This article mentions suicide.
The Orvillebecame something different as it went on, and it took until the season 3 premiere for me to fully notice how much the show had changed. It’s always been a standout project amongSeth MacFarlane’s TV shows, in part due to its identity as a hard sci-fi show - which he hadn’t done before. As well as casting himself as Captain Ed Mercer, the USS Orville’s commanding officer,MacFarlane has written most of the show’s scripts to date. However, he hasn’t just focused on one particular genre.
Star Trek’s influence onThe Orvillecan’t be denied, but the sense of humor that runs through MacFarlane’s space opera is very much authentic to his wider TV portfolio. Despite the show’s success,The Orvilleseason 4 remains unconfirmed, although there have been several teases from the cast and crew that suggest another run of episodes will eventually happen. When and if the show returns,I would be surprised ifThe Orvillereverted to its original form, but I wouldn’t be disappointed either.
Isaac’s Suicide Storyline In “Electric Sheep” Proves The Orville Became Far More Than Just A Star Trek Parody
The Kaylon Taking His Own Life Really Shocked Me
WhenThe Orvillebegan, I remember being caught a little off-guard by Seth MacFarlane’s blend of a faithfulStar Trekhomage and a deluge ofFamily Guy-esque jokes. That said, I quickly came to love the combination. What I found even more interesting was how much the joking aspect started to fade over time, andThe Orvillebecame far less of a parody and solidified itself as a standalone space opera. By the timeThe Orvilleseason 3 premiered, the run’s first episode with Isaac’s suicide confirmed the show wasn’t against breaking a few hearts.
The Orvilleseason 3 was marketed asThe Orville: New Horizons, but is a continuation of season 2.
Mark Jackson’s Isaac goes on a deeply emotional journey in “Electric Sheep,” which is compounded by the fact that the Kaylon is incapable of experiencing emotion. The decision to end his own existence is routed in his own cold logic, and I remember watching the episode feeling like it was from a different show. The rest ofThe Orvilleseason 3 levels back out into something like the comedy/sci-fi/drama blend of seasons 1 and 2, but never quite at the same ratio. As such,“Electric Sheep” tookThe Orvilledown a compelling route from where it couldn’t return.
“Electric Sheep” Helped The Orville Season 3 Earn Its “New Horizons” Subtitle
The Orville’s Less Comedic Tone Was Solidified By Isaac’s Suicide Storyline
TheNew Horizonssubtitle was added toThe Orville’s main banner as a way of acknowledging the three-year gap between seasons 2 and 3. There had been a wait of just one year between the first two seasons, so MacFarlane and his creative team felt that couldn’t be ignored. If the show had simply returned exactly how it had been, it would have made the title change a little pointless. So, “Electric Sheep” kickstartedThe Orville’s new era by trying something very different, which further justified the new subtitle.
