Defiance

:

Season 1
  • Network: SyFy
  • Series Premiere Date: Apr 15, 2013
Season #: 3, 2, 1
User Score
7.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 276 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 201 out of 276
  2. Mixed: 40 out of 276
  3. Negative: 35 out of 276
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  1. WinDwarfEd
    May 11, 2013
    2
    Why only 2? Because this show has NICE SFX, AND NOTHING MORE. The acting is bad, the STORY is NOT GOOD. I felt that the budget was short and that they couldn't show more of the main town.
    LIGHT SPOILER A guy gets murdered in front of a police station where a few scenes just got shot. Couldn't they film that elsewhere? It really seemed short.
    THIS IS LAZY, confusing and badly executed.    Why only 2? Because this show has NICE SFX, AND NOTHING MORE. The acting is bad, the STORY is NOT GOOD. I felt that the budget was short and that they couldn't show more of the main town.
    LIGHT SPOILER A guy gets murdered in front of a police station where a few scenes just got shot. Couldn't they film that elsewhere? It really seemed short.
    THIS IS LAZY, confusing and badly executed. The alien design is weak, the makeup is as horrible as the costumes. Nothing is worth your time. I hope I saved someone's money & time.
    = I dis-recommend this TV show. It's awful.    … Expand
  2. keetoosya
    May 16, 2013
    1
    The 1st episode had promise but since then the story is the same as all others 2 families that hate each other, A daughter in love with the son of the hated family. Then bikers who don't want to be part of the community. Then 2 people of different races making love. I'm not talking alien races here either! I have watched my last Defiance show. It sucks that much, I can't believe it wasThe 1st episode had promise but since then the story is the same as all others 2 families that hate each other, A daughter in love with the son of the hated family. Then bikers who don't want to be part of the community. Then 2 people of different races making love. I'm not talking alien races here either! I have watched my last Defiance show. It sucks that much, I can't believe it was picked up for a 2nd season!!… Expand
  3. twistedgaming
    May 15, 2013
    1
    The show is terrible and the language is embarrassing to hear them use. They say words like "SHTAKO" and to also hear the humans say it, well its just embarrassing. The aliens look
    bad effects also bad and acting horrible. I would recommend not watching this show cant believe it
    got a offer for season 2 already.wow
  4. Corvin
    May 6, 2013
    2
    I remember this show! But when did the aliens grow hair? They used to be bald, with spotted scalps, and didn't this used to be called Alien Nation? And what's with the post-apocalyptic Western lawman cowboys and shamans culture clash meets bratty adopted struggling to assimilate teenager theme? Can we mix and mangle a few more cliches in there? I'm sure the writers missed at least oneI remember this show! But when did the aliens grow hair? They used to be bald, with spotted scalps, and didn't this used to be called Alien Nation? And what's with the post-apocalyptic Western lawman cowboys and shamans culture clash meets bratty adopted struggling to assimilate teenager theme? Can we mix and mangle a few more cliches in there? I'm sure the writers missed at least one or two. Okay, Defiance is honestly not terrible, but it's honestly not terribly good, either. Better than Revolution but nothing memorable. This is probably because in spite of a colorful splatter of gore and an amusing scene involving the safe word calamari (don't ask), Defiance is about as edgy as a plastic spoon.… Expand
  5. theasset
    Apr 23, 2013
    1
    Just when you thought nothing could be worse than 'Revolution', this show pops up. Bad acting, bad writing, just about everything here is bad, it looks too forced and fake and it tries to be smart when it clearly isn't.
  6. dasani3x
    Apr 16, 2013
    3
    Every once in a while a show comes around that you really want to be good. After multiple weeks of advertising from Defiance and trying to be convinced that the game/tv combination was smart, the TV show premiere finally debuts.

    This was a painful two hours with every cliche imaginable taking place throughout the show. I could not agree more that this show underwhelms the viewer to no    Every once in a while a show comes around that you really want to be good. After multiple weeks of advertising from Defiance and trying to be convinced that the game/tv combination was smart, the TV show premiere finally debuts.

    This was a painful two hours with every cliche imaginable taking place throughout the show. I could not agree more that this show underwhelms the viewer to no end and pushes back the progress of the scifi genre on tv. Lacks any originality or good storyline and fails to capture the attention of the viewer. I am normally pretty patient with new TV shows, but this once is truly a snoozer.    … Expand
  7. SciFiDreamin
    May 4, 2013
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I gave it a few more episodes. It just seems like sci fi written by an art student (and not a scientifically inclined one). This series has more to do with magic and fantasy than science fiction. Putting boring, barely aliens in bad costumes doesn't make it a sci fi. (Hint for syfy channel: Science makes it a sci fi.)

    Let me point out a few bad science plot holes.

    1. "Killing" futuristic "world destroying" robots with single shots from standard guns ugh, my head hurts

    2. The world destroying robots walk across the ground they dont bother to incorporate flight or any sort of intelligent design into their destroying OK enough about the Vulge

    3. Going to bomb a nuclear reactor under the city in St. Louis to destroy Defiance... OK, well we get down there and its obviously abandoned. Any person who should be writing for a science fiction feature show should know that if that reactor wasn't shut down properly (all material taken off site) it would have melted down long ago and those idiots going caving would have received a lethal dose of radiation. The cooling ponds would be evaporated. It would make Fukishima look like a malfunction with your microwave.

    4. Hellbugs omg dont even get me started. I felt embarrassed for the whole production while watching that.

    5. Why/How is the famous arch above ground while the city is apparently buried far beneath? Right, it was thrust up or something during a terraforming incident.

    6. Why is everyone so darn backward? We have, what, 7 different alien life forms and the best technology they [combined] have come up with for everyday life is go karts, poorly designed handguns (big too look cool hehe), lightsaber/lightknives, and hot tubs. None of these idiots know how to make a spacecraft to salvage wreckage in orbit? 7 independently intelligent aliens and they all have the technological understanding of 1980s humans.

    7. The ugly runty girl main character alien has "the site(sight? oh wait who cares)" she done been touched by the gods /facepalm

    8. The head villain was driving a 1970 Chrysler Lebaron in 2046 no I made that up it was actually uglier and dumber than that

    9. Lawkeeper

    10. Lawkeeper

    11. Lawkeeper... this one word summarizes the whole shebang. Idiotic, tryhard, duhhhhhhhhhhhh......

    12. Lawkeeper    … Expand
  8. Mehor
    Apr 17, 2013
    0
    Atrocious, boring and devoid of any moral content oder suspense. The characters try to be cool but end up shallow and unsympathetic, the aliens look worse then Star Trek's Next Generation ever did, and the special effects look like they're done by low end low wagers on machines from ten years ago.

    Had high hopes for this, not even gonna buy the game now, although I was gonna after    Atrocious, boring and devoid of any moral content oder suspense. The characters try to be cool but end up shallow and unsympathetic, the aliens look worse then Star Trek's Next Generation ever did, and the special effects look like they're done by low end low wagers on machines from ten years ago.

    Had high hopes for this, not even gonna buy the game now, although I was gonna after seeing a Let's play.    … Expand
  9. shooter17
    Apr 29, 2013
    1
    I really wanted to like this show...I gave it 2 shows but I can't watch it anymore. It is just terrible. Boring, slow plot lines. Too many cliches and annoying characters. Cheesy graphics. So-so acting. This isn't going anywhere. Surprised by the 7.3 user score average...not sure what they are all watching must be a different show.
  10. BunBun
    Apr 19, 2013
    0
    I'm shocked by the production quality of this thing. Visually it's inconsistent, troubled by really, really bad special effects (some indie pc-games from 2005 have better cut-scenes than some of the renderings!). Whenever they have green-screened something it really shows. The character are flat and act without any motivation that is born out of the scene or the overall plot. All theI'm shocked by the production quality of this thing. Visually it's inconsistent, troubled by really, really bad special effects (some indie pc-games from 2005 have better cut-scenes than some of the renderings!). Whenever they have green-screened something it really shows. The character are flat and act without any motivation that is born out of the scene or the overall plot. All the clothing doesn't make sense, everything is much too clean. The characters are flat in the sense that they are cheap mixes of old cliche that don't even get properly introduced or established. Main-Character-Cool-Guy whose name is hard to catch (as are the names of most characters because they are all incredibly unremarkable people) acts irrational most of the time and spews his pseudo-cool one-liners in situations where they really don't belong. The plot is hard to follow. The Aliens, which are an important part of the series, are boring and consist mostly of staple "mostly like humans"-creatures that don't even ACT alien. The action suffers from bad cutting and bad lightning. It's much too fast and hard to see.
    All in all I'm truly shocked how bad this is. I expected science-fiction. It was neither good "science" nor good "fiction" and visually unappalling.    … Expand
  11. Tytos
    Apr 22, 2013
    3
    I realy wanted this show to be good but it unfortunatly turned out to be a disgrace to the whole sci-fi genre, despite good performances of the actors. The plot and presentation of the show simply can't interest anybody above the age of 3, this is destined to fail.
  12. Rattazustra
    Apr 19, 2013
    0
    This series is just horrible. The plot is brainless, the acting is lousy and the props are even worse. The 1980s just called. They want their B-Movie story back. The 1990s called, too. They want their special effects back. Nothing in this show makes sense, the characters are just horribly played and the design of the aliens is so stupid it makes the worst parts of Star Trek look good. IThis series is just horrible. The plot is brainless, the acting is lousy and the props are even worse. The 1980s just called. They want their B-Movie story back. The 1990s called, too. They want their special effects back. Nothing in this show makes sense, the characters are just horribly played and the design of the aliens is so stupid it makes the worst parts of Star Trek look good. I usually give 1 point for trying, but this show does not even deserve that much.… Expand
  13. CowboyCannibal
    Jul 11, 2014
    3
    Not something I would watch.Not something I would watch.Not something I would watch.Not something I would watch.Not something I would watch.Not something I would watch.Not something I would watch.Not something I would watch.Not something I would watch.Not something I would watch.Not something I would watch.Not something I would watch.Not something I would watch.Not something I wouldNot something I would watch.Not something I would watch.Not something I would watch.Not something I would watch.Not something I would watch.Not something I would watch.Not something I would watch.Not something I would watch.Not something I would watch.Not something I would watch.Not something I would watch.Not something I would watch.Not something I would watch.Not something I would watch.Not something I would watch.3 for effort.… Expand
  14. RevanJJ
    Jul 7, 2013
    3
    This show is pretty bad. I've watched a lot of scifi and seen a lot come and go and many series better than this have gone. This is like Firefly minus the good acting and CGI(even though its 10 years later and the CGI should be massively better.)
    It seems most good reviews are from players of the game who invested $60 and don't want to admit they bought a turd, so they try to polish it.    This show is pretty bad. I've watched a lot of scifi and seen a lot come and go and many series better than this have gone. This is like Firefly minus the good acting and CGI(even though its 10 years later and the CGI should be massively better.)
    It seems most good reviews are from players of the game who invested $60 and don't want to admit they bought a turd, so they try to polish it.

    I gave it a chance, but the acting, the short bus special effects, and the writing with no real direction is just plain junk. Makes me angry actually because much better shows were canceled. SG1, SGU, Farscape, and many others were far superior to this.

    Played the game as well and it is a train wreck of bad graphics and junk servers.    … Expand
  15. B2UX
    Jul 9, 2013
    0
    we all know the show is over period not one show has lasted through a year of silence it will become a mute show. too bad i liked this one, now theres no reason to watch it they killed it real quick kinda stinks...
  16. genericusename
    Jun 5, 2013
    2
    I watched four episodes and I really tried to like it. The premise of multiple alien species living with humans sounded like it could be solid, provided it was done right. It wasn't. The writing is sloppy and inconsistent. Also it's riddled with cliches (girl loves boy daddy disapproves of, daddy threatens to kill boy... bleh). With a few exceptions, the acting is bad. It is simply aI watched four episodes and I really tried to like it. The premise of multiple alien species living with humans sounded like it could be solid, provided it was done right. It wasn't. The writing is sloppy and inconsistent. Also it's riddled with cliches (girl loves boy daddy disapproves of, daddy threatens to kill boy... bleh). With a few exceptions, the acting is bad. It is simply a show with cliche plot lines and sub-par acting. It's a shame, because the backstory of the aliens coming to earth did intrigue me. Outside of the second half of the first episode, I have been vastly underwhelmed. Also, the alien designs aren't anything special, but I could overlook that if the story was actually anything of substance. Wouldn't recommend the show to anyone.… Expand
  17. Comp_Enth
    Jun 17, 2013
    3
    Absolutely terrible. I love a good sci-fi, I love Mia Kershner, I love Julie Benz, but this is absolutely horrible. Cliché-filled and obvious, the only reason that this gets a three from me is because the songs at the end are brilliant covers and the music in general is great.
  18. tigerskin84
    Jun 23, 2014
    0
    Cant Believe this piece of garbage is still on air, they cancelled alphas for this cr@p
    1- weak plot
    2- awful characters
    3-cheap CGI
    i cant believe people gave a ten to this show, they must be blind
  19. scenefiend
    Mar 10, 2014
    3
    So far i'm on episode 7 of the first season. All the negative reviewers are basically correct, this is some tired sci-fi with sub-par CGI, writing, and acting.

    I wish HBO would make a sci-fi series, it would adjust the quality baseline for the sci-fi genre on TV, its very weak across the board as it stands now.
  20. AlphaPenguin
    Apr 6, 2014
    3
    Dreadful, cliche-ridden writing gives even the actors who aren't phoning it in very little to do but show up and play archetypes. We've got the Han Solo "rogue with a heart of gold" who comes across as an insufferably cocky lout because there's no lurking humanity under the swagger. We have the "ambitious, self-made man and his Lady MacBeth wife" who might as well be twirling matchingDreadful, cliche-ridden writing gives even the actors who aren't phoning it in very little to do but show up and play archetypes. We've got the Han Solo "rogue with a heart of gold" who comes across as an insufferably cocky lout because there's no lurking humanity under the swagger. We have the "ambitious, self-made man and his Lady MacBeth wife" who might as well be twirling matching Snidely Whiplash moustaches for all the nuance their storyline musters. You've got the "Romeo and Juliet" story played completely straight, where neither Romeo nor Juliet has any characterization beyond "in love" and "amazingly credulous." Basically, you've seen it all before (done better), and the show is so hamfisted that any viewer with even a passing familiarity with basic sci/fi tropes should be able to watch the first 30 seconds of any scene and skip to the next, accurately predicting everything else that will occur.

    So I suppose it would be a quick watch, at least.    … Expand
  21. Osiris7
    Jun 27, 2014
    3
    Defiance really isn't sure what genre it is, at some points in the pilot I thought I was watching a sci fi show, other times it felt like a really bad western. However the show was at its worst when it tried to mix these two elements together, it just doesn't work. The aliens (who we get no real background information on during the pilot) dress and act like humans from the 19th century.Defiance really isn't sure what genre it is, at some points in the pilot I thought I was watching a sci fi show, other times it felt like a really bad western. However the show was at its worst when it tried to mix these two elements together, it just doesn't work. The aliens (who we get no real background information on during the pilot) dress and act like humans from the 19th century. The Earth has also been terraformed for reasons the show never goes into (or provides an explanation for how all the humans survived this process). Overall Defiance seems doomed to repeat all of the same mistakes that Firefly made; crappy cliched our of place writing/characters and poor production standards. We know that sci-fi can be contained to a small-town setting, Eureka did it, Jericho did it but, Defiance does not.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

13
#13 Most Discussed TV Season of 2013
61
#61 Most Shared TV Season of 2013

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
57

Mixed or average reviews - based on 17 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 17
  3. Negative: 1 out of 17
  1. Sioux City Journal
    Reviewed by: Bruce Miller
    May 29, 2013
    60
    Moments in the first episode suggest Defiance could be filled with the kind of minutiae "Star Trek" and "Star Wars" fans love. But its plot is so thin it could float away.
    Read full review
  2. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Jeff Jensen
    May 15, 2013
    83
    The individual alien races aren't all that fresh. Yet I am engaged by the show's lively metaphor for a polyglot culture fractured by tribalism and Otherness, for a world that can easily put aside past pain and present differences to tackle a common threat.
    Read full review
  3. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Tim Goodman
    Apr 17, 2013
    70
    There's a lot of genre-bending in this one but some real entertainment value, dramatic potential and, hell, if it can be half of what Battlestar Galactica was, that's a winning combination.
    Read full review
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