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2 • September 10 - 16, 2017 • Brainerd Dispatch By Kyla Brewer TV Media W hen the USS Enterprise em- barked on its "five-year" mis- sion in "Star Trek" on NBC in 1966, a series set in space was a novelty. Nowadays, prime time is rife with thrilling intergalactic adventures, almost all of them bleak. Yet, there's a new series on the event horizon that aims to inject a little humor into the sci-fi genre. Seth MacFarlane ("Family Guy") stars as newly minted star- ship captain Ed Mercer, who as- sumes command of the USS Orville in the premiere of "The Orville," airing Sunday, Sept. 10, on Fox. The award-winning actor, writer and comedian also created the new live-action comedy, which offers viewers a look at the lighter side of space exploration. Much like the original "Star Trek," "The Orville" chronicles the adventures of the crew of a starship as it carries out various missions and encounters all sorts of alien be- ings, both friend and foe. While the show has also drawn comparisons to the 1999 big-screen comedy "Galaxy Quest" and even MacFar- lane's animated hit "Family Guy," it's being billed by many as a spoof of the Star Trek franchise. In fact, at this summer's Televi- sion Critics Association press tour, there was a lot of banter about whether "The Orville" relies too heavily on the Star Trek franchise. Some critics even publicly ques- tioned Fox executive Dana Walden whether she's worried they'll be sued by CBS Television Studios, which holds the Star Trek TV rights. However, while the new Fox series undeniably borrows from the Star Trek franchise, it sets a completely different tone with its sense of hu- mor. During a TCA panel, MacFar- lane expressed his appreciation for Star Trek, and explained why he took a lighthearted approach with "The Orville." "I'm tired of being told every- thing is going to be grim and dysto- pian," MacFarlane said. "I miss the hopeful side of science fiction." Even the new "Star Trek: Discov- ery," set to premiere on CBS Sept. 24, has a somber, big-screen feel. Set in 2417, "The Orville" offers viewers an alternative to the current dismal trend in science fiction space adven- tures, and MacFarlane has lined up a talented cast to keep things funny. Adrianne Palicki ("Friday Night Lights") stars as Kelly Grayson, Mercer's ex-wife and new first officer. Their strained relationship often makes for awk- ward moments among the crew. Mercer's best friend is helmsman Gordon Malloy, played by Scott Grimes ("ER"). "24" alum Penny Johnson Jerald portrays Dr. Claire Finn, one of the Planetary Union's best doctors. Peter Macon ("Shameless") ap- pears as Lt. Commander Bortus, an alien from a unique single-sex spe- cies, while Chad Coleman ("The Walking Dead") can be seen as Klyden, Bortus's mate. Mark Jack- son ("The Royal Today") takes on the role of Isaac, an artificial life form from a machine society. The crew also includes navigator John LaMarr (J. Lee, "Family Guy") and inexperienced security officer Alara Kitan (Halston Sage, "How to Rock"). Comedy icon Norm Mac- Donald ("Saturday Night Live") lends his voice to Yaphit, a gelati- nous creature. Larry Joe Campbell ("According to Jim"), Victor Garber ("Alias") and Brian George ("The Big Bang Theo- ry") are set to appear in recurring roles. MacFarlane and his team have lined up an impressive roster of guest stars for the first season, in- cluding Academy Award winner Charlize Theron ("Monster," 2003). Comedy meets sci-fi when 'The Orville' premieres on Fox Cover Story this week CHANNEL GUIDE Brainerd (Charter) CTC Emily (CATV) Crosslake Peqout Lakes (Charter) Onamia (Savage) Pierz (Midcontinent) East Gull Lake (Savage) Pillager (Savage) Verndale (Savage) Aitkin (Charter) Little Falls (Charter) Staples (Charter) Wadena (Charter) Walker (Tekstar) PBS ST. PAUL KTCA 8 2 56 56 ABC MINNEAPOLIS/ALEXANDRIA KSTP/KSAX 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 NBC DULUTH KBJR CBS ALEXANDRIA/WALKER KCCO/KCCW 12 4 4 4 12 4 4 4 4 4 12 4 12 2 7 PBS BEMIDJI/BRAINERD KAWE/KAWB 4 2 9 9 4 8 8 8 4 8 4 4 13 FOX EDEN PRAIRIE KMSP 9 9 13 13 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 ABC DULUTH WDIO NBC MINNEAPOLIS KARE 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 FOX FARGO KVRR 10 CW MINNEAPOLIS WUCW 23 23 6 8 6 55 6 23 23 23 23 6 MNT MINNEAPOLIS WFTC 10 10 6 6 10 7 13 7 7 7 10 10 10 10 10 ION BIG LAKE KPXM 24 12 24 3 6 24 13 24 24 24 A&E Arts & Enertainment 46 91 123 23 46 39 38 39 39 39 46 31 46 46 33 AMC American Movie Classic 42 50 134 34 42 17 69 17 17 17 42 57 42 42 AP Animal Planet 53 77 136 36 53 42 54 42 42 42 53 35 53 53 53 BRAVO Bravo 301 90 170 360 301 51 71 51 51 51 301 64 301 301 68 CMTV Country Music Television 37 102 151 59 37 39 37 52 37 37 39 CNBC Consumer News & Business 41 48 119 19 41 29 53 29 29 29 41 44 41 41 37 CNN Cable News Network 34 46 121 21 28 26 33 26 26 26 34 34 34 34 25 COM Comedy 48 40 141 46 48 37 30 37 37 37 48 53 48 48 48 CSPAN C-Span (House of Representatives) 21 16 8 60 21 96 42 2 2 2 21 3 21 21 12 CSPAN2 C-Span2 (Senate) 85 17 9 85 165 63 165 165 20 85 85 85 43 DISC The Discovery Channel 35 65 114 14 35 40 32 40 40 40 35 47 35 35 35 DISN Disney 60 55 132 32 60 30 29 30 30 30 60 58 60 60 54 E! 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Entertainment Television 44 93 137 37 44 38 45 38 38 38 44 54 44 44 46 STZ ENC Starz Encore 710 350 537 255 710 310 309 310 310 610 750 710 710 710 325 ESPN Entertainment Sports Programming Network 27 29 125 25 27 24 24 24 24 24 27 29 27 27 30 ESPN2 Entertainment Sports Programming Network 2 28 30 126 26 28 25 23 25 25 25 28 30 28 28 31 EWTN Eternal World Television 180 22 7 7 180 97 19 97 97 19 6 180 180 180 79 FREE Freeform 31 42 133 33 31 31 37 31 31 31 31 36 31 31 16 FOOD TV Food Network 62 83 144 45 62 15 58 15 15 15 62 61 62 62 47 FSN FOX Sports Network 29 33 124 24 29 23 25 23 23 23 29 28 29 29 17 FX FX 49 28 142 47 49 50 59 50 49 71 49 49 40 HBO Home Box Office (Premium Service) 500 300 501 200 500 330 20 330 330 630 500 500 500 500 303 HGTV Home & Garden 55 81 130 30 55 16 50 16 16 16 55 55 55 55 70 HIST The History Channel 54 74 135 35 54 21 49 21 21 21 54 48 54 54 69 HN Headline News (CNN2) 39 47 156 39 95 34 73 73 14 39 32 39 39 55 LIFE Lifetime 30 24 131 31 30 32 36 32 32 30 27 30 30 41 MAX Cinemax (Premium Service) 550 320 512 210 550 300 300 300 600 550 550 550 550 304 MTV Music Television 32 101 149 61 32 72 27 72 72 45 32 39 32 32 38 NBCS NBC Sports 63 37 161 39 63 288 207 288 288 455 63 69 63 63 124 NICK Nickelodeon 33 53 129 29 33 45 48 45 45 20 33 59 33 33 24 PEG Public Education Government 8 8 8 8 PPV LAMP/Public Access 15 12 13 19 PRE TV GUIDE 25 23 2 25 14 25 25 25 QVC Quility Value Convenience (Home Shopping) 7 3 3 3 7 12 3 12 12 12 7 7 7 7 22 SHOW Showtime (Premium Service) 600 360 550 225 600 350 501 350 350 650 600 600 600 600 312 SPIKE Spike TV 43 43 116 16 43 36 28 36 36 36 43 33 43 43 28 STARZ STARZ! (Premium Service) 700 340 530 250 700 370 601 370 370 670 700 700 700 700 326 SYFY Science Fiction Channel 40 41 145 48 40 34 44 34 34 45 40 49 40 40 44 TBN Trinity Broadcasting Service 183 7 10 10 183 209 18 209 209 480 183 183 183 80 TBS WTBS, Atlanta 22 27 127 27 22 48 46 22 22 34 22 15 22 22 36 TCM Turner Classic Movies 308 266 450 362 308 18 47 18 18 18 314 56 308 308 163 TLC The Learning Channel 45 73 122 22 45 41 43 41 41 41 45 42 45 45 34 TMC The Movie Channel 650 370 559 235 650 380 551 380 380 680 650 650 650 650 310 TNT Turner Network Television 36 26 128 28 36 33 31 33 33 33 36 40 36 36 27 TOON Cartoon Network 47 57 153 47 47 51 47 47 47 47 43 47 47 49 TRAV The Travel Channel 50 84 118 18 50 52 64 52 50 67 50 50 50 TRUTV Tru TV 51 49 143 44 51 65 51 37 51 52 51 TVL TV Land 52 59 140 56 52 46 52 46 46 46 52 41 52 52 60 TWC The Weather Channel 56 62 117 17 56 28 41 28 28 28 56 51 56 56 32 USA USA Network 59 25 115 15 59 35 21 35 35 35 59 46 59 59 23 VH1 Video Hits One 38 103 150 58 38 44 40 44 44 44 38 38 38 38 19 WGN-A WGN America 13 69 53 13 14 7 3 3 3 13 16 13 13 15 Halston Sage as seen in "The Orville" 501 W Washington St., Brainerd, MN | 218-828-1823 | www.heartlandtireservice.com COMPLETE AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR ALL MAKES, ALL MODELS

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