There are comedic moments but proportionally they were only ever a tiny part of the show.

And the comedy itself has evolved.

Episodes no longer need a punchline. Instead the comedy comes from the personalities of the characters.

Seth reckons that their focus on characters might be one respect in which The Orville occupies a unique space in sci-fi.

When he writes stories he asks himself if his mum could watch it?

He tries to avoid making shows about a premise or a sci-fi concept or if it is then it has to be locked into one or more characters whose stories the audience are invested in.

Asked about the first episode which deals with fallout from the Kaylon invasion and Isaac's role in that, he said that there's a tendency today in the real world to see everything in black and white.

This episode and the whole season try to adopt a more nuanced view and answer the question of how do you live with someone like Isaac after what he's done?

The Orville: New Horizons will premiere on SBS on Demand on June 3 with new episodes releasing weekly.

Seasons one and two of The Orville are available now on SBS on Demand and also Disney+.

[ Main Image: Seth MacFarlane. Credit: IGN via YouTube. ]

References

IGN (June 2, 2022). The Orville: New Horizons - Seth MacFarlane Says Show Doesn't 'Need a Punchline'. YouTube.