Reminder: 'Defiance' premieres tonight on Syfy

Syfy is certainly promoting the heck out of Defiance; yesterday I saw a city bus plastered with its stars. Tonight the science-fiction drama makes its long-awaited debut. As our own Mike Snider reports, the show has been in the works for several years, particularly because it's the first TV series to launch a companion massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMO). As I mentioned previously, the story takes place in the near future, after seven alien races have arrived on Earth. I've seen the first couple episodes, and though it hasn't completely reeled me in, I think I'll stick with it for several more. Why? For one thing, Defiance fills a serious gap in my TV viewing; no sci-fi show has really appealed to me since Battlestar Galactica bid farewell. Another reason to watch: The cast includes cool women like Julie Benz (Dexter), Jaime Murray (also from Dexter) and Mia Kirshner (The L Word). And don't forget the best part: the aliens! If you're not a gamer (and I'm not), rest assured that you don't have to play the game to follow the show. As Snider notes, though, the game put a few limitations on the series and vice versa; for instance, while flying cars would've been a cool touch to the game, a TV budget won't allow for such extravagant effects, so they had to be nixed. Dang. Defiance's two-hour premiere contains a ton of exposition, and that can be somewhat tiring. And though it takes place in the former St. Louis, its frontier vibe and wry humor can come across as a little Firefly Lite. However, it also has several imaginative touches: In one scene, for example, we witness a sophisticated alien dance. Another highlights an alien rock band. I also couldn't help but notice the intricate alien languages, which were crafted by noted alien language expert David Peterson. (He came up with the Dothraki

 News source: www.usatoday.com

Posted in: Ben Mark Holzberg