'The Orville' Season 2 First Look Released

FOX has released the first look at The Orville's second season.

The featurette has star and creator Seth MacFarlane explaining what fans of The Orville can expect from Season Two.

"The bar is continuously being raise for science fictions shows," MacFarlane says. "We really try to step it up in the best possible way for the viewer.

"The fun thing about doing a show like this is that the basis of your series is pretty much whatever you can find throughout the galaxy. And what it allows us to do is tell all different types of stories and to really treat each episode like its own little movie. Some weeks, what you're watching is an adventure story. Some weeks, what you're watching is a romantic comedy. It really just depends on what the story calls for.

"People will see a pretty big step up in the scope of the show this season. We have some very, very big episodes that are very future-esque."

FOX already released a trailer for the new season and revealed a synopsis teasing upcoming storylines:

"In Season Two, ED (MacFarlane) and KELLY's (Adrianne Palicki) relationship will take a new turn, while the ship's crew will meet never-before-seen aliens, face old adversaries the Krill, make first contact with a new civilization and revisit the planet Moclus."

The Orville Season Two will add Jessica Szohr as a new series regular and Chris Johnson in a recurring role. A veteran Star Trek writer has also been brought on board as an additional executive producer, and multiple Star Trek actors will 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 was soon renewed for a second season. The new season of The Orville will consist of 14 episodes.

"Once again Seth has struck a powerful chord with viewers," said Michael Thorn, President, Entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Company in a statement when the renewal was announced. "He has delivered a series full of optimism, drama and his trademark humor. We want to thank him and the rest of the talented cast, as well as the producers and crew, for an incredible first season. We can't wait to see where The Orville travels in the second."

Fox reported that The Orville had an audience of approximately 14 million viewers across all platforms.

The Orville won 2018's Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Television Series.

Are you excited for the return of The Orville? Let us know in the comments!

The Orville returns December 30th on FOX.