Average episode rating this season: 6.71428571(…, presumably)
The Orville's sophomore season got away from a lot of the sophomoric humor that put me off its freshman outing. This time around it felt much more like a "real" sci-fi show, tackling present-day issues with allegorical stories set in a (mostly) utopian future. Remind you of any other well-known sci-fi franchise? (We know the homage is no accident. Just look at who from *ahem* that other franchise ended up on the production team here.)
I wrapped up my season one review with something of an ultimatum: "If the show doesn't evolve in season two, I likely won't continue following it." (https://trakt.tv/comments/153991), and I'm glad to say that it did evolve. We got more believable dramatic stakes, fewer bad jokes, and an overall higher writing quality that—while still not "Totally Ninja"—was at least adequate. A few Star Trek actors brought in as guest stars (plus Ted Danson as a Union admiral) sweetened the pot a bit, too.
Is this the best show ever written? Well, no. It's not going to win your heart with amazing writing—maybe not even with the characters. But it most definitely is trying to be more than the lame comedy it was at first.
Review by dgwVIP 10BlockedParent2019-05-03T03:32:09Z
Average episode rating this season: 6.71428571(…, presumably)
The Orville's sophomore season got away from a lot of the sophomoric humor that put me off its freshman outing. This time around it felt much more like a "real" sci-fi show, tackling present-day issues with allegorical stories set in a (mostly) utopian future. Remind you of any other well-known sci-fi franchise? (We know the homage is no accident. Just look at who from *ahem* that other franchise ended up on the production team here.)
I wrapped up my season one review with something of an ultimatum: "If the show doesn't evolve in season two, I likely won't continue following it." (https://trakt.tv/comments/153991), and I'm glad to say that it did evolve. We got more believable dramatic stakes, fewer bad jokes, and an overall higher writing quality that—while still not "Totally Ninja"—was at least adequate. A few Star Trek actors brought in as guest stars (plus Ted Danson as a Union admiral) sweetened the pot a bit, too.
Is this the best show ever written? Well, no. It's not going to win your heart with amazing writing—maybe not even with the characters. But it most definitely is trying to be more than the lame comedy it was at first.