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Seth MacFarlane’s The Orville will be a Hulu exclusive next season

Seth MacFarlane’s The Orville will be a Hulu exclusive next season

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Jumping from traditional TV to streaming

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Seth MacFarlane’s homage to Star Trek, The Orville, will make the jump from traditional television to Hulu next year. MacFarlane made the announcement last night at San Diego Comic-Con, and said that the show’s third season wouldn’t arrive until 2020.

The show is set four centuries in the future, and follows Captain Ed Mercer (played by MacFarlane) as he leads the Planetary Union’s USS Orville as they explore new planets and undertake diplomatic missions.

Fox renewed the series back in May, and MacFarlane noted that the show has “has evolved and become more ambitious production-wise,” leading to the production delay. The move from TV to Hulu comes shortly after Disney closed on its purchase of 21st Century Fox earlier this year, giving Disney control of its vast content holdings. And, after Comcast sold its 33 percent stake in Hulu, Disney owns that, too.

Hulu will live alongside Disney’s other streaming services, Disney+ and ESPN, and Disney has indicated that it would continue to invest in original content for the platform. The Orville feels exactly like the type of show that Disney would send over to Hulu, as opposed to Disney+’s more family friendly approach — it’s an irreverent and slightly more adult-oriented series. Disney has also previously said that Fox will continue to make R-rated films.