The Orville has (not unexpectedly) been renewed for a Season 3! This was not unexpected since there is a toy line, comic books and other licensed merchandise being made available for Christmas. Here is an article on Variety:
https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/the-orville-renewed-season-3-fox-1203188078/
EXCERPT:
Seth MacFarlane’s sci-fi series “The Orville” has been renewed for a third season at Fox.
Set 400 years in the future, the series follows The U.S.S. Orville, a mid-level exploratory spaceship stocked with a crew of both humans and aliens who have to balance complications in space, as well as everyday personal and relationship problems.
In the second season, the intrepid explorers met new species and civilizations, and learned secrets about old friends. It averaged 3.16 million total live viewers and a 0.75 in the 18-49 demographic.
The series stars MacFarlane, Adrianne Palicki, Penny Johnson Jerald, Scott Grimes, Peter Macon, J Lee, Mark Jackson, Chad L. Coleman and Jessica Szohr. It was created and written by MacFarlane, who also executive produces alongside Brannon Braga, David A. Goodman, Jason Clark and Jon Cassar.
This is great news! If this show keeps going like it is going, we will soon see the first Orville conventions happen like it did for Star Trek so many decades ago. This show WILL inspire fans to dress in cosplay for characters in the show, buy the merchandise and create fan fiction. Let's see if Disney is as heavy handed as Paramount/CBS has been with fan fiction for the show.
Looking forward to Season 3 and beyond!