If you wanted to know how Seth McFarlane got the idea for The Orville then you should probably watch this video of him as a teen making a Star Trek fan film. Starring as Captain Kirk, the favorite of so many, he took on the role with great aplomb and obviously loved it so much that he tried to revitalize the genre many years later by pushing forth The Orville. After his success with Family Guy and a few other endeavors it’s not too hard to imagine why McFarlane would attempt to do something different. Really, at one point he was seeming to become a one-trick pony that could do the voice of Family Guy like there was no tomorrow, but not much else. Embracing his love for Star Trek seems to have revitalized him in a way that wasn’t about to happen with Family Guy.
Yes the show is funny and so hilariously messed up that one just has to laugh, but it also showed a lack of range after a while. McFarlane could do many different voices but if you sat down and listened to them long enough you could hear the common tone in all of his voices that binds them together. After you discover that it doesn’t matter if you knew he voiced them all or not, you got the feeling that while he is talented, he’s kind of limited. Many comedians and actors tend to fall back on what they know at times in order to stay in their comfort zone when it’s needed. But when McFarlane attempted to step out of his comfort zone with the movie A Million Ways To Die In The West he kind of flopped onto his face. Even Ted and Ted 2 didn’t do quite as expected at the box office, and in that case he was using the Peter Griffin voice more or less.
The Orville though is kind of a split decision between fans so far. Those that really love McFarlane will pull for him and say that it’s an entertaining show, while those that love Star Trek more than McFarlane tend to think that it’s a blatant ripoff and shouldn’t be considered any good. Personally I think that if people love both Star Trek and McFarlane then there should be a happy medium that they can reach that could satisfy everyone. It’s a thought, but not one that’s likely to come to fruition.
So far The Orville, which is McFarlane’s attempt to fill a time slot with something that used to be filled by Star Trek, has had its ups and downs, but seeing as how it didn’t get canceled right away it might be a workable thing that can stick around. It’s certainly a dream come true for McFarlane, who as you can see has been wanting something like this to happen since his teenage years. I can recall a lot of teenagers that wanted to be a part of Star Trek when they were younger. It was a fantasy that a lot of high school kids had, and still have.
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