As streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and Peacock continue to take over, more and more popular TV shows are making the switch from cable.
Take, The Kardashians, Dancing with the Stars, or even The Orville: New Horizons for example. For two seasons, the sci-fi comedy-drama series aired on FOX but after the final episode of season two in 2019, its home base moved platforms.
“…being on Hulu gives us the opportunity to make mini movies,” Anne Winters told Celeb Secrets reporter Blakely McHugh at Entertainment Weekly’s Comic-Con Bash in San Diego last month.
It’s widely known that shows produced for cable TV have many restraints to work under. There’s a specific time slot that needs to be filled, commercials need to be accounted for, writers have to keep in mind what you can and cannot say on a network broadcast, among many others.
All of that results in either cutting content or changing the way the story was initially planned to be told.
“The biggest difference for me being on Hulu is that I don’t have to tell a story that’s exactly 43 minutes long every week because I have to make room for a certain number of commercials,” Seth McFarlane, the producer of the hit sci-fi series told The Hollywood Reporter last month.
“That’s not how storytelling works — different stories are different lengths, and you start to fall into this cadence where you’re shaving scenes down, you’re cutting things that don’t need to be cut.”
He went on to share that his favorite part about being on Hulu is the moments where you can linger on an actor’s face. He says by doing that, you can create more impact which he otherwise wouldn’t be able to do on cable TV.
It seems the creator of the show is taking that freedom and running with it. Episode eight of season three is one hour and 26 minutes long.
“They don’t have to cut out things that you don’t really realize are really important to a storyline but are until you see it all together,” Winters, 28, said.
This is the actress’s first season on The Orville: New Horizons and the first time she’s undertaken a role in the sci-fi genre. She previously starred in Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why and Night School.
“I just look for anything that’s really challenging,” she shared about taking on the new role. “ As an actor, I wanted to take it on and see what happens. I wanted to work with Seth McFarlane, I was like everything about this is on a different level.”
She says since joining the cast, they have been nothing but welcoming to her. Spending a lot of time together, she shares there’s “a lot of personality” and it’s a different experience than she’s ever had on set.
Beginning August 10, fans and new audiences of The Orville will now have the opportunity to watch the series on both Hulu and Disney+ in the US. The streaming giant revealed the news during San Diego Comic-Con back in July.
Have you watched the new season of The Orville: New Horizons? Let us know what you think about it by either leaving a reaction at the bottom of the post or by sending us a tweet at @celebsecrets.
You can watch our interview with Anne from EW’s Comic-Con Bash here:
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