Defiance

I'm going to give tonight's episode a go. I think a lot of shows get cancelled too hastily, but if they don't take it up a notch, I see this one on the chopping block.
 
They've renewed for a second season already, so no chopping block as yet.

Be careful. SyFy has the tendency to lie. They promised Farscape a Season 5, and they cancelled the show while they were filming the last scenes of Season 4, and blame the viewers for it.
 
Be careful. SyFy has the tendency to lie. They promised Farscape a Season 5, and they cancelled the show while they were filming the last scenes of Season 4, and blame the viewers for it.

Yup, SyFy is notorious for doing that to shows. They always like to promise their shows one more season and then cancel them at the last minute when it's too late to change anything. Still, I've never heard of SyFy doing this after only 2 seasons, but then again, I've never heard of SyFy promising a show another season so early in its run either.
 
Well that is not going to happen with this project, think about it from their standpoint the business side. The contract between SyFy and Trion is going to make this at least a 3 or 4 season show. Not to mention that the game is fantastic. The Episode Mission: The Irathient Vagabound went live last night where at the end of the TV episode one of the characters leaves the show and steps right into the game. The is mission was also not as I had feared just the characters model and voice in the game, but actually came with full video cut scenes that show a different side of the character. Just like if you were to have played the game before the release of the show where you have an episode mission with Nolan and Irisa and once they drived off into the storm divide they popped up just the same way in the show on the other side of the divide. I think that most of the people that watch the show and think that it lacks luster in the story department has never picked up the game. Which is understandable their aren't that many with the extra 60 bucks or so to spare. Although I would suggest to all that read my post to give it a shot! Rent it some where. The world that you are thrust into is something akin to playing a fallout game with hundreds of others. Also you get a deeper understanding of the world they are in, and what is to come to Defiance the city. Also depending on you level and progress in the story and obtaining of data recorders you get some inside information on what truly is going to happen in the show and just what that pretty little golden trinket really is and who really knows about it. Not to mention the characters that will be leaving the game to visit Defiance. So back to my original point with as many people as I play the game with and the combined money of SyFy and Trion invested in the Show , not to mention challengehour.com that was just announced where you will be able to win actual prizes like hellbug plushies and they said sponsored prizes so that makes me think Dodge giving away a car or possibly axe and they astronaut thing all of which you will complete in game tasks to win. This show will be around for a while. Also SyFy now has actual numbers to look at with their Syfy connect and the users registered in game so the shows teams will have actual numbers so we don't have another Farscape fiasco. Not mention I am pretty sure that the heads of staff at SyFy have changed sense then.



PS. To all my fellow prop and costume makers that read this post. Dragon Con Defiance Game Character Cosplay Group!!!
 
The heads of SyFy may have changed sing Farscape but their antics haven't. So far since Farscape nearly every scripted show on SyFy has ended prematurely and often with the promise of another season. Lets take a look, SG-1 was promised one last season but ended without one and ended on a cliffhanger, Atlantis I'm not sure about but it seemed like they thought they had one more season but wrapped up at the last minute when they found out otherwise, BSG ended on their own before SyFy could could do it, SG:U wasn't promised a S3 but wasn't notified of their imminent demise until the last minute and thus ended on a cliff hanger, Eureka (one of their most recent victims) was promised one last season then a short 6 episode season to wrap things up but that was nixed in the bud and they had to quickly rewrite the last season in order to wrap things up. Sure doesn't seem like SyFy has changed all that much to me and game or no game I won't be at all surprised if SyFy pulls their usual on Defiance and tell them things are golden and promise them one more/last season and then at the last minute tell them they're being canceled.
 
The heads of SyFy may have changed sing Farscape but their antics haven't. So far since Farscape nearly every scripted show on SyFy has ended prematurely and often with the promise of another season. Lets take a look, SG-1 was promised one last season but ended without one and ended on a cliffhanger, Atlantis I'm not sure about but it seemed like they thought they had one more season but wrapped up at the last minute when they found out otherwise, BSG ended on their own before SyFy could could do it, SG:U wasn't promised a S3 but wasn't notified of their imminent demise until the last minute and thus ended on a cliff hanger, Eureka (one of their most recent victims) was promised one last season then a short 6 episode season to wrap things up but that was nixed in the bud and they had to quickly rewrite the last season in order to wrap things up. Sure doesn't seem like SyFy has changed all that much to me and game or no game I won't be at all surprised if SyFy pulls their usual on Defiance and tell them things are golden and promise them one more/last season and then at the last minute tell them they're being canceled.

Let's not forget Caprica. In fact, they used the same playbook on getting that show cancelled that they used on Farscape (changing the broadcast day to one where no one would be watching for example). They even used the exact same FAQs that they used for Farscape.
 
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I thought this show would have a great story on it own, but it sounds like its just a supplement for playing the video game.
 
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Yeah, if this gets where you have to play the game to know what's going on, I am definately out. I do not play video games.

For now, I am still watching, however nothing about this show is really more than "ehh"... I am so tired of prophecies and chosen ones, I could puke!! Also, adding the stupid little song at the end of every episode is really lame. That is going to be so dated in a few years. I will be so glad when that crap stops. Not just with this show, but all of the ones who do that these days.

Don't you just love the way every bad guy in the entire universe is a "Houdini". Just give 'em a pen or paperclip and locks cease to exist...This show is losing me really fast.
 
I just started watching the show, and what stands out IMO is the really mediocre camera work. Wow. Really boring shots, very, very conservative visual style, lame editing.
 
I thought this show would have a great story on it own, but it sounds like its just a supplement for playing the video game.

Actually, they've explain that the game and the show take place within the same universe, and don't really interfere with one another (except for characters and some situations crossing over).
 
I thought this show would have a great story on it own, but it sounds like its just a supplement for playing the video game.
Actually, they've explain that the game and the show take place within the same universe, and don't really interfere with one another (except for characters and some situations crossing over).

I'm not sure that is true when I read statements like these:

... the game is fantastic. The Episode Mission: The Irathient Vagabound went live last night where at the end of the TV episode one of the characters leaves the show and steps right into the game. The is mission was also not as I had feared just the characters model and voice in the game, but actually came with full video cut scenes that show a different side of the character.


Just like if you were to have played the game before the release of the show where you have an episode mission with Nolan and Irisa and once they drived off into the storm divide they popped up just the same way in the show on the other side of the divide. I think that most of the people that watch the show and think that it lacks luster in the story department has never picked up the game. Also you get a deeper understanding of the world they are in, and what is to come to Defiance the city. Also depending on you level and progress in the story and obtaining of data recorders you get some inside information on what truly is going to happen in the show and just what that pretty little golden trinket really is and who really knows about it.

I think having a video game and a TV show that compliment each other is an excellent idea, and definitely a great business decision. I would have the characters and story development more dependent on the TV show than the game, but my guess is they want to sell more $60 games. This sounds like something I would be more into, but somehow, its just not doing it for me. Hope it sticks around for those who do like it. Maybe if I watch more of the show, it will grow on me.
 
I don't mind them using the game concept to fill out some of the more trivial elements of the show for the diehard fans, in much the same way as Star Trek had the tech manuals etc, but if important backstory and detail is lacking in the show, and they expect people to have to play the game, I'd personally just stop watching the show rather than pick up the game, as I'm not a gamer. If the show doesn't work as a self contained entity, then I shouldn't have to seek out the extra information myself.

But that's hypothetically speaking. I haven't heard enough about the game to know how important a part it plays in understanding the show, and aside from the glossed over backstory in the first episode, I don't feel like the show has lacked the necessary details to follow the story.

My opinion of the show hasn't really changed since the first episode, but I'm still watching it. At the moment, I'm not sure it's my kind of scifi though. I'll finish off the season then see how I feel about it.
 
Actually, it seems my statement is backed up with the statements you've quoted. But as far as I know, from one of the making-of videos about the game and the show, you don't necessarily have to play the game to get an idea on what's happening in the show and you don't have to watch the show to know what's happening in the game.
 
It still shows enough promise to keep me watching it. I'm still confused by all the alien races, but I'm sure it's probably because I was playing Candy Crush whilst watching it. *embarassed*
 
My problem with the game is the fact that it's an MMO. The only MMO I played without wanting to gouge my eyes out was Runescape, which is a little ironic in that respect. And the only reason I didn't hate the experience was because I was playing it at midnight as a 7th grader to **** off my parents. I'm cool with dropping $60 on what appears to be a great game that compliments the show nicely, especially since I'm enjoying the show, but I don't want to be subjected to the standard MMO tropes. Why the hell am I helping the wayward Irathient criminal when there's a few thousand other people who can help her instead? The whole quest structure makes no sense when thought of from a meta point of view, and that's not even touching the fact that, by default, being an MMO means that the player has to deal with other real, live human beings. And humans kinda suck in my experience.

Besides, after purchasing the full Skyrim Steam package for a hundred bucks two months before finding out that all further DLCs are cancelled and the GOTY edition is coming out and the end of the year, I'm not really ready to purchase another game at near full price. (Tomb Raider was half off and if you payed 3/4 of the price instead of half you got a digital copy of every other Tomb Raider game ever. Good freaking deal.)
 
I thought this week's past episode was pretty good. The grittiness of the way Nolan just killed that guy so his buddy couldn't take him was pretty cool. It rather suprised me.
 
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