Series Star Trek... if it had a bigger budget and Roddenberry played the main character.
Seth MacFarlane is a clever man; repeat formulas, lift from other people's work in a way that lets you escape copyright and patent laws, Profit! (He has other talents, but this method seems to be the most lucrative for him).
The show is a platform for Seth, even if he doesn't admit it. It's like Charlie Sheen playing Charlie Harper in Two and a Half Men (at least Seth gave his character a different name) and Kirk being something of an Author Avatar for Roddenberry (by Roddenberry's own admission). In short, if Seth likes it, it's going to be endorsed or treated well (recreational drug use). If Seth doesn't like it, he's going to lampoon it to high heaven or wage The War on Straw against it (religion).
Apart from the heavy-handed anti-religion messages (it's almost as common in Sci-fi as Tribbles are in Star Trek, and more annoying), I may have liked The Orville if it wasn't so unoriginal. The Xelayans are the Vulcans (human-looking alien race with elfin-ears and superhuman strength), the Retepsians are the Orions (humanoid aliens with a non-human skin color who emit pheromones that make others attracted to them and are very big on sex) and the Planetary Union is the United Federation of Planets (an alliance of space flight-capable species whose main HQ is on Earth) to name a few.
I understand it's tapping into the optimism that has not been part of science fiction for a long time, but if that's what one wants, just watch the old works like Star Trek: TNG (Star Trek may strawman like this show from time to time, but at least it's original and can be more even-handed). In short, The Orville has some gems, but a lot of dirt and better can be found elsewhere. Don't bother with it, I won't.
Series Star Trek with a rude sense of humor
Almost done with Season One, and this thing is...
Star Trek is not really known for its sense of humor. Oh, we get the odd comedy episode like "Trouble With Tribbles" or "Rascals," but Trek is known for being big, awe-inspiring, serious morality plays in sci-fi clothing. It worked because of the Sci Fi Ghetto. Unfortunately, sci-fi is now a respectable genre, which is great in many ways, but limits what can and can't be said because it's no good for flying crap past the radar anymore. It's also gone very far into the Darker and Edgier end of the spectrum, with little to no optimism to be seen.
So, Seth MacFarlane decided he would make his own Star Trek with blackjack and hookers. Okay, maybe not blackjack and hookers (yet), but we have seen pot brownies and Rob Lowe.
The Orville is what happens when Star Trek (particularly Star Trek: The Next Generation) takes a few too many shots of tequila, smokes a joint, and uses comedy to jam the radar and get away with the same stuff old-school Trek did because you can get away with anything in comedy, and the Comedy Ghetto shows no sign of going anywhere. Mind you, the jokes can get pretty rude- we are talking about the dude behind Family Guy teamed up with a ton of Trek alum (including Brannon Braga, who is responsible for every Trek episode you swear someone was tripping balls while writing it). The humor and style is more along the lines of what a deficionalized Galaxy Quest would look like, and the plot arcs are very similar to what we'd expect from TNG or early Voyager.
Do they make a few big misses? Sure, but so did early TNG. The Running Gag about Ed and Kelly's messy divorce (which was dubiously funny to start with) just got served a whopper of a Cerebus Retcon, and I suspect that is only the start of a tone shift. The show has progressively been getting more serious, becoming less of a comedy with sci fi elements and more of a straight George Lucas Throwback optimistic sci fi series with the occasional rude joke.
Series 75% More Trek than Modern Trek, 25%... Seth Mcfarlane.
Honestly, I didn't start Orville till it was halfway down the first season. I watched the Fox ads that screamed 'Family Guy Star Trek!' and was turned off. I then tried giving it a go after the first season of Discovered left me with an awful taste in my mouth.
I was honestly quite surprised, and actually blown away on how it was absolutely loyal to Star Trek... starting from the third episode that is.
Basically, this show is everything Trek is and should be. You have hard issues being talked about in different means and ways, you have a crew that is professional (albeit a lil problematic) without the usual hardships of 'no drama in the crew'. Issues such as gender, sexuality, philosophy and more are tackled, and one amazing thing is that rarely a bigot or a person with flawed views is just talked to seeing things through, sometimes talks fail, sometimes people need their own time and experiences to see things in another light. They also explore nice sci-fi ideas, such as a bidimensional universe, generational ships, technological gaps, alternate means of government and so on. Sometimes the issue will be hamfisted, but other times it will be far more subtle and better given.
Its no secret that they basically hired everyone related to TNG and old trek as they could, from actors to directors and producers, and it shows. The pacing and camera shots are good and stable, the dialogues are a mish-mash, with people having their quirks but mostly remaining professional while on bridge (mostly) and mostly being 'normal' when out of it (mostly). Season 1 was a rough start due to Fox, due to being afraid of Discovery, demanded something to be the 'edge', thus forcing a more comical vein that resulted in the crew being idiotic in some points or downright incompetent, but every single season is getting better, with characters sharpening themselves and behaving far better.
Now... for the bad news. Basically, I have seen Mcfarlane's other shows and movies, and he has four main trends, and that are all here, getting tamer each season, but still here.
A- He likes to be the underdog. As the underdog he gets center stage, but doesn't overshadow his love interest B- Also his love interest is far better than he/his character is. C- Hates Religion. D- Foul humor.
D, luckily, mostly happens in the first season, by second season it's basically gone, and season 3 is even less focused on humor, with just tidbits here and there to alleviate the tension, but the others are still around. Seth is Captain Ed Mercer, main character, who got cheated on his wife (Kelly) for whom he is still pining, and also happens to be his First Officer on the Orville. Ed is the center of some high-stakes situations such as the fate of the ship or the relation between two warring galactic powers and of course bedding hot women (like Charlise Theron) with times where it's crystal clear that it's Seth, not Ed there. And since his love interest needs to be 'better' (or else he wouldn't be the underdog), Kelly is many times the voice of reason and nearly always on the 'right'... even if she is an horrible person who did horrible things to a lot of people, ending like a sanctimonious bit** who doesn't do what she preaches. Episodes focused on Ed have 50% chances of being bad, but if the focus is on Kelly, they're nearly always awful.
But when the show hits right, it hits REALLY right. The side-cast is quite interesting, their relations are meaningful, the themes are relevant and well-done (with exceptions). And it seems that he listens to the fans, his religion-bashing being toned down from second season forward, and on third season people are talking like adults and avoiding clichés like the plague (even if they sometimes fall to them from time to time), but the quality is quickly ramping up.
So if you want the closest thing to TNG, check this out. But don't be afraid to skip some episodes (and don't worry, fans of the show will agree).