The Orville follows crew of USS Orville, a mid-level spaceship in 25th century. This series mixes comedy and drama, tackling social issues and classic sci-fi ideas like alien meetings and time travel. With a great cast, including MacFarlane as Captain Ed Mercer, it gets praise for its funny yet heartfelt approach. It’s like warm hug in space!

Meet the characters from The Orville

Capt. Ed Mercer

Oh man, Ed is that awkward-but-earnest captain who tries so hard to be competent and mostly just ends up being human in the most endearing way — you can see the worry lines and you feel them. He’s brave and stubborn and has a terrible habit of making questionable jokes at the worst possible moment (which somehow makes him more lovable, not less). He genuinely loves his crew and will stumble through diplomacy if it means protecting them, though he also once forgot an anniversary or two (or maybe three?). He gives off fumbling dad energy but can flip into laser-focused leadermode in a heartbeat, which is the best kind of chaos.

Cmdr. Kelly Grayson

Kelly is efficient, fierce, and quietly devastating without even trying — competent pilot, moral compass, and ex who stillowns the coffee machine (probably). She balances pragmatism and empathy like it’s nothing; one minute she’s cutting through bureaucracy, the next she’s this soft, quietly worried person who cares too much about the little things. She’s got this polished, “I know what I’m doing” vibe but also a weird soft spot for old movies and terrible rom-com lines (I swear she does). Honestly, she could negotiate a treaty with a warship and then gently scold you for leaving crumbs in the mess.

Dr. Claire Finn

Claire is the ship’s calm center — brilliant, composed, and quietly fierce in that very British way (yes I’m fairly sure she drinks tea at weird hours). She’s endlessly patient with alien physiology and human drama alike, which is impressive because she also gets exasperated really fast when people ignore basic safety protocols. She’s nurturing without being smothering, and oddly collects novelty bandages like some adorable, slightly obsessive thing. Also, total truth: she will save your life and then roll her eyes at your bad choices, which is the best kind of doctor.

Lt. Gordon Malloy

Gordon is the lovable hotshot pilot who never met a dare he didn’t like and a joke he wouldn’t try (even the awful ones), honestly the ship’s chaotic good energy. He can fly through a meteor field while chewing gum and cracking puns, yet he has this soft underbelly where he actually cares a lot about being seen as more than “just the funny guy.” He claims to be health-conscious but also eats chips during emergency maneuvers — priorities. Also, he can be annoyingly competent at improv repairs and at awkwardly sincere pep talks, sometimes in the same breath.

Lt. Cmdr. Bortus

Bortus is stoic, blunt, and terrifyingly efficient, which makes his dry humor hit like a surprise punchline (in a good way). He’s single-mindedly devoted to duty and family, and his seriousness is oddly comforting, like a rock made of very deadpan jokes. He also has a strange secret softness — maybe poetry? — or at least he will recite something that sounds poetic and then insist he was being literal. He is both terrifying in an interrogation and the guy who will quietly make sure everyone eats, which is surprisingly wholesome.

Lt. Cmdr. John LaMarr

LaMarr is dazzlingly smart and secretly a show-off in the best possible way — suave, nerdy, and lethal with tech, but also loves a good entrance (sunglasses, hair flip, the works). He oscillates between lazy lounge-king and brilliant scientist who will save the ship by inventing something ridiculous at 3 a.m., and honestly that contrast is his whole vibe. He wears flashy clothes but hoards socks and obscure sci-fi novels, which is very him. Also, he will mercilessly roast you while fixing your warp core and somehow make it charming.

Isaac.

Isaac is the emotionless-but-obsessively logical Kaylon who studies humanity like a very polite, slightly terrifying anthropologist (and yes, he will take notes). He says things people can’t say and is uncomfortably precise about facts, yet there are these tiny moments where he almost sounds wistful about art or sunsets — which is either a glitch or peak existential crisis, you decide. He is rigid, efficient, and sometimes eerily sincere, like a robot who read one too many romance novels for research. Also, fun fact: he probably organized the supply closet better than humans ever could and judges your sock drawer with silent disdain.