Days after cancelling fantasy drama Dominion, Syfy has cancelled sci-fi series Defiance. Our page of Defiance‘s season three ratings tells most of the story. Defiance lost viewers from season to season. For season one, Defiance averaged 0.7 in the 18-49 demographic and 2.09 million viewers. Season two averages were 0.46 in the demo and 1.56 million viewers. Compare those to season three: 0.25 in the demo and 1.13 million viewers.
Defiance is set in the year 2046. It’s a new Earth and there are new rules. It’s been more than 30 years since various alien races started arriving on our world. The landscape has been completely altered — terraformed nearly beyond recognition. The Defiance cast includes: Grant Bowler, Julie Benz, Stephanie Leonidas, Jaime Murray, Tony Curran, Graham Greene, Mia Kirshner, and Fionnula Flanagan.
Deadline reports:
Defiance was a big financial investment and a content experiment for Syfy; it was developed in a partnership with Trion Worlds as a convergence of television and online gaming. After a solid ratings start, the show has been sliding, with its most recent third season averaging 1.1 million viewers in Live+same day, down 28% from Season 2. Still, Defiance qualified as Syfy’s most watched drama series this year, making its cancelation clearly a financial decision. […]
From Variety:
Drama vet Kevin Murphy served as exec producer and showrunner of of “Defiance,” which wrapped its 13-episode third season late this summer.
“I got to collaborate with a group of stunning artists operating at the top of their game, and together we built a world. Because of that, there is no room for anything other than joy in my heart,” Murphy said.
In a statement, Syfy commented: “‘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. 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.”
Defiance marks Syfy’s fifth recent cancelled or ended show. Add it to the list with Dominion, Haven, Lost Girl and Continuum.
What do you think? Did you watch Syfy’s Defiance? Do you play the online game? Do you think the Defiance TV series should have been cancelled? Would you have watched a fourth season?
This is an excellent example of BIG money telling YOU what your going to watch on TV. Good point 18 to 49 were rated Like nobody else watches TV. They can care less about your pleasure. BOYCOTT SYFY & TRION Post it on Facebook, Twitter & YouTube when it cuts into their pocketbooks that’s when they listen. They control what you watch but YOU control the Net.
Show was building up to something big in the last season and it would have been interesting to see it play out. While disappointing I’m not surprised it’s being cancelled.
this is just so sad I hope some other network picks it up its certainly worthy of more seasons !!!! it has interesting characters and good storylines and actors .truly hope this isn’t the end for such a good show !!!
Suspected this when they killed Andina off so suddenly after building her up, but knew it was over for good when they destroyed Nolan’s sidearm. They really dropped the ball with this show and also the game. It was really cool to battle in game to find a cure for the virus that people were dying from in season 1, and have that referenced in the TV show. Unfortunately all the momentum was lost when they said it was going to be another year for season 2, and people got bored with the game. (which, on its own, had no… Read more »
Honestly, watching SyFy incubate shows is like seeing a farmer drown baby chicks in a water barrel. I can’t imagine getting emotionally attached or invested with anything they show, because the better it is, the quicker they will kill it.
I can not believe this show is canceled. What is up with Syfy cancelling all of the good shows and leaving the idiot ones. Good grief.
So disappointed to read Defiiance was cancelled. Loved the stories, actors and originality of this show. BIG mistake SyFy!!!
Did it end on a good note? I only saw the first season and it was too sexual for my family but I might watch on my own.
i found the characters fascinating and they did evolve and develop season to season. the reason most in this age demographic don’t watch is because they are pretty much brain dead from obsessive selfie picture taking and don’t really comprehend what is happening around them unless it is sent to them on their phones. many can no longer due basic math nor can they read cursive because this is way too complicated. i am sure the executives on sy fy also fit into this category which is why they always cancel good shows. it just too darn hard for them… Read more »
I watched the first season and part of the second, but almost none of the third. They jumped the shark in the second season and like a lot of shows they made the plot too complicated. If the plot gets too complicated to follow, then lots of viewers will abandon ship. I like watching a series that moves more slowly and only has a few characters and they actually have characters that you enjoy watching. NCIS and their other series follow that formula. Each episode is unique and while the stories are different from week to week, the methods that… Read more »
NCIS is not a great show. Too cookie cutter and you can pretty well figure out the perp partway through. Give me a more complicated plot, I have the brains to handle it. Get rid of mind numbing drool of a show.
Guess I won’t be watching this channel much longer. They Cancelled Dominion, Contiuum, the list is endless. This channel showed promise when it debutted, guess all good things must come to an end. This channel will be going out of business soon.
I guess ill be watching AMC, TNT & FX. their programming has better shows.
Why trust a network that keeps cancelling it’s shows?
I kinda figured this would happen (earlier comments of mine will bear this out), who cares, anyway I will miss this show.
What bugs the hell out of me is they base this on the age group of.18-39? Lets base it on the people who actually pay the bills. Knock knock, most of those 18-39 arent even watching because they are too busy on their phones. Those ratings are archaic. So instead we get stuck with sucky reality.
Neilson ratings. Takes account of 18-49 year olds in the US. If you are outside that age range and outside the US, you don’t count. A friend just showed me Sharknado. This is what they finance instead of good shows. SyFy is in the toilet.
Younger viewers are considered more attractive for many products, for instance, when was the last time you went to Taco Bell, etc. etc.? So the networks are able to charge more for a commercial spot.
Last time I checked, the broke youth going to taco bell were doing it with the help f parents who actually work and have an income… maybe advertising should target people with real disposable income?
As a Dominion fan, my sympathy to Defiance fans. Something looking very familiar about their “statement”. Sinking ship anyone?
ONCE AGAIN NETWORKS DO WHAT THEY WANT AND NOT WHAT THE VIEWERS WANT.
Hardly. A 0.25, only 1.13 million total viewers and a constant slide in ratings shows most viewers aren’t interested. Why would anyone continue to make a show hardly anyone is watching? TV is a business and this show isn’t bringing in the ad revenue with those awful numbers. And stop shouting.
Hope all shows you watch get cancelled, but if the ratings are bad then you won’t care anyway. People need to shout because TV suck with all these cancelations.