58 | Seth MacFarlane on Using Science Fiction to Explore Humanity

<p>Fiction shines a light on the human condition by putting people into imaginary situations and envisioning what might happen. <em>Science</em> fiction expands this technique by considering situations in the future, with advanced technology, or with utterly different social contexts. Seth MacFarlane's show <em>The Orville</em> is good old-fashioned space opera, but it's also a laboratory for exploring the intricacies of human behavior. There are interpersonal conflicts, sexual politics, alien perspectives, and grappling with the implications of technology. I talk with Seth about all these issues, and maybe a little bit about whether it's a good idea to block people on Twitter.</p> <p><em>Support Mindscape on </em><a href="https://www.patreon.com/seanmcarroll" target="_blank"><em>Patreon</em></a><em>.</em></p> <p>Seth MacFarlane is a screenwriter, director, actor, producer, and singer. He is the creator of the animated TV shows <em>Family Guy,</em> <em>American Dad</em>!, and <em>The Cleveland Show</em>. He wrote, directed, and starred in the films <em>Ted, Ted 2</em>, and <em>A Million Ways to Die in the West</em>. He created and stars in the live-action episodic TV show <em>The Orville</em> (which will be <a href="https://deadline.com/2019/07/the-orville-moves-hulu-fox-season-3-2020-comic-con-seth-macfarlane-1202649836/" target="_blank">moving from Fox to Hulu</a> for its third season). He has recorded several albums as a jazz singer, and was the host of the Academy Awards in 2013. He is an executive producer for the reboot of <em>Cosmos</em>. His honors include several Primetime Emmy Awards, an Annie Award, a Webby Award, a Saturn Award, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0532235/" target="_blank">IMDB profile</a></li> <li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seth_MacFarlane" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Seth-MacFarlane-14105972607/" target="_blank">Facebook</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.allmusic.com/artist/seth-macfarlane-mn0000529571" target="_blank">Allmusic profile</a></li> <li><em>The Orville</em>: <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5691552/" target="_blank">IMDB</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Orville" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-AtVTn-F0RUtdXDXzhXzmQ?&amp;ab_channel=TheOrville" target="_blank">YouTube</a></li> <li><a href="https://twitter.com/SethMacFarlane" target="_blank">Twitter</a></li> </ul> <p><br /></p>