I'm admittedly not a Seth MacFarlane fan. Family Guy, American Dad, and The Cleveland Show were all basically the same thing—a random collection of immature references, lacking in subtlety and depth. Ted was somewhat unpleasant, and I didn't even see Ted 2. But that's not to say MacFarlane doesn't have his moments. The guy is funny at times, which is a testament to his success and longevity.
That's why his new live-action Star Trek spoof, The Orville, looks promising. It stars MacFarlane as the ship's captain alongside his ex wife Adrianne Palicki. It looks irreverent as everything else he does, but actually kind of fun, given that he can do pretty much anything he wants in a sci-fi universe. Plus, maybe working with real actors will reel in his comedy a little bit, and make it less reliant on cutaways. Sure, the guys leave the toilet seat up stuff is stale, but there's a lot of potential here for comedy—specifically the cabin scene and where MacFarlane runs through the blob alien guy. The new series airs on Fox later this year.
