Adrianne Palicki Reveals Financial Struggles on 'The Orville': J Lee Survived on Saltines and Gatorade

Adrianne Palicki Reveals Financial Struggles on 'The Orville': J Lee Survived on Saltines and Gatorade

Adrianne Palicki reveals the financial impact of The Orville's erratic filming schedule on the cast, highlighting the lack of steady income over the years

Adrianne Palicki Reveals Financial Struggles on 'The Orville': J Lee Survived on Saltines and Gatorade

Adrianne Palicki J. Lee. Michael Desmond/Hulu

Adrianne Palicki revealed on Michael Rosenbaum's "Inside of You" podcast that the cast was affected by The Orville's delayed filming schedule, and hinted that the show may not be returning for a fourth season.

"I'm no longer doing that," she responded when asked about The Orville, which has not released new episodes on Hulu since August 2022. "I truly don't know the answer [if it was canceled]."

The science fiction series, created by Seth MacFarlane, follows the adventures of the crew of the starship USS Orville as they explore different parts of the galaxy. MacFarlane, 50, stars in the show alongside Adrianne Palicki, Penny Johnson Jerald, Halston Sage, Scott Grimes, Peter Macon, J. Lee, Mark Jackson, Jessica Szohr, and Anne Winters.

According to Palicki, filming the show has become "extremely challenging." She noted that The Orville produced 33 episodes in six years, which means the cast doesn't have a consistent income stream as they only film around 5 episodes per year.

Adrianne Palicki Reveals Financial Struggles on 'The Orville': J Lee Survived on Saltines and Gatorade

Greg Gayne/Hulu

"It became a significant problem when there was a long gap between seasons because Seth insisted on writing everything himself," Palicki explained. "At one point, we had to push the studio to provide us with a holding fee or some form of compensation."

The actress, known for her role as Commander Kelly Grayson, mentioned Lee's real-life struggle as an example. "J. Lee was reduced to eating saltines and drinking Gatorade at one point because we simply couldn't afford anything else. It was a terrible situation."

MacFarlane acknowledged that his packed schedule has resulted in long breaks between seasons. In an interview with TVLine in August 2022, he expressed his challenge of managing his various commitments like Family Guy and the upcoming Ted series on Peacock. Despite this, he emphasized his emotional investment in the show and his commitment to finding a way to continue if there is a season 4.

Earlier this year, the outlet received an update on The Orville‘s future from the president of Disney Television Group. “It’s a great show and I know that the fans loved having it back in their lives. And Seth did a great job, uniquely as he can, in front of and behind the camera,” Craig Erwich said in January. “But we don’t have anything to share right now.”

Adrianne Palicki Reveals Financial Struggles on 'The Orville': J Lee Survived on Saltines and Gatorade

Seth MacFarlane, Adrianne Palicki. Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

MacFarlane also told We in the past about the pressure that comes with returning to a project.

“It can be daunting to start a whole new season because you’ve just finished writing a whole bunch of episodes that you're presumably proud of and feel good about, and then you have to start all over again,” he said in 2018 before The Orville‘s second season premiere. “In the back of your mind, there’s always that scary thought, ‘Oh, no. We've used up all the stories, and there are none left.’”

Adrianne Palicki Reveals Financial Struggles on 'The Orville': J Lee Survived on Saltines and Gatorade

Deal of the Day

Melt Away End-of-Year Stress With This 'Perfect' Back and Neck Massager

Check out the deal

He added, "Every season, you hope for growth and improvement, and this one definitely delivers in that aspect. I believe people will be pleasantly surprised by how much the show has grown and evolved."

We has reached out to Hulu and Lee’s reps for comment.