Syfy continues to bolster its original programming with the renewal of both Dominion and Defiance. The two drama series will return with 13 episodes each – joining the recently commissioned Hunters, created by Gale Anne Hurd, and the highly anticipated television adaptation of Arthur C. Clarke’s Childhood’s End.
Dominion is ccategorizedas a ‘US apocalyptic supernatural action’ series, and was created by Vaun Wilmott (Sons Of Anarchy) as a loose adaptation of the 2010 film Legion, written by Peter Schink and Scott Stewart. Starring Christopher Egan (Letters To Juliet), Tom Wisdom (Romeo And Juliet), Roxanne McKee (Game Of Thrones) and Anthony Stewart Head (Percy Jackson: Sea Of Monsters), the show is set in a time when God has vanished, and Archangel Gabriel is waging war on mankind. Archangel Michael allies himself with man, against Gabriel, and lives among humans in a fortified city, awaiting the arrival of a prophesied saviour.
In contrast, Defiance is a US science fiction series developed by Rockne S O’Bannon (Farscape), Kevin Murphy (Desperate Housewives) and Michael Taylor (Battlestar Galactica), and stars Grant Bowler (Liz And Dick), Stephanie Leonidas (Whitechapel), Julie Benz (Dexter) and Graham Greene (Longmire). It is set in 2046, and depicts an Earth that has been radically transformed. The surface of the planet has changed, many plant and animal species are extinct, and a new species has emerged. Joshua Nolan (Bowler) and his adopted daughter, Irisa (Leonidas), live in a community known as Defiance, where they live their lives alongside extra-terrestrial races, known as Votans. The series has already run for two 13 episode seasons, in addition to a video game of the same name, which ties in to the show.
The second season of Dominion, and the third season of Defiance will air on Syfy in 2015, as television’s fascination with apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic dramas shows no sign of abating. Perhaps the next round of pilot commissions for the network will include a science fiction comedy series? We can but hope.
