Syfy Cancels DEFIANCE and DOMINION
This week, Syfy has dropped the hammer on both Defiance and Dominion, cancelling both shows in the span of two days.
The demise of both shows follows the news earlier this year, that both Killjoys and Dark Matter had been renewed for second seasons. In addition, the network has begun production on The Magicians and Hunters, both adaptations of literary works.
Defiance launched in 2013, the first television series to run in tandem with a new video game developed by Trion Worlds. In a $100 million effort, the show and MMO overlapped in story details. During the first season, especially, it was noticeable that there was a tie-in, as certain scenes in the show felt like they’d been lifted right out of the game.
The last episode aired August 28th, with 1.17 million total viewers. The third season average was 1.12 million, down considerably from the first two seasons.
“Defiance was a truly groundbreaking series, delivering an immersive, cross-platform experience that transcended the television screen in a way that viewers had never seen before,” the network said in a statement. “We are incredibly proud of the work of the extraordinary cast, writers, artists and designers — and especially showrunner Kevin Murphy — who together brought the rich world of Defiance to life over its three season arc.”
Trion Worlds has indicated that they plan to continue with the game side of the show. “We’ve had a great time working closely with the team of stellar writers, designers, producers, and actors on the Defiance TV show,” said Scott Hartsman, CEO of Trion Worlds. “Like many of you, we’ve all enjoyed the stories they told week in and week out. Let’s treat this as a fond farewell, in celebration of a successful three year run of a show that broke a lot of new ground and brought an incredible quality experience to its viewers.”
Trion had turned the game into a free-t0-play title in 2014, and Hartsman reiterated what the company has said before, that the game would continue with or without the show. “As for the game and its future, Defiance is Trion’s IP and the game will continue exactly as before,” said Hartsman. “The show has always been a fantastic and interesting partner, but the two were always meant to be able to stand on their own, which is why the show was primarily set in St. Louis and the game in the SF Bay Area.”
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Dominion falls after just two seasons, with a summer average rating of just 0.25 in adults 18-49 and viewership down 40% from its first season. The second season finale only had about 520,000 adults 18-49, and a Live+3 total of 1.19 million. Not enough to save it.
“Led by Vaun Wilmott, the talented cast, producers, writers and crew of Dominion have done a tremendous job bringing this ambitious, cinematic series to the screen over the past two seasons. We thank them, as well as our producing partners Universal Cable Productions, Bold Films and Film Afrika,” Syfy said in a statement.
Dominion spun out of the movie Legion, taking place 25 years after the movie (which starred Paul Bettany), putting the plot in the midst of the overall battle between lower angels and mankind. Led by Gabriel, the angels blame humanity when God vanishes. The archangel Michael joins the side of humanity. Meanwhile, Sgt. Alex Lannon learns that he may be the “Chosen One” who may be the savior of humanity.
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Both shows were among the first to hit the air after Bill McGoldrick replaced Mark Stern at Syfy. McGoldrick’s stated goal was to bring science fiction back to a prominent position at the network formerly known as “The Sci Fi Channel” — a position currently enjoyed by shows on other networks, most notably The Walking Dead on AMC.
Syfy has several other projects in the works besides Hunters and The Magicians. Adaptations of Childhood’s End, Frederik Pohl’s Gateway, and Brave New World, along with 3001: The Final Odyssey, will join original miniseries The Expanse as part of the continued efforts to find a hit for the network after the poor performance of Ascension.
