When I first started this show I found it to be a really awkward mix of comedy and seriousness. It had some jokes thrown it at the most inopportune times as some kind of comic relief from a really serious situation. Perhaps the first half of the first season was actually a bit rough or maybe the show just grew on me, but by season 2 I found myself loving this show.
To me it seems as every bit as comfy, intellectually interesting and even funny as some classic Star Treks while still clearly being its own thing. I wish more comfy space shows like this would get made.
What are your thoughts on The Orville? Also I miss Alara.
I watched the first 2 seasons. The "sitcom in space" parts work quite OK, Kaylon's concept was somewhat interesting, space battles are well animated, particularly in the 2nd season which clearly got more budget, but...
Whenever the scripts stray away from "personal drama of the week" and dumb jokes about starships it becomes uninspired and shallow. It's clear to me that MacFarlane tries to "dunk on both sides". Sadly, his attempts at political/social critique look like "enlightened centrist" reddit rants which don't try to think about broader consequences and context of points being made. To the point of some stories being somewhat problematic when dissected.
I watched the first episode of the third season to see where does the series go. It took a highly sensitive topic, again reiterated high-school philosophy arguments and made this potentially hard and relatable for viewers subject into an awkward bedtime conversation. I decided the rest of the season is not worth my time.
Luckily Strange New Worlds premiered soon after and I never looked back. SNW beats Orville on all measures.
As someone who disliked the comedy part, I enjoyed the last season the most.
Strange New Worlds Season 1 was great. Haven’t yet had the time yet to watch Season 2 but it looks just as good so far. Still haven’t started the final season of Picard yet, but I’m assuming you liked that one too? I thought it was good for a limited run series.