NewsT. Rick JonesThe Orville

Production has resumed on The Orville season 3

NewsT. Rick JonesThe Orville
Production has resumed on The Orville season 3
The Orville has resumed filming season three

The Orville has resumed filming season three

DECEMBER 7, 2020 - Filming has finally resumed on The Orville season three! In a Twitter post on Friday, The Orville’s official account shared a picture of a clapperboard with “The Orville 3.0” and “Director: Seth MacFarlane” on it. It was captioned, “And we’re back! Season 3 filming has officially started.”

The Orville, Seth MacFarlane’s Trek-alike dramedy series, was in the middle of filming its third season back in March, when production was halted due to COVID-19 restrictions. In November, we got word that production would resume on the FOX lot in California in December, and here we are!

Around the time that the official Orville account was posting their picture, Orville producer Tom Costantino posted an on-set picture as well, with the caption quoting Dr. Ian Malcolm from Jurassic Park: “Life finds a way.” In the image, you can see the crew socially distanced, wearing masks and face shields. In reply to one Twitter user who remarked that they were back in a limited way, Costantino clarified, “Ain’t limited, just safe.”

It’s not immediately clear whether production could be delayed again as a new three-week regional stay-at-home order came into effect overnight. That order, which the California Department of Public Health announced on December 3rd, places additional restrictions on non-critical businesses and gatherings for regions in the state whose ICU availability falls below 15%. ICU availability for the Southern California region (of which Los Angeles County is a part) was at 10.3% on Sunday evening when the order went into effect. The regional order does allow critical infrastructure sectors to remain open with modifications, but The Orville crew has not (yet) indicated whether they will have to make any changes.

Assuming that production stays on schedule, The Orville season three is widely expected to debut on Hulu sometime in 2021.