It pains me to say it, but so far, season 3 of the Orville isn't as good as

the previous seasons.

It's still the best Star Trek show currently on TV imo, and so I really WANT to be totally in love, so it really does kinda suck coming to terms with it. But I'm four episodes in so far, and something is very, very off about season 3.

It's the writing. It feels like it's just a completely different show, with different goals and different writers. I mean my goodness does it feel different. I can totally understand wanting to cut back on some of the goofiness found way back in the very first episode of the show, and I think through season 1 and 2 the show found a fantastic balance between funny, witty, charming comedy, and old fashioned Star Trek style dramas.

But it seems they've completely gutted the comedy in season 3 except for maybe one or two lines of dialogue in each episode. Literally. Ted Danson was in the last episode I saw, and he literally didn't have a single funny moment. Ted Danson. Why even get him? He just acted his part straight like he was one of those government official characters you'd find in Deep Space Nine or something.

The problem is, and this is the important part, the comedy is gone, but nothing else has filled the void. The episodes now feel strangely stilted and awkward. There seems to be a weird lack of dialogue, and quiet, strange scenes of characters just weirdly doing things. It's so stilted and lacking in character. So formal. No spark or energy in any of the conversations. It's like the show suddenly became afraid of having fun, and now all the characters stand around super stiff and awkward, trying to make sure they're serious and not cracking any jokes. Like the show is walking on broken egg shells. There's so little meat in the writing that actors can't even do anything with it. I'm in love with Kelly Greyson, but so far all she's done is stand around stiffly and look awkward like nobody should be there anymore.

It's honestly just not the same show anymore. I'll still watch it and hope season 3 gets better, and it's still better than the new Star Trek stuff they're putting out, but it's nowhere near seasons 1 and 2.

And I haven't even touched on the actual content of the plots. Back to back episodes of the most boring character, the doctor, to start things off. And then that episode with the infection that turns people into monsters, talk about some of the dumbest character decisions ever. I couldn't suspend disbelief anymore. And then the most recent episode I watched, the Trump allegory. I'm 100% in line with the politics of the writers, but sheesh, have they ever heard of subtlety? I mean it hammered you over the nose with it, and then when they randomly brought up the abortion rights issue and had a whole side scene devoted to it for like 20 seconds? In the words of Joe Biden, c'mon man.