The Orville's Mark Jackson is recalling an amusing fan interaction he had at San Diego Comic-Con. Created by Seth MacFarlane, the science fiction workplace comedy series premiered back in 2017, airing on Fox for its first two seasons before transitioning to Hulu this year. Jackson portrays Isaac, who spent most of his time working as a representative of the Kaylon, the non-biological race he is part of. The character developed an important arc in the series as he began to better understand humans and their tendencies, eventually siding with the Planetary Union when his kind sought to exterminate them, and after an unsteady relationship, he finally married Claire at the end of season 3.
Since its debut, The Orville has followed the various adventures of the crew on board its titular exploratory space vessel 400 years in the future. In addition to Jackson, the series stars Seth MacFarlane, Adrianne Palicki, Penny Johnson Jerald, Scott Grimes, Peter Macon, and Anne Winters. The move to Hulu, where the show was rebranded as The Orville: New Horizons, came as a surprise to many, with the decision ultimately supporting MacFarlane's extensive vision and subsequent release strategy after the effects COVID-19 had on its production. Along with debuting new episodes on the streaming platform, MacFarlane revealed at this year's San Diego Comic-Con that all three seasons of The Orville would hit Disney+ too, potentially expanding its reach.
Now, in an exclusive interview with Screen Rant, Mark Jackson is detailing a funny interaction he had at Comic-Con and explaining why the Disney+ release strategy is a good thing. The actor says that he was in an elevator with a family, and was recognized as Isaac, with the young children there looking at him like they were frightened. He goes on to note that because the show is on Disney+, more families like that may end up watching it together. Read Jackson's full quote regarding the incident below:
"I think this is the genius of [the Disney+ release], that you're going to have parents picking up on The Orville. I was in an elevator in San Diego and a guy was there with his family, his wife and two kids, and he said to me, "You play Isaac on The Orville?" and I said "Yeah," and he said, "We watch it as a family." These two little kids are looking up at me terrified, but I think that's a winning formula. If you can get a whole family sitting down to watch a show, then jobs are good then. I think the move to Disney+ in the States is just very promising, I feel like it's Disney showing that they believe in the show."
The fate of The Orville beyond its most recent episodes remains unknown, with MacFarlane recently expressing that a fourth season might be dependent on how the show performs on Disney+. The creator explained that a Disney release could attract more viewers who have preconceived ideas of the series, but have yet to understand it. The larger its audience gets, the better its chances are of getting renewed.
The Orville has always featured tonal blends and a nostalgic appeal, and the move to Hulu seems to have given the series even more creative freedom. Since its premiere five years ago, the fan support has been prevalent, so it will be interesting to see if, like Jackson and MacFarlane said, its following continues to grow now. Those who enjoy the show can keep an eye out for any news surrounding the future of The Orville as it continues to come out.