The big topic on the lips of Orville fans right now, is why we haven’t had a renewal announcement for The Orville. Some are starting to fear the worst, especially with uncertainty surrounding Disney’s takeover of Fox. I would like to break down a few reason I think the show is likely to be renewed.

Live Ratings Aren’t The Only Ratings Important To Fox

The Orville is steady in it’s ratings this season around the mark of 3 Million live viewers every week. This shows that the show is holding on to its viewers, even if it’s not in the top 3 rated shows on the network in live viewings. That being said, though, Fox also takes into account the Live+7 Ratings. In the 7 days after the show airs, the ratings double to around 6 Million and that doesn’t account for the streaming numbers, which can bring the show into the 9 Million zone. So while live views are great, you can’t ignore the overall audience that is watching the show, especially in this age, where people DVR shows and viewing habits are changing based on the different options available. Why would they invest resources into a streaming option if they didn’t care about those numbers? They do!

Fox Likes The Orville

You might be wondering how I arrived at this conclusion. The fact, The Orville is unique on the network, mostly due to Fox treating the show differently from it’s other shows. Associate Producer and Editor, Tom Constantino, shared on Reddit that The Orville is “shot like a streaming show, post produced like a movie, and it’s more expensive” than a traditional Fox show. This means that the turnaround time is longer as well, based on all the extra production bits. For example, the show has a 75-piece orchestra and three veteran composers. According to Carol Farhat, VP of music production at 20th Century Fox TV, the show’s orchestra is among the largest in Fox TV history. No other show on Fox has such high demands when you factor music, makeup & prosthetics and feature quality VFX. But the fact the network has given all these unique concessions, definitely speak to the fact that Fox is clearly invested in this show.

Tax Incentives

The Orville films in California, and as an incentive to keep it that way, the California Film Commission will give the show a $15.8 million tax credit for a third season. This is more than the $14.5 million incentive they received for Season 2, so the show is definitely set to save some money should it be renewed. For a show the network clearly likes and is invested in, this tax credit would just be icing on the cake and make a renewal a no-brainer.

Merchandising and Licensing

Merchandising and licensing is where the money is at. When an Intellectual Property is popular enough that other companies are willing to license it for products and derivative works, that’s money the network gain without spending any themselves. This is why these types of IP are craved and people fight so hard to develop their properties into something they can license.

Just recently, WizKids announced a licensing partnership to feature a The Orville in upcoming HeroClix releases, “expanding its licensing portfolio and suite of collectible miniatures”. We also had the announcement of an Orville Comic Book series hitting shelves this year from Dark Horse Comics. With companies so interested in creating products based on this IP, it would be quite beneficial for Fox to continue it’s production. It also seems unlikely that these companies would have signed on to produce these products without some guarantee that a renewal was imminent.

The Fandom Phenomenon

Ultimately, the thing that makes any Intellectual Property valuable is the fandom that develops around it. Star Trek isn’t a valuable IP because the ships look good or the uniforms are colorful; it’s valuable because a lot of people love it! This is a phenomenon because it can’t be quantified with logic. There are lots of well written, well produced properties that just don’t strike a chord with audiences. We can’t quantify for a fact that will make a show fanatically successful. Therefore, when you discover that you have struck gold, you have to mine it. The Orville is poised to be one of the biggest sci-fi fandoms in a long time. The show has not only struck a chord with new audiences but with the Star Trek fandom as well. Fans rally around your show, they spend money on merchandise and they push your cause to expand the fandom even more. With a thriving fan community erupting for The Orville, with active communities on the different social media sites, people doing fan art and unofficial fan sites like Orville Central popping up, now is a good time for Fox to invest in The Orville. Planetary Union uniforms are being sold, as well as badges and other props from the show to enable cos-players to show their affection for the show. Fans are sending Fox jars of pickles labelled #RenewTheOrville. This is not something you can manufacture; it’s something you stumble upon, and you have to capitalize on it and ride that wave. (I’m talking to you, @FoxTV & @FoxTVD)

#RenewTheOrville

It makes sense!