Syfy Returns To Defiance For Season 3 And More Alien Action

By Brent McKnight | Published

This article is more than 2 years old

DefianceS2Syfy is making a big push when it comes to producing original content, with a dozen or so shows on in various stages of development, and some new ones, like Z Nation ,already joining the likes of Helix and Continuum on the air. This isn’t entirely new, however, as they dangled their toe back into that pool a while back with Defiance, with good results, and fans of that show don’t need to worry about their favorite program getting lost in the shuffle, as the network has just renewed it for another season.

According to a press release that dropped yesterday, Syfy is giving the action heavy alien drama an order for a 13-episode season 3, which will premiere on the network in 2015. Universal Cable Productions will continue to produce the show—as well as the supernatural thriller Dominion, which was also renewed—and Kevin Murphy will resume his duties as showrunner and executive producer.

Over the course of its second season, Defiance continued to perform well with audiences (along with Dominion, they are the two top cable programs in their time slot, Thursdays from 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm). It’s also one of the more social shows on TV, where viewers are engaged on social media during the episode, which seems like kind of the opposite of what you want (don’t you want people paying attention anymore?), and wasn’t something I knew that networks measured.

Defiance takes place in a near future St. Louis, now named, appropriately enough, Defiance. Seven different alien races arrived on the Earth simultaneously, which led to sudden and drastic changes that permanently alter the face of the planet. With all of new arrivals, this new civilization must learn to co-exist, which isn’t always easy, and there a serious Wild West Frontier vibe to the whole thing as new technology and intrusions alter the flora and fauna of the planet. The main core of the action follows Joshua Nolan (Grant Bowler), a kind of lawman in Defiance, and his adopted alien daughter Irisa (Stephanie Leonidas), but there are many others in the cast, including Julie Benz, Tony Curran, Mia Kirshner, Jamie Murray, and more.

One of the biggest things that makes Defiance unique on the sci-fi landscape is how Syfy teamed up with game developers Trion Worlds to create a massive online game that not only ties in with the series, but the two interact. Both are set in the same world at the same time. Events that transpire on the series show up in the game play, creating a much more collaborative association than ever before.

So keep and eye out for season 3 of Defiance dropping in 2015.