Seth MacFarlane participates in the "The Orville" panel during the FOX Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour at the Beverly Hilton on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2017, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP)
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) --
Seth MacFarlane is seeking escape from the current wave of dystopian science fiction, and his vehicle is "The Orville."
MacFarlane said Tuesday that he wants to recapture an optimistic view of the future in his new space adventure for Fox, one that echoes past "Star Trek" series.
He told a TV critics' meeting he also wants to buck the trend of serialized dramas, with each one-hour episode of "The Orville" a self-contained story.
He said continuity is provided by the characters, including the Orville captain that MacFarlane plays in the show he created.
The show set 400 years in the future will include comic elements, MacFarlane said, but isn't a satire in the style of space movies "Galaxy Quest" or Mel Brooks' "Spaceballs."
Television producer Mark Burnett, left, looks on as President Donald Trump arrives for the National Prayer Breakfast, Feb. 2, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
Mark Burnett, the power producer who helped reintroduce Donald Trump to a national television audience with "The Apprentice," is being tapped by the president-elect as special envoy to the United Kingdom in his upcoming administration.
"With a distinguished career in television production and business, Mark brings a unique blend of diplomatic acumen and international recognition to this important role," Trump announced Saturday.
Burnett, who was born in London, helped produce hits like "Survivor" and "The Voice," but is perhaps best known for teaming up with Trump for "The Apprentice," which first aired on NBC in 2004.
Trump had been well-known in real estate and pop culture circles for decades. But the show helped again make him a household name — though Trump severed ties with NBC in 2015, the same year he launched his first White House run.
The selection of Burnett continues Trump's trend of filling out his incoming administration with people who have high-profile backgrounds in television or politics, or both — including his choice to be defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, a former co-host of "Fox & Friends Weekend," and ex-television doctor and unsuccessful Senate candidate in Pennsylvania, Mehmet Oz.
Trump's first campaign in 2016 was rocked by allegations about his conduct on "The Apprentice" and other appearances during his association with NBC, notably in footage in which he said he could sexually assault women and get away with it because he was a "star."
Almost a decade after he left his reality TV role, Trump's television career remains central to his biography and political rise. The show presented Trump Tower to tens of millions of people as a symbol of power and success before Trump launched his first... Read More
