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Defiance

 (7,132)
7.02013X-RayTV-14
In the year 2046, it's a new Earth - with new rules. Over thirty years after various alien races arrived on Earth, the landscape is completely altered, terraformed nearly beyond recognition. To the town of Defiance, on what used to be St. Louis, comes the mysterious Nolan (Grant Bowler) and his charge, Irisa (Stephanie Leonidas).
Starring
Grant BowlerJulie BenzTony Curran
Genres
Science FictionDrama
Subtitles
English [CC]
Audio languages
English
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  1. 1. Defiance Pilot - Part 1 & 2
    April 15 2013
    1 h 25 min
    TV-14
    Subtitles
    English [CC]
    Audio languages
    English
    Set in the near future, Defiance introduces an exotically transformed planet Earth, its landscapes permanently altered following the sudden - and tumultuous - arrival of seven unique alien races.
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  2. 2. Down in the Ground Where the Dead Men Go
    April 14 2013
    44min
    TV-14
    Subtitles
    English [CC]
    Audio languages
    English
    Nolan and Datak clash over an ancient ritual, while the hunt for a killer is on.
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  3. 3. The Devil in the Dark
    April 29 2013
    41min
    TV-14
    Subtitles
    English [CC]
    Audio languages
    English
    Nolan and Irisa track down a murderer who has unleashed a plague of deadly insects on the town.
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  4. 4. A Well Respected Man
    May 6 2013
    43min
    TV-14
    Subtitles
    English [CC]
    Audio languages
    English
    Kenya is abducted in the alien badlands when she sets out to amend the corrupt affairs of Tirra, a troubled NeedWant employee.
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  5. 5. The Serpent's Egg
    May 13 2013
    43min
    TV-14
    Subtitles
    English [CC]
    Audio languages
    English
    Nolan and Amanda face danger outside of town, while Irisa faces her past (and kicks some serious butt).
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  6. 6. Brothers in Arms
    May 20 2013
    43min
    TV-14
    Subtitles
    English [CC]
    Audio languages
    English
    While tracking a criminal, Nolan gets a blast from his past.
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  7. 7. Goodbye Blue Sky
    June 3 2013
    43min
    TV-14
    Subtitles
    English [CC]
    Audio languages
    English
    When the area is hit by a deadly Razor Rain storm, the people of Defiance must run for cover and stay indoors, where they discover truths about themselves and their neighbors.
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  8. 8. I Just Wasn't Made For These Times
    June 10 2013
    43min
    TV-14
    Subtitles
    English [CC]
    Audio languages
    English
    Gordon McClintock, a NASA hero from the pre-Arkfall days who was presumed dead, is discovered to still be alive when he is revived from an induced sleep; his struggles to adjust in the new world rattle the town.
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  9. 9. If I Ever Leave This World Alive
    June 17 2013
    42min
    TV-14
    Subtitles
    English [CC]
    Audio languages
    English
    A deadly plague ravages the town; racial tensions escalate when the Irathients, who are immune to the virus, are quarantined.
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  10. 10. The Bride Wore Black
    June 24 2013
    43min
    TV-14
    Subtitles
    English [CC]
    Audio languages
    English
    The town of Defiance is shocked when the remains of a prominent businessman who disappeared almost six years ago, is discovered hidden in the walls of the NeedWant. Lawkeeper Nolan and his deputy Tommy spearhead an investigation that unearths the secrets of many citizens of Defiance, causing unrest on the eve of Alak and Christie's wedding.
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  11. 11. Past Is Prologue
    July 1 2013
    43min
    TV-14
    Subtitles
    English [CC]
    Audio languages
    English
    Amanda's mayoral campaign is jeopardized when Nolan is involved in an accident just before the election, causing the town to question Amanda's decision to appoint him as Lawkeeper.
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  12. 12. Everything Is Broken
    July 8 2013
    43min
    TV-14
    Subtitles
    English [CC]
    Audio languages
    English
    The citizens of Defiance prepare to cast their votes for mayor, while Nolan is violently confronted with his past and Irisa must decide whether or not to embrace her destiny.
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More details

Supporting actors
Graham GreeneJaime MurrayStephanie LeonidasMia KirshnerFionnula FlanaganMichael Taylor
Season year
2013
Network
Syfy
Content advisory
Alcohol usefoul languagesexual contentviolence
Purchase rights
Stream instantly Details
Format
Prime Video (streaming online video)
Devices
Available to watch on supported devices

Reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars

7132 global ratings

  1. 70% of reviews have 5 stars
  2. 17% of reviews have 4 stars
  3. 7% of reviews have 3 stars
  4. 3% of reviews have 2 stars
  5. 3% of reviews have 1 stars
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Top reviews from the United States

JqReviewed in the United States on September 5, 2020
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sci-Fi Channel did it again... they released another winning show...
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I just came over here to ask one single important question about this entire series: why didn't they just make the Irathians wear gloves if the virus only passed through skin to skin contact? Other than the obvious answer that it would've killed the entire episode, lol.

This is a fantastic show... I wish they hadn't moved it to be paid, but well. I love it enough to buy it, so they are doing something right for their profits! lol

The characters are relatable, there's a good mix of drama and humor, and there are some fantastic strong female leads in this show as well. It's really nice too to watch a bunch of different folks squabble yet still get along at the end of the day considering that's not anything like it is in the real world right now!

There are a few themes through the show that make it a little too adult for little kids, but I think a middle schooler and up would really enjoy it, and there are some great lessons along the way to discuss afterward.

All in all, this is a fantastic rendition of a family sci-fi genre show. Kind of feels a bit Family Robinsonish, with a dash of Star Trek, and you also get a bit of an eerie feeling that the show almost went full steam-punk.
2 people found this helpful
NilsReviewed in the United States on September 23, 2014
4.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting, fun, and well executed SF
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My favorite scene in the first episode is the one in which the lead character, Nolan, and his non-human daughter Irisa are driving along in a wasteland barely recognizable as a future earth. (The earth has been damaged during a prolonged war with aliens, and much of the flora and fauna are no longer recognizable.)

Nolan starts out apologizing about some nonsense with a married woman he didn't know was married... presumably things were hot and heavy with the woman, her husband showed up, and they had to hit the road with little time to pack. His daughter isn't giving him the time of day. He apologizes, promises never to mess 'round with women again, then turns on the equivalent of the future ipod, and puts on the Johnny Cash song, "Jackson," a wonderful, timeless ballad about something men and women have been hassling over for generations. (The song is a duet between Cash and June Carter.)

Nolan starts singing along. Irisa gives him a sidelong glance, starts softening a little, and joins in singing on the second verse. By the end of that verse, enough is forgiven, and they're connected with each other again. We see the love in their relationship, that gets them through things. In about a minute and a half of the first episode, their relationship is laid bare.

All this, without any wasted dialogue or exposition, expressed through glances, a few awkward words, and a song. When I saw this scene within a scene, I knew I'd love the series.

Now, having just finished watching the first season... it was excellent, by and large. The relationships are interesting, particularly Nolan's and his Irisa's.

Some people dislike Defiance, and have been openly critical about it. One criticism is that it resembles Serenity. There is a surface resemblance, but for those who miss Serenity, that's not actually bad. And it's only evident really in the first season.

One newspaper reviewer said the show was incomprehensible. He must have been in a severely altered state when watching it, because I don't think anyone intelligent could watch it without finding it clear and understandable. I suspect he just doesn't like science fiction and can't be bothered to try to get his head around its concepts. No pleasin' reviewers like that.

The partially terraformed earth, built and growing on the ruins of our world, is beautifully realized.

There were a couple of things I didn't like, in the first season. One was the relationship between the human teenager and her alien fiance. It was okay but dragged a bit, and lacked emotional tension, maybe because the girl was written as nicey-nice, endlessly adaptable and forgiving. (Irisa is a far more believable teenager.)

Another thing I didn't care for was the relationship between the mayor's sister, a prostitute, and an alien woman, which moved very quickly from the alien asking her for some sex tips, to seemingly gratuitious excuses to show the two beautiful women in bed. Not having sex, but suggesting it. I have nothing against lesbian relationships, but this one did felt gratuitous and contrived, thrown in to titillate male viewers who swing that way. I'm not objecting to their relationship being lesbian, but I don't like the insertion of sexually provocative scenes that have little to do with the story arc or main characters. I also didn't care for the way their relationship ended, which again stretched credibility. One character meets her end in a way the audience would have seen coming long before; she was portrayed as intelligent, so it's hard to see how she couldn't have seen it coming.

But these are minor gripes. All in all the show is fun, creative and wonderfully imaginative.
27 people found this helpful
Jeffrey D. JosephReviewed in the United States on January 15, 2016
2.0 out of 5 stars
One test of whether something is good is if it maintains your interest
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One test of whether something is good is if it maintains your interest; this series does not. The episodes seem to drag and it immediately launched into soap opera mode, rather than tell individual stories of the terraformed city. So we know there will be conflicts down the road in the 37th episode when someone kills someone else.

The acting is mediocre and the special effects (like the shots through the windshields) are cheesy - derived from a video game.

I am really jonesin' (go ask your Dad) for a good sci-fi series.....you could even bring back Firefly!
27 people found this helpful
sierra8017Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 2016
4.0 out of 5 stars
I love this show
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I love this show. Too bad it is only 3 seasons. Wish it could have been longer, at least 5 seasons. Chupping SYFY! It's definitely Bullshtako!
I read that it was too expensive to keep the series going. It does remind me a bit of Firefly and I also loved that one.
If our planet had aliens and we Co existed with them this is how I would imagine it would be. The characters, even the bad and nasty ones , you can learn to like because of their experiences. The way every one is classified by race is so believable and distinct that you will understand why each one is so different. This was the only show I really loved from this network. Oh Rayetso!!!! Lol
14 people found this helpful
Marc SkinnerReviewed in the United States on June 10, 2014
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Long and Short of It.
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The Long of It.

I have to admit, I love this show! The scripts not as deep as the original Star Trek, and in the 21 century, cable TV affords the viewer a bit more raciness than I'd like for a Sci-Fi hour long show (I only complain, because I can't let my grade school kids watch it.) Otherwise, it's just as creative, and the the characters are just as fun. If I were twelve, I'd swear this was the best show ever made "'Cause there's a video game version of Defiance, too!"

There's plenty room for prequels, sequels and spin-offs.

Defiance is the story of a trigger happy former US soldier turned local sheriff in a post alien invasion Saint Louis. The major premiss that the Earth fought off the invasion to a stalemate is pretty neat. Neither side won, and the alien tribes (of which there are at least four) are stranded here on Earth. Saint Louis has been transformed somewhat by the war. Although the arch is still partially visible, it bears such little resemblance to the Saint Louis we know today, that they call the new city "Defiance." Inter-species resentments and allegiances shift around greatly.

The sheriff (called the "law-keeper") has an adult adopted alien daughter, and some of the humans and aliens are starting to form traditional families. So there's plenty of contemporary blended family issues explored. So basically, if you like the idea of a Dystopic-Western set in a post United States, space invader filled, Midwestern wasteland, then Defiance is for you.

... The Short of It.
Think what would "Gunsmoke", and "Star Trek" would look like if someone put them together as one show after 9/11 and HBO. :)
11 people found this helpful
Michael CastReviewed in the United States on August 12, 2014
5.0 out of 5 stars
SYFY has finally stepped up their game with Defiance.
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Before the series Defiance came along, the SYFY channel had some very lame stuff on. Any original SYFY was B movie material at the very best. Eight legged freaks, Ice Spiders, Sharknado...come on, seriously!? That one was so lame that it was a hit! Fakey computer generated stuff mixed with horrible actors....awful.

But then, I think SYFY decided to get a little bit more serious. Defiance is one of their most notable. Falling skies, is another seriously good series.

In this near futuristic apocalyptic tale, humans and aliens try to live together amongst the ashes of old Seattle; but with a new name... Defiance . All try to live in relative peace. All realizing that in war, no one is ever truly the victor if everyone is dead. They have managed to eck out a fragile system of barter, law, order, and justice.

A human soldier rescues a small alien child that was being tortured by scientists. What they were doing to her is unclear until the end of the first season, but in the meantime as the youngling grows, they become inseparable; a crusty old soldier, and a tiny helpless alien child. He begins teaching her how to survive by scavenging for trade items, how to fight (something that she excels at) and as the years pass they are content if not happy. And the father-daughter bond becomes a powerful thing. Irisa is different. She has been tortured. She trusts no one but the soldier that saved her from the monsters...The terrors that still haunt her in her dreams and visions.Their rootless wandering bring them to Defiance. Defiance needs a new Sheriff. A new Peace maker. Someone who can keep the streets of the budding town of Defiance safe. And justice is fair...And brutal. So is life in Defiance...

Rent this if you didn't catch it on SYFY. The first whole season is free for prime members.
6 people found this helpful
John D. Blakey MDReviewed in the United States on February 20, 2015
4.0 out of 5 stars
A little cheesy but still worth a try
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Although a lot about this show is utterly ridiculous there are some excellent individual performances and some powerful/funny moments that make it worthwhile. The best characters are Day Tak Tar (probably spelling it wrong), a sort of mob boss looking for respectability and his wife, the principal brains behind the operation. The actors that portray these two characters are unbelievably good, and any scene involving the female character and her race's alien bathing ritual is certainly worth a watch. Another character worth watching is the alien adopted daughter of the main character, a human bounty hunter turned law keeper dude for the town of Defiance.

Aside from the individual performances, one thing the show should get credit for is in the effort made to develop alien languages and culture. Some of this is really, really good. I watched Defiance as an Amazon recommendation after watching Falling Skies, which I think is superb. This is really a very different show from that despite a quite similar pretext...not as good, but still worth watching.
5 people found this helpful
Big IVReviewed in the United States on September 15, 2016
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hero Found
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This show feels fresh. It is a post-apocalyptic future with various alien races. The characters have stock attributes but play out a new plot with fun twists.

Sci-Fi/SyFy channel original content can often run the gambit between impressive and painful. This is a well executed, slick looking, fun to watch show as it should be but not as they always offer.

This show had a three season run which can feel short. While assuredly expensive to make this show had potential stories still ready to be told.

To explore the secondary creation further there is also a video game set in the same world.
2 people found this helpful
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