“THE ORVILLE” PREMIERE MARKS FOX’S MOST-WATCHED AND HIGHEST-RATED SERIES LAUNCH SINCE 2015
New Space Adventure Series from Seth MacFarlane Draws 14.5 Million Viewers in Live + 35 Day Performance, +71% from Live + Same Day, and 3.9/13 L35 Rating among Adults 18-49, Gaining +44% vs. L+SD
THE ORVILLE Becomes Fifth FOX Series from Seth MacFarlane to Debut to More than 10 Million Viewers
The Sunday, Sept. 10, premiere of THE ORVILLE, FOX’s new space adventure series created by and starring Seth MacFarlane, delivered a Live + 35 Day multi-platform audience of 14.5 million viewers, marking a +71% lift from Live + Same Day, and a 3.9/13 L35 rating among Adults 18-49, gaining +44% vs. L+SD (2.7/9), according to Nielsen. The program’s debut marks the network’s most-watched and highest-rated debut since the 2015 launch of EMPIRE*.
THE ORVILLE’s 35-day non-linear audience of 2.6 million viewers also is the network’s largest average audience for a FOX fall drama debut since EMPIRE’s premiere. Moreover, THE ORVILLE is broadcast’s highest-rated scripted series premiere in nearly a year (since 9/21/16, Designated Survivor, 4.8/17 L35*).
THE ORVILLE is FOX’s fifth show from Seth MacFarlane to surpass 10 million total viewers in its premiere, along with “Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey” (11.1 million 35-day total P2+, 3/9/14), “The Cleveland Show” (10.2 million L7 P2+, 9/27/09), “American Dad” (15.2 million P2+, 2/6/05) and FAMILY GUY (22.0 million P2+, 1/31/99).
In the next all-new episode of THE ORVILLE, “Majority Rule,” airing Thursday, Oct. 26 (9:00-10:00 PM ET) on FOX, two Union anthropologists go missing on a planet similar to 21st century Earth, so Ed (MacFarlane) sends a team led by Kelly (Adrianne Palicki) to find them. However, the mission quickly goes awry when they realize the society’s government is completely based on a public voting system to determine punishment.
THE ORVILLE is produced by 20th Century Fox Television. The series was created and written by Seth MacFarlane. MacFarlane, Brannon Braga (“Terra Nova”), David A. Goodman (FAMILY GUY), Jason Clark (“Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey,” “Ted”) and Liz Heldens (“Mercy,” “Deception”) serve as executive producers on the series. Jon Favreau (“The Jungle Book,” “Iron Man”) directed the series premiere episode. “Like” THE ORVILLE on Facebook at facebook.com/TheOrville/. Follow the series on Twitter @TheOrville and join the discussion using #TheOrville. See photos and videos on Instagram by following @TheOrville.