I came to say just the opposite: the show is lesser than the sum of its parts. It's not cerebral, it's just boring.

The acting is above par, the characters are semi-interesting, the screenwriting shoots mostly above the bar. And yet somehow...yawn city. All the qualities you mentioned regarding the writing are exactly why it trods along; at the end of the day, the drama is just not gripping. And I so wanted to like it, don't ask me why.

It can't even get a theme song right. Go ahead...whistle/hum/sing it. I'll wait. Five dollars say you can't even remember it.

Oh, and I liked The Orville. A lot.