Content & Trigger Warnings for The Orville (2017)
20 content warnings identified across 3 seasons for this show.
Quick Summary
Yes, The Orville (2017) contains 20 content warnings : Homophobia / transphobia (depicted), Racial slurs / racism (depicted), Religious persecution, Death of a parent, Grief / bereavement (major focus), Suicide (discussed or ideation), Forced marriage, Genocide / ethnic cleansing, Infidelity, Kidnapping / abduction, War / combat, Blood / medical gore, Body horror, Explicit sexual content / nudity, Alcohol abuse (depicted), Gore / graphic violence, Gun violence, Sexual assault / rape, Slavery / forced labor, Torture.
The most severe warnings are for Homophobia / transphobia (depicted) (severity 4/5), Grief / bereavement (major focus) (severity 4/5), Genocide / ethnic cleansing (severity 4/5), War / combat (severity 4/5), Gore / graphic violence (severity 4/5).
Check the full breakdown below before you watch.
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Does It Get Worse?
6 series-wide warnings apply across all seasons.
| Warning | Season | Severity | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Identity & Discrimination | ||||
| Homophobia / transphobia (depicted) | S1 | 3/5 | Depicted | An alien species forces gender reassignment surgery on a female infant; cultural intolerance explored |
| Homophobia / transphobia (depicted) | S2 | 4/5 | Depicted | Bortus and Klyden's relationship crisis over their daughter's gender deepens; forced sex reassignment surgery consequences explored |
| Homophobia / transphobia (depicted) | S3 | 4/5 | Depicted | Topa's gender identity crisis reaches critical point; forced reassignment surgery and its psychological damage explored in depth |
| Racial slurs / racism (depicted) | S2 | 3/5 | Depicted | Species-based discrimination and cultural supremacy themes explored through alien civilizations |
| Racial slurs / racism (depicted) | S3 | 3/5 | Depicted | Inter-species prejudice and cultural supremacy examined through Moclan and Kaylon conflicts |
| Religious persecution | All | 2/5 | Depicted | Religious extremism and persecution are explored through alien civilizations |
| Mental Health & Emotional | ||||
| Death of a parent | All | 2/5 | Depicted | Parental loss is addressed in character backstories and emotional episodes |
| Grief / bereavement (major focus) | S1 | 2/5 | Depicted | Crew members deal with personal losses and the emotional fallout of dangerous missions |
| Grief / bereavement (major focus) | S2 | 3/5 | Depicted | Character deaths and the emotional aftermath of the Kaylon attack weigh heavily on the crew |
| Grief / bereavement (major focus) | S3 | 4/5 | Depicted | Multiple character deaths and emotional consequences of wartime explored with genuine dramatic weight |
| Suicide (discussed or ideation) | S3 | 3/5 | Depicted | Topa's emotional suffering reaches a point where self-harm concerns are addressed by the crew |
| Other | ||||
| Forced marriage | All | 2/5 | Depicted | Arranged and forced marriages in alien cultures are explored in some episodes |
| Genocide / ethnic cleansing | S2 | 3/5 | Depicted | The Kaylon are revealed to have exterminated their biological creators and plan species-wide genocide |
| Genocide / ethnic cleansing | S3 | 4/5 | Depicted | Full-scale Kaylon war threatens extinction of biological species; genocide depicted and narrowly averted |
| Infidelity | S1 | 3/5 | Depicted | Ed and Kelly's divorce due to her infidelity is a central premise explored throughout the season |
| Infidelity | S2 | 2/5 | Depicted | Relationship complications and trust issues continue among crew members |
| Infidelity | S3 | 2/5 | Depicted | Relationship complications continue among crew; Gordon's time-travel relationship creates ethical dilemmas |
| Kidnapping / abduction | S1 | 2/5 | Depicted | Crew members are captured by hostile alien species in multiple episodes |
| Kidnapping / abduction | S2 | 3/5 | Depicted | Multiple crew abductions by the Kaylon and other hostile species |
| War / combat | S3 | 4/5 | Depicted | Extended fleet battles and ground combat sequences with the Kaylon and Moclan conflicts |
| Phobias & Sensory | ||||
| Blood / medical gore | All | 2/5 | Depicted | Blood is shown in combat and medical scenes throughout the series |
| Body horror | All | 3/5 | Depicted | Alien biology and body transformations create disturbing imagery in some episodes |
| Sexual Content | ||||
| Explicit sexual content / nudity | S1 | 2/5 | Depicted | Sexual humor and implied sexual situations played for comedy; brief partial nudity |
| Substance Use | ||||
| Alcohol abuse (depicted) | S1 | 2/5 | Depicted | Characters drink socially and occasionally to excess; played for comedic effect |
| Alcohol abuse (depicted) | S2 | 2/5 | Depicted | Social drinking continues; Gordon's holodeck addiction subplot touches on escapism themes |
| Alcohol abuse (depicted) | S3 | 2/5 | Depicted | Social drinking continues as characters cope with the stress of ongoing war |
| Violence & Physical Harm | ||||
| Gore / graphic violence | S1 | 2/5 | Depicted | Mild sci-fi combat violence with occasional alien blood and battle injuries |
| Gore / graphic violence | S2 | 3/5 | Depicted | Combat sequences become more intense with higher stakes and more graphic alien injuries |
| Gore / graphic violence | S3 | 4/5 | Depicted | Significantly more graphic battle sequences with casualties and injuries shown in detail |
| Gun violence | S1 | 2/5 | Depicted | Sci-fi phaser and weapon combat in space battles and away missions |
| Gun violence | S2 | 3/5 | Depicted | Escalated space combat and ground assault missions with energy weapons |
| Gun violence | S3 | 3/5 | Depicted | Weapon combat in both space and ground scenarios throughout the war arc |
| Sexual assault / rape | S3 | 3/5 | Referenced | Topa's storyline addresses themes of bodily autonomy violation through the forced surgery metaphor |
| Slavery / forced labor | S2 | 3/5 | Depicted | The Kaylon's backstory involves being enslaved by their creators before their violent uprising |
| Slavery / forced labor | S3 | 3/5 | Depicted | Kaylon enslavement backstory revisited; Moclan treatment of females compared to slavery |
| Torture | All | 3/5 | Depicted | Characters are captured and tortured by hostile alien species in some episodes |
Identity & Discrimination
An alien species forces gender reassignment surgery on a female infant; cultural intolerance explored
Bortus and Klyden's relationship crisis over their daughter's gender deepens; forced sex reassignment surgery consequences explored
Topa's gender identity crisis reaches critical point; forced reassignment surgery and its psychological damage explored in depth
Species-based discrimination and cultural supremacy themes explored through alien civilizations
Inter-species prejudice and cultural supremacy examined through Moclan and Kaylon conflicts
Religious extremism and persecution are explored through alien civilizations
Mental Health & Emotional
Parental loss is addressed in character backstories and emotional episodes
Crew members deal with personal losses and the emotional fallout of dangerous missions
Character deaths and the emotional aftermath of the Kaylon attack weigh heavily on the crew
Multiple character deaths and emotional consequences of wartime explored with genuine dramatic weight
Topa's emotional suffering reaches a point where self-harm concerns are addressed by the crew
Other
Arranged and forced marriages in alien cultures are explored in some episodes
The Kaylon are revealed to have exterminated their biological creators and plan species-wide genocide
Full-scale Kaylon war threatens extinction of biological species; genocide depicted and narrowly averted
Ed and Kelly's divorce due to her infidelity is a central premise explored throughout the season
Relationship complications and trust issues continue among crew members
Relationship complications continue among crew; Gordon's time-travel relationship creates ethical dilemmas
Crew members are captured by hostile alien species in multiple episodes
Multiple crew abductions by the Kaylon and other hostile species
Extended fleet battles and ground combat sequences with the Kaylon and Moclan conflicts
Phobias & Sensory
Blood is shown in combat and medical scenes throughout the series
Alien biology and body transformations create disturbing imagery in some episodes
Sexual Content
Sexual humor and implied sexual situations played for comedy; brief partial nudity
Substance Use
Characters drink socially and occasionally to excess; played for comedic effect
Social drinking continues; Gordon's holodeck addiction subplot touches on escapism themes
Social drinking continues as characters cope with the stress of ongoing war
Violence & Physical Harm
Mild sci-fi combat violence with occasional alien blood and battle injuries
Combat sequences become more intense with higher stakes and more graphic alien injuries
Significantly more graphic battle sequences with casualties and injuries shown in detail
Escalated space combat and ground assault missions with energy weapons
Weapon combat in both space and ground scenarios throughout the war arc
Topa's storyline addresses themes of bodily autonomy violation through the forced surgery metaphor
The Kaylon's backstory involves being enslaved by their creators before their violent uprising
Kaylon enslavement backstory revisited; Moclan treatment of females compared to slavery
Characters are captured and tortured by hostile alien species in some episodes
