The creation of “The Orville” was a big change for MacFarlane. The show’s direction was a bit unclear at first, despite his insistence that this was the show he had “came to Hollywood” to do. The series’ sci-fi elements initially took precedence over humor, and the series began to look like another MacFarlane “Family Guy” clone, albeit in better disguise. But as the show entered its second season, it began to find a better balance between the two genres it found itself in, and began to embrace the complex and expansive world that the show’s conceit allows.
Now comfortable in his new show, MacFarlane is open to all ideas, including a short return to animation. When discussing the possibility of an animated episode of the series in a recent interview with Gizmodo, MacFarlane didn’t seem entirely sold, but was open to the idea:
“I think at some point during the pandemic we had, in desperation, said, ‘Listen, what if what if we did a few anime episodes in the meantime to hold people over? and there was just no appetite for it. But again, it all depends on how the series is received. If it appears suddenly and people gravitate towards it, then anything is possible.