Skip to main content

Seth MacFarlane’s next TV series promises to be out of this world

seth macfarlane sci fi tv series a million ways to die in the west
Image used with permission by copyright holder
For his next television series, Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane is boldly going where, well … a lot of people have gone before. But it’s probably going to be a very, very funny journey.

FOX has announced that the 13-time Primetime Emmy Award nominee, two-time Emmy winner, and one-time Academy Award nominee is developing a science-fiction comedy that he will write, star in, and executive produce for the network. The series is expected to debut during the 2017-2018 television season.

Recommended Videos

The project was announced by Dana Walden and Gary Newman, the joint Chairmen and CEOs of Fox Television Group, with the network ordering 13 hour-long episodes of the still-untitled series.

Set 300 years in the future, the show will follow the crew of the Orville, a ship in Earth’s interstellar fleet tasked with exploring the outer reaches of space. It’s uncertain what role MacFarlane will play in the series.

“I’ve wanted to do something like this show ever since I was a kid, and the timing finally feels right,” said MacFarlane in a statement accompanying the announcement. “20th and FOX have been good to me for many years, and of course, Dana and Gary have been fantastic bosses and true pals, so it was a no-brainer to come to them with the project. I think this is going to be something special.”

Although MacFarlane has had most of his success writing, producing, and providing the voices for various animated and live-action projects (including an Oscar nomination for the song “Everybody Needs a Friend” from Ted 2), he has also appeared in front of the camera, too. He starred in the 2014 comedy A Million Ways To Die In the West, which he also co-wrote and directed.

“For almost two decades, we’ve enjoyed an incredible collaboration with our partner and friend Seth MacFarlane,” added Newman and Walden in the announcement of the project. “He’s one of the smartest, funniest, and most talented people we’ve ever had the pleasure of working with — a great guy who’s also had such an impact on both television and popular culture. Seth has one of the most original voices — in every sense of the word — and we’ve been waiting for him to bring us a project as special as this one. It’s classic Seth — fresh and funny, incredibly smart, wickedly subversive and undeniably FOX.”

Rick Marshall
A veteran journalist with more than two decades of experience covering local and national news, arts and entertainment, and…
Robert Zemeckis says Disney would never make a Who Framed Roger Rabbit sequel
Eddie Valiant and Roger Rabbit in "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?".

Director Robert Zemeckis has had a long career in Hollywood, and in his time in the industry, he’s seen things shift and change. Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, his hybrid live-action and animated comedy from the late 1980s, is widely regarded today as a classic, but during a recent interview on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Zemeckis suggested that he didn’t think the movie could get made today.

He also acknowledged that there’s a sequel script that exists but doesn’t think it will ever get made. “There’s a good script [for a sequel] at Disney, but here’s the thing: The current Disney would never make Roger Rabbit today,” he explained. “They can’t make a movie with Jessica in it.”

Read more
50 years ago, this gonzo horror comedy with a killer score became an instant cult classic
Leach looking intrigued in "Phantom of the Paradise."

Fifty years after its release, Phantom of the Paradise continues to rock the hearts and minds of its devoted fans. Written and directed by Hollywood legend Brian De Palma (Carrie), this film follows scarred and vengeful singer-songwriter Winslow Leach (William Finley) who terrorizes a producer (Paul Williams) for stealing his music, ultimately selling his soul to him for the chance to sing again.

Though the film bombed at the box office and received mostly negative criticism upon release, this musical comedy has since gained a cult following akin to a similar classic from the 1970s, The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Now that the film is celebrating its 50th anniversary, it's prime time to review why Phantom of the Paradise has gone on to be considered an underrated gonzo masterpiece.
A Phantom with style and flair to spare

Read more
Everything coming to PBS in November 2024
Rachel Shenton and Nicholas Ralph in All Creatures Great and Small.

There are no new British dramas premiering on PBS in November, but there's more than enough programming to see you through the penultimate month of 2024. Ken Burns is premiering his new documentary, Leonardo da Vinci, about the world's most famous Renaissance man, artist, and inventor. And PBS has several other documentary and nature programs slated to run throughout the month.

PBS' non-partisan coverage of the 2024 presidential election will culminate on Tuesday, November 5. But if you're really missing your British dramas, there are encore presentations of All Creatures Great & Small and Call the Midwife coming as well.

Read more