'The Orville' Headed for San Diego Comic-Con

The Orville is officially headed for San Diego Comic-Con.

Fans will get a sneak peak at the second season of the comedic Star Trek homage during a panel taking place on Saturday from 4-4:45 pm in the Indigo Ballroom. Panelists include creator and star Seth MacFarlane, co-stars Adrianne Palicki, Penny Johnson Jerald, and Scott Grimes, and executive producers David A. Goodman, Brannon Braga, and Jon Cassar.

The Orville will return on Sunday, December 30th following a Sunday Night Football double-header. The series will then resume in its usual Thursday timeslot following the conclusion of the NFL season. This midseason return plan is similar to The Orville's debut, which followed a Sunday Night Football game before moving to Thursdays for the remainder of the season.

The Orville Season Two is currently in production. The series is adding Jessica Szohr as a new series regular and Chris Johnson in a recurring role in its second season. A veteran Star Trek writer was also brought on as an additional executive producer, and a fan-favorite Star Trek actor is confirmed to return as a guest star.

Star Trek: The Next Generation star and director Jonathan Frakes will also contribute to the new season of The Orville. At a convention, Frakes spoke about the series in comparison to CBS All Access's Star Trek: Discovery.

"The Star Trek that we have has really found its voice, and Discovery has really found its voice," Frakes explained earlier this year. "And The Orville has filled in a void. For a lot of people, The Orville is their new Star Trek because it does tell stories like [The Next Generation], and it's got wild humor in it.

"[Seth MacFarlane] clearly wanted [The Orville] to look like [The Next Generation]." Frakes added. "So, he hired the cinematographer [Marvin Rush] and the camera operator, and Brannon Braga, who wrote First Contact among other things that are fabulous. Robbie Duncan McNeill, one of our wonderful directors from Voyager, James Conway, who directed a bunch of great Next Gen episodes; he hired me. He filled the room with Next Gen people so that the show would look and feel like it. I think he did it."

The Orville was Fox's biggest premiere since Empire and had an audience of approximately 14 million viewers across all platforms during its first season. The new season of The Orville will consist of 14 episodes.

Are you excited for The Orville's Comic-Con panel? Let us know in the comments!