'The Orville: New Horizon' Stars J Lee, Scott Grimes Address Hulu Series' Approach to Controversial Topics (Exclusive)

By Stephen Andrew

The Orville: New Horizon has officially debuted on Hulu with Episode 1 of the sci-fi dramedy's third season now available to stream. Ahead of the series premiere, PopCulture.com had a chance to catch up with the cast and get some first-hand insight into the new season. While speaking with series stars J. Lee and Scott Grimes, the pair discussed the series' approach to controversial topics, as well as the Seth MacFarlane-created show's move to Hulu from Fox.

Addressing the way The Orville handles sensitive subjects, Grimes explained, "Luckily everything Seth believes in and everything Seth's written about, I feel the same," even though he admits that he doesn't always "understand it" right away. "J Lee's such an intelligent friend too. I have to have it explained to me sometimes," Grimes continued. "So sometimes on the set, I'm like, 'Oh that's what we're going for.' So that's just me, but once you're involved in that and you realize you're not just making a science fiction show. It's something far deeper. I'm learning, I'm teaching with this product. 

Grimes then went on to add, "People really, truly understood what Seth MacFarlane goes through to write these, and his own political and social views. It's just a beautiful thing to be a part of. So that's what makes it that next level for me."

As far as what it was like when the show moved from Fox to Hulu, Lee confessed that when they "were shooting" he didn't notice any differences, but eventually he caught on to some "upgrades" that he fully welcomes. "When we were shooting, it was business as usual," lee said. "Since we shoot things in parts, we didn't see all of the effects and the work that was going into the stuff that we weren't a part of. So when they sent us these episodes and you see the details of the ship, you see the details of this upgrade. You see, and you hear the music. That is Hulu really supporting and believing in the vision of it. So it's been great for me so far."

Grimes added, "I could tell just leaving... No, I'm not ragging on network television, I love it. They left Seth alone in this new season kind of a little bit more. There are rules that he had to abide by as far as timing, as far as swear words, or what you can show and what you can't show. So this was just his vision. Hulu allowed his vision more."

The Orville: New Horizons premiered Thursday, June 2, on Hulu. Fans can also go to Hulu to catch up on past seasons of the series. For more coverage of The Orville: New Horizons, including more exclusive cast interviews, stay tuned to PopCulture!

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