The Orville - Series Premiere - Review + POLL

The Orville pilot is the type of episode that is much better appreciated after a second viewing as it is tough to not let expectations get in the way.

Most of The Orville promos hype it up as a Galaxy Quest-esque comedy. Though the fact the show runs for one hour, along with the casting of Adrianne Palicki, is proof enough that The Orville is not your regular sitcom. And for a dramedy The Orville pilot kicks off the series to a solid start.

Like most of Macfarlane’s humor, the comedy elements of the episode are hit or miss, but when they do hit, those moments ensue laugh out loud hilarity.

There is also a lot of heart to the show, and that primarily has to do with the smart casting of Adrianne Palicki as First Officer Kelly Grayson, whose chemistry with Seth Macfarlane's Captain Ed Mercer as his character’s ex-wife, is spot on.

The bickering between the two provide some of the show’s best laugh out loud moments, while also adding a dose of heart to the show. It’s hard not to feel for Captain Ed Mercer who, at the beginning of the episode, walks in on his wife fooling around with an alien.

There is no one in the supporting cast who is a standout, but nevertheless, the deadpan humour of J. Lee as Navigator John LeMarr and Scott Grimes as the quirky Helmsman Gordon Malloy did provide some amusing moments to keep the show pacing along at a breezy pace. Hopefully, the two characters, among others in the cast, will get the chance to be fleshed out as the season progresses.

Overall, The Orville will need to figure out whether it is a comedy with dramatic elements, or a drama with comedic moments, but to begin, the pilot is a solid B+ episode packed with plenty of promise.

8/10

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