‘The Orville Season 4’: Hulu Confirmation, Cast, Plot, and Everything We Know So Far

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Many fans are eagerly waiting for the next season of The Orville, but getting it made is proving tricky. Since it first aired in 2017, Seth MacFarlane’s sci-fi comedy has only had 36 episodes across three seasons – a very irregular schedule, even by today’s streaming standards. Despite this, the show maintains a dedicated fanbase who are all hoping to find out if The Orville will return for a fourth season.

While heavily inspired by and paying tribute to Star Trek, The Orville has successfully created its own unique universe, appealing to fans and those unfamiliar with the franchise. Seth MacFarlane, the creator of Family Guy, is the driving force behind The Orville, serving as both creator and a prominent actor. He’s frequently expressed his passion for the show, but that hasn’t translated into significant progress on continuing the story.

‘The Orville’ Season 4 Still Hasn’t Been Officially Confirmed


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I’m still hoping for more The Orville! It’s not been officially canceled, which is good, but we haven’t gotten a definite ‘yes’ for Season 4 yet. It’s kind of stuck in a waiting game right now. I’ve heard different things from people involved – some seem optimistic, while others suggest it might be over. Honestly, it feels like everyone wants Season 4 to happen, but figuring out how to make it happen is proving difficult.

A major hurdle has been Seth MacFarlane’s packed schedule. He’s still voicing characters on Family Guy and American Dad!, and he’s also been busy creating the Ted prequel series for Peacock. While he wrote most of the first season of The Orville, his writing contributions have decreased in later seasons, suggesting the showrunner is currently overextended.

When Might ‘The Orville’ Season 4 Happen?


Hulu

Everyone who enjoys The Orville is wondering the same thing right now. But the show has dealt with long waits before. While Season 2 arrived less than two years after Season 1, Season 3 faced a much bigger delay. There was a frustrating four-year gap between seasons 2 and 3, leaving fans feeling similar to how they do now. When Season 3 finally premiered, it was also given a new title, New Horizons, to acknowledge the time that had passed.

It looks like fans will likely have to wait a considerable amount of time for Season 4 of The Orville. Past seasons have taken a long time to produce – Season 1 took over six months, Season 2 about a year, and Season 3 even longer due to COVID-19. Even if production started immediately and moved quickly, taking just six months to film, there’s still a lot of editing and finishing work to be done. So, even if Hulu announces a new season soon, it’s realistic to expect a wait of up to two years before new episodes become available.

What ‘The Orville’ Season 4 Will Be About


Hulu

A major strength of The Orville is its self-contained episodes. Much like the original Star Trek series, each episode usually presents a new story, without heavily relying on what happened before. While previous episodes do contribute to a broader understanding of life on the USS Orville and the show’s universe, The Orville mostly thrives on its ability to explore a wide variety of independent storylines.

The season finale of The Orville doesn’t leave viewers with many unanswered questions heading into a potential Season 4. The episode mainly focused on a wedding, which is a significant event for the characters, but it doesn’t create a pressing cliffhanger. Considering the time that’s passed since filming, if the show returns, the newly married couple might not even be considered newlyweds. It seems likely Season 4 will introduce fresh storylines, though it could also revisit older plots for follow-up episodes.

‘The Orville’s Main Cast Is Likely To Be Mostly Unchanged in Season 4


Hulu

With no official announcement about Season 4 of The Orville, we don’t yet know which actors would return. It’s also uncertain whether the show will continue its tradition of featuring guest stars from Star Trek. However, if The Orville does get renewed, it’s likely we’ll see the main cast reprise their roles. Seth MacFarlane will almost certainly return as Captain Ed Mercer, and it’s reasonable to expect most, if not all, of the other key characters to come back as well.

Most Likely The Orville Season 4 Cast Members
Character Actor
Captain Ed Mercer Seth MacFarlane
Commander Kelly Grayson Adrianne Palicki
Lt. Commander Bortus Peter Macon
Lt. Commander John LaMarr J. Lee
Lt. Gordon Malloy Scott Grimes
Lt. Talla Keyali Jessica Szhor
Dr. Claire Finn Penny Johnson Jerald
Isaac Mark Jackson

Halston Sage’s return as Lt. Alara Kitan in the Season 3 finale could signal major changes to the show’s cast. She was a main character in Season 1 but was later replaced, appearing only in a few guest roles. While her appearance at the wedding in the latest episode seemed reasonable, it’s possible her return is part of a plan to bring her back as a regular character.

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2026-01-11 02:05