Are there any other shows out there of this sort of lighthearted nature, yet made with quality writing, out there?
It feels like a lot of recent things we’ve watched has been a bit grim and/or relies on spectacle rather than telling a good story and working a few jokes in along the way … the world is on fire, I’d like to stop it and get off, if only for a few minutes at a time.
Guessing you’re after found families.
Mythic quest: raven’s banquest. Stick with it. The first few eps are middling, but then they find their feet and voice
What we do in the shadows, same deal
Ghosts - cbs or bbc, both good in different ways. Bbc is gentler, cbs is unhinged in the best way
Have you tried Our Flag Means Death fanfiction? My wife is really into it lol.
Resident Alien has a similar mix of comedy and serious sci-fi as the Orville.
It’s fucking amazing too!
You might want to have a look at Firefly. It’s a bit odd and a mix of serious and lighthearted and sometimes downright goofy (the hero of canton 🎵), which makes it one of my absolute favorites. Please just watch it in the dvd release order, they seriously messed it up on tv.
Miracle Workers with Daniel Radcliffe, Steve Buscemi, and a great cast. Each season is a different setting, it’s so good.
