Seth MacFarlane’s space adventure series The Orville has been picked up for a second season by Fox. The decision comes seven episodes into The Orville‘s 13-episode first season. Because of the show’s elaborate production and post-production, including visual effects, The Orville had been intended for a limited season, and the early renewal will give it a head start on Season 2 whose exact length is TBD.

“Once again Seth has struck a powerful chord with viewers,” said Fox Entertainment president Michael Thorn. “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

Fox got behind The Orville in a big way this fall, giving the space dramedy a strong launch pad with the first two episodes getting a NFL lead-in on Sunday. The series premiere delivered a 2.8 adults 18-49 rating and 8.6 million viewers in Live+same day, matching the debuts of NBC’s dramaThis Is Us and Fox’s comedy The Mick in the demo. The premiere viewership grew to 14 million across platforms, marking Fox’s most watched and highest-rated series launch since the 2015 debut of Empire.

While The Orville‘s ratings expectedly slipped when it moved into its regular Thursday slot, the series hung in and last week posted Thursday L+SD highs in both 18-49 (1.2) and total viewers (4.2 million). Season-to-date, The Orville is averaging a 2.5 Live + 7 Day 18-49 rating, a +67% lift from Live + Same Day, and more than 10 million multi-platform viewers, +108% vs. Live + Same Day. A new episode airs tonight.

There is no decision yet on Fox’s new comedy series Ghosted, which has done so-so in its Sundays.

The Orville, created, written by and starring McFarlane, is produced by 20th Century Fox Television. MacFarlane, Brannon Braga, David A. Goodman, Jason Clark and Liz Heldens serve as executive producers on the series. Jon Favreau directed the series premiere episode.