FOX has renewed space drama The Orville for a third season, it was confirmed today.
Despite the show’s strong non-linear and streaming numbers, renewal was far from given seeing as how the show is an expensive undertaking and FOX decimated its drama bubble this year, cancelling Star, Lethal Weapon, The Passage, Proven Innocent, and The Gifted. The network opted for so many new shows so they could get co-ownership on everything, a tactic they’re utilizing in the absence of a sister studio, so it was unclear whether The Orville would be a victim of this.
In its favor, the series received some significant tax credits recently and has support at the network, which also wants to keep creator/star Seth MacFarlane happy.
It seems likely that The Orville will once again arrive on the FOX schedule come midseason, taking over for Thursday Night Football. Whether it’s paired with one of FOX’s new dramas (perhaps genre-ish drama Next?) or an unscripted show remains to be seen.
