This could turn out to be very good. Then again, it could end up being Grey's Anatomy in space. But I fear that this show, along with Day One on NBC, are not destined to be around more than a season. Or two. The seemingly really interesting programs always get the axe...

Link to a few trailers:
http://abc.go.com/primetime/defyinggravity/



2-hour series premiere event Sunday August 2nd 9/8c
Sundays 10/9c starting August 9th

Four women and four men hurtle through space with nothing to do for six years and eight billion miles, except maybe solve a powerful and awesome mystery. Maybe, just maybe, some of them will even hook up. How cool is that?

Defying Gravity is a sexy, provocative thriller set in the very near future against the backdrop of our solar system, in which the eight astronauts from five countries undertake a mysterious six-year international space mission on the spaceship Antares.

They can't run from karma, however, as their past actions reveal intimate and interconnected relationships that have a strange effect on the present. As the astronauts travel towards Venus, we travel into their past with flashbacks to earlier years from the grueling selection and training process. What could have happened?

Maybe there is something to this fate thing after all.

It looks so incredibly bad. I think I'd even watch Meteor over this garbage.

Ooooooh. Another possible runner up for "Summer's Best It's So Bad It's Almost Good".:p

Wait a minute.... didn't this same basic plotline just flatline with Ron Moore's 'Virtuality' on FOX...?

This sounds very similar, except maybe with a little 'Melrose Place' added in for spice.

This could turn out to be very good. Then again, it could end up being Grey's Anatomy in space.It is deliberately intended to be "Grey's Anatomy in Space". You quoted the promo:Defying Gravity is a sexy, provocative thriller ... intimate and interconnected relationships

My wife and I are looking forward to it.

Wait a minute.... didn't this same basic plotline just flatline with Ron Moore's 'Virtuality' on FOX...?Rather, I believe that the reason why Virtuality was not picked up was because it came from UMC (let's say "NBC"), but meanwhile Fox's production company was producing Defying Gravity which they preferred over Virtuality.

Rather, I believe that the reason why Virtuality was not picked up was because it came from UMC (let's say "NBC"), but meanwhile Fox's production company was producing Defying Gravity which they preferred over Virtuality.

No doubt, bicker. Moore must have known the studio politics and economics of today's TV landscape were working against him on that project. I'll watch this, of course, I'm a sci-fi junkie. :o But based on the description we're reading, I think I would have preferred to see 'Virtuality' get picked up instead of this one. So it goes.

You don't think Virtuality was going to get soapy?

You don't think Virtuality was going to get soapy?

Well, maybe it would have to an extent (BSG had its share of soapy moments), but I have faith in RDM's ability to create a bleak and dismal world full of grim despair and hopelessness. That kind of stuff makes me happy (happy I ain't them). :D

Seriously, I do think 'Virtuality' would have been more, well, serious than this looks to be, more of a "hard" brand of science fiction. I see the genre going in the opposite direction - it's what audiences seem to want - and I lament that. But we'll see.

I'm not in the target demographic for this Disney adventure. :)
I am glad that Hannah Montana has been replaced with Ruby and the Rockits. ;)

Just saw a TV commercial for August about a show called Defying Gravity.

Just going by the commercial the concept seems to involve sending astronauts into space so they can have sex in zero gravity.

Might be a Canadian only show, not sure if it's in HD but probably is.

From ABC.com
2-hour series premiere event Sunday August 2nd 9/8c
Sundays 10/9c starting August 9th

Four women and four men hurtle through space with nothing to do for six years and eight billion miles, except maybe solve a powerful and awesome mystery. Maybe, just maybe, some of them will even hook up. How cool is that?

Defying Gravity is a sexy, provocative thriller set in the very near future against the backdrop of our solar system, in which the eight astronauts from five countries undertake a mysterious six-year international space mission on the spaceship Antares.

They can't run from karma, however, as their past actions reveal intimate and interconnected relationships that have a strange effect on the present. As the astronauts travel towards Venus, we travel into their past with flashbacks to earlier years from the grueling selection and training process. What could have happened?

Maybe there is something to this fate thing after all.

Sounds a lot like Virtuality.

Yup done by the production company of the network that decided not to pick up Virtuality.

Defying Gravity is almost deliberately "Grey's Anatomy in Space". If you like Grey's Anatomy, as we do, and you're tempted to tune in Defying Gravity because of its space setting, then I figure you'll probably enjoy the show. We're looking forward to it.

There's already an active thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1164692)where we've been discussing this show, only 4 days old. Why start another?

Topics merged.

There's already an active thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1164692)where we've been discussing this show, only 4 days old. Why start another?

I did not see the old thread. Should of search I guess.

I saw a test screening of the pilot and few months ago and it seemed pretty interesting to me. Sort of a LOST in space....lots of backstories that needed to be filled in. Not sure if it is great after the first episode, but I am going to give it a chance.

It does have Christina Cox in it. I'm looking forward to seeing her again. She was very hot in the Chronicles of Riddick

http://rpg.justice-knights.com/females/C/c_cox2.jpg

It does have Christina Cox in it. I'm looking forward to seeing her again. She was very hot in the Chronicles of Riddick

http://rpg.justice-knights.com/females/C/c_cox2.jpg

She was also in a Canadian TV series " Blood Ties " that only lasted one season. The DVD is out now. I liked it. Of course it is about Vampires, but it was intellegently done.

I saw a test screening of the pilot and few months ago and it seemed pretty interesting to me. Sort of a LOST in space....lots of backstories that needed to be filled in. Not sure if it is great after the first episode, but I am going to give it a chance.

"LOST in space"? Didn't we already have a series called that? :D:D:D

Oh yeah! "Danger, Will Robinson!" "Oh shut up, you bubble-headed booby!"

I really want to check this out, but I will be very mad with myself if it turns out to be as bad as it looks. I already can't stand Grey's Anatomy, and I ought to know better.

This had me laughing:
Defying Gravity is a sexy, provocative thriller set in the very near future against the backdrop of our solar system

What else were they going to use for a backdrop? Another solar system?

Wow -- it only takes three letters to amuse you? You're remarkably easy to please.

Sony’s F35 high-definition camera system.
35mm depth of field. We had a tremendous amount of visual effects and the F35 is a fantastic digital camera for heavy green screen VFX work.”
“This camera rendered the most attractive flesh tones on our actors, which is an area where most other digital cameras fall short,” he said. “The F35 gave us a beautiful ‘filmic’ look. The shallow depth of field made our actors and sets look fantastic


July 31st, 2009
http://blog.digitalcontentproducer.com/briefingroom/2009/07/31/new-abc-tv-series-%E2%80%9Cdefying-gravity%E2%80%9D-takes-off-with-sony-f35-camera/

Hopefully this won't be a

http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/8195/soapinspace1.jpg

Soap In Space

We're hoping it is.

is this how the "Big Bang" theory started? I'll give it a look for as long as I could stand it.. Is Shatner and Nemoy in it?...:D

Bah. The space science is next to non-existent on this show, might well be on earth and be called As the World Turns. It's just wasting my time.

Did you really expect accurate science in this show?

Not great by any means, but not horrible either as as an ordinary drama. What most people will have a hard time accepting is the fact that they made no attempt at all to present a visualization of what ordinary places on earth would look like 40 years in the future. The bar and motel look like the 1980s. Not to mention the clothes they wear on earth. But again, this is hardly a sci fi show.

If it is to be a series, this show will survive. Why? Because ABC "lowballed" and indeed played the "Grey's" card. I guess that's good for most of the viewing public, but bad for us real sci-fi fans. I watched some and didn't even bother to finish...:(

Did you really expect accurate science in this show?

The show barely had any science in it to be accurate about, it was avoided like the plague.

The show barely had any science in it to be accurate about, it was avoided like the plague.

True but at least it has some potentially supernatural/alien element to it with beta or whatever seems to be affecting the astronauts and mission plans.

There was that whole scene about the rabbit genetics experiment though.

Karma :)

I wonder how RDM feels about getting ripped off (for once.)

If it is to be a series, this show will survive. Why? Because ABC "lowballed" and indeed played the "Grey's" card. I guess that's good for most of the viewing public, but bad for us real sci-fi fans. I watched some and didn't even bother to finish...:(

If that stinking turd called Private Practice can last longer than 13 episodes, this thing will last long too. It seems like another crappy Greys Anatomy type show ABC is going to force on us.

I wasted two seasons of my life on Grey's Anatomy. I'm not even wasting one minute on this POS.

This show was a hell of a lot better than the 2 pieces of crap on NBC ... "Meteor" and "The Storm". The science on "The Storm" was so bad it was laughable ... an total absolute joke!!! Who wrote that piece of garbage? And the graphics were just plain silly ... I laughed every time they fired up those dishes! I really don't know why I wasted my time watching Part 2!

On the other hand, the graphics on "Defying Gravity" looked awesome on my 60" plasma. And at least the science is believable. I will stick with it ... it shows some potential.

As for "Grey's Anatomy", it still is one of my favorite shows on television. On the other hand, one episode of "Private Practice" was too much for me!

The show barely had any science in it to be accurate about, it was avoided like the plague.Excellent news. Can't wait to watch the episodes tonight.

This show was a hell of a lot better than the 2 pieces of crap on NBC ... "Meteor" and "The Storm". The science on "The Storm" was so bad it was laughable ... an total absolute joke!!! Who wrote that piece of garbage? And the graphics were just plain silly ... I laughed every time they fired up those dishes! I really don't know why I wasted my time watching Part 2!

True but those productions set a very low standard for acting, dialog, etc. Although logic wise Defying Gravity comes close to them.

True but at least it has some potentially supernatural/alien element to it with beta or whatever seems to be affecting the astronauts and mission plans.

Yes but I was annoyed how they did not explain how the spaceship works. I know that a lot of sci-fi shows have not done much of that but Defying Gravity had a lot of time to kill and wasted it on personal problems.
As for beta I suspect that was thrown in to use as excuse for having damn goods 'astronauts' that would not get on a space programs long list never mind the short list.

I agree with above poster Wuther about the show not having any science to it.. I stuck with it for 2 hrs... It seemed like you pushed a few buttons and they are off to Mars.. we have our first mystery: Who opened the hatch? :eek:

Pretty good, Defying Gravity earned a Season Pass on the TiVo. But I thought that Virtuality was a better premise and would rather have seen that (or even both).

Speaking of science.... Bailed out on this after <10 mins and jumped to SciChan-HD, which I'd been DVRing. Sci-HD was running three fascinating hours about the big-bang/Cern's collider/Higgs bosons/ etc. -- John

Don't get too attached to this one. The overnights were horrible. Even cheesy, steamy, soapy sci-fi can't seem to find an audience. (And I'd still rather have 'Virtuality'.)

On the other hand, the graphics on "Defying Gravity" looked awesome on my 60" plasma.

It should. That's what a lot of the Heroes artists are doing on their off-season.

Pretty good, Defying Gravity earned a Season Pass on the TiVo. But I thought that Virtuality was a better premise and would rather have seen that (or even both).


Virtuality is not dead yet. It may be on life support though.

we have our first mystery: Who opened the hatch? :eek:
It was an ok show. Not spectacular.

But what made me stop and say, "Oh, for cryin' out loud!" was the tether. Why make it 400 yards long? You notice the guy pulling her in only had a tether of 3 feet.

Virtuality is not dead yet. It may be on life support though.

When this show dies, as the overnights indicate it will barring some miracle comeback, then I'm afraid the premise (which includes 'Virtuality') will die with it. The networks are pretty risk-adverse these days, especially so where science fiction is concerned.

You have to give ABC some credit. It’s character base science fiction, It’s what you get without the big budget eye-catching space battle scene minus ray guns. I think it’s real assertive on that front.

It’s totally dependent on it’s actors and writers pulling it off. The writing and it delivery has to be BSG quality. I don’t know if it could work on a network, but it worth it to give them some rope, not 400 feet of it with no motorized wrench, they need to think thru with some science!

As for beta I suspect that was thrown in to use as excuse for having damn goods 'astronauts' that would not get on a space programs long list never mind the short list.

Made a typo, should of read "damage goods".

You have to give ABC some credit. It’s character base science fiction, It’s what you get without the big budget eye-catching space battle scene minus ray guns. I think it’s real assertive on that front.

I can think of a lot of sci-fi movies that had no space battles or ray guns, like 2001, 12 Monkeys, Alien, Silent Running, etc.

but it worth it to give them some rope, not 400 feet of it with no motorized wrench, they need to think thru with some science!

So I am not the only one wondering why this spaceship with fancy furniture had a really long tether with no wrench?

When this show dies, as the overnights indicate it will barring some miracle comeback, then I'm afraid the premise (which includes 'Virtuality') will die with it. The networks are pretty risk-adverse these days, especially so where science fiction is concerned.

ABC's new 'Defying Gravity' doesn't
Averages a 1.1 in adults 18-49 for its premiere [/SIZE][/FONT]

Yikes! Any bets on whether the 2nd episode is even broadcast? :D

Maybe it would have helped if they hadn't "enticed" potential viewers with their "from the creators/writers who brought you Grey's Anatomy!" line. :p

Just going by the commercial the concept seems to involve sending astronauts into space so they can have sex in zero gravity.



I don't know why it amuses me so much, but I keep laughing at this line. :D

I don't know why it amuses me so much, but I keep laughing at this line. :D

In the show's preview of the other episodes, sure enough they are having more sex.

As we all know astronauts cannot keep their hands off each other once they are in space. It's like cosmic rays go straight to their pants.

I suspect beta is somekind of alien pervert and likes to watch.

Remember Daisy Adair?

People are missing the point with the tether. It wouldn't have made a difference if they had used a motorized winch instead of reeling her in by hand. Because in either case she should have died when the tether was stretched to its limit, because the sudden stop should have generated enough g-force to scramble her brain. (If they made the tether elastic enough to prevent a sudden stop, like a bungee cord, then she would have rebounded and gone bouncing all over the place.)

True, but this shows is mostly about 'Sex in Space', not science or physics....

Thanks for the "reviews" guys. Since I still watch "Grey's," and admit to enjoying it, I think that I will watch my recording based on your posts. It sounds like a good chick flick. Sorry it is a disappointment for all of you, but it, since "Grey's" and "Private Practice" are on hiatus, I welcome it.

People are missing the point with the tether. It wouldn't have made a difference if they had used a motorized winch instead of reeling her in by hand. Because in either case she should have died when the tether was stretched to its limit, because the sudden stop should have generated enough g-force to scramble her brain. (If they made the tether elastic enough to prevent a sudden stop, like a bungee cord, then she would have rebounded and gone bouncing all over the place.)

wasnt the tether made just for this purpose? SO it was designed to kill the astronauts?

I was surprised that I enjoyed the pilot as much as I did. I found it interesting and well acted. It is a pity that most things sci fi related don't get any extra rope, so I am not happy that I probably won't get to enjoy many more of these. I really wish SyFy or some other cable channels would pick up some of these shows if/when they falter on the networks ....:(

I couldn't make it through the second episode. I noticed right off the "bat" that they made a point of explaining how they handle weightlessness with the nanites in the spacesuit routine, and then to make sure we got this concept they show the tomato floating across the room. Later on, Donner (Ron Livingston) tosses a baseball up in the air and it comes right back down to his hands. As Tom Hanks might say, "There's no nanites in baseball!" Baseball concept inspired by Sisko and Archer from Star Trek.

Well, I watched the rest of episode 2. I think the visuals are terrific, but the storylines are just way too soapy. Hearing the baby's cry, pod 4, buddhist faith stuff, wtf?

wasnt the tether made just for this purpose? SO it was designed to kill the astronauts?

It wasn't made for the purpose of stopping astronauts shooting off at high speed, only to stop them from slowly drifting away.

It wasn't made for the purpose of stopping astronauts shooting off at high speed, only to stop them from slowly drifting away.

It wasn't made for the purpose of stopping astronauts shooting off at high speed, but the audience shooting off at high speed. She didn't actually move at all. Didn't anyone catch her mouth, "hey, get back here".

:)

Since my wife and I watched both episodes, I feel like I have to add that we seem to be another home that watched the whole thing, not because it was great, but because there just seemed to be "something" that held our attention. It wasn't great, and it wasn't annoying boring/bad/poorly executed in an obvious way - it was just .. there. Also, not being Grey's Anatomy fans, the connection there meant nothing to us, other than perhaps a reason to turn it OFF. Being a fan of bad movies in general, this wasn't really bad enough to fit into that category either, so, in the long run, it will probably be forgotten.

Still, I couldn't help but think during the whole thing that this had come about as a response to the unfortunate press that NASA and its astronauts have received in recent years in regards to more personal/private aspects of their lives. Was I the only one who couldn't help but think back to the "astrodiapers" reference in CHUCK?

, buddhist faith stuff, wtf?

Hinduism, actually. :)

Actually both....

Ajay Sharma is Hindu, Ted Shaw is a Buddhist.

Actually both....

Ajay Sharma is Hindu, Ted Shaw is a Buddhist.

Which one was Shaw ... the replacement C.O.?

I couldn't make it through the second episode. I noticed right off the "bat" that they made a point of explaining how they handle weightlessness with the nanites in the spacesuit routine, and then to make sure we got this concept they show the tomato floating across the room. Later on, Donner (Ron Livingston) tosses a baseball up in the air and it comes right back down to his hands. As Tom Hanks might say, "There's no nanites in baseball!" Baseball concept inspired by Sisko and Archer from Star Trek.

Why are people always so critical of the science aspects of sci-fi shows? This is television - it isn't real. For some reason, people expect the science on Sci-Fi shows to be 'realistic', and yet, nobody complains about the silliness in all of the other popular shows: ie.

Using a 0.7 MP image from a cell phone and zooming in to someone's eyeball and capturing the face of the killer (CSI)

District Attorneys going from arrest to trial in a couple of days rather than months for a major homicide. Also, these DA's seem to run 22 major homicide trials in one year, as opposed to the actual 1 or 2 (Law & Orders)

Female cops that weigh a buck-ten soaking wet. No way they could pass the rigorous physical entrance tests (every cop show)

Investigators that get DNA analysis results from crime labs in minutes, instead of days (every cop show)

The FBI having a hiring policy whereby all females must be verging on supermodel good looks (every show with FBI female agents)

Female cops and agents allowed to wear 4 inch stilletos while on duty (CSI Miami, most CBS shows).

The list is endless. Why pick on sci-fi? :cool:

Even Battlestar Galactica, which was pretty good sci-fi by most standards, never tried to explain the gravity on the ships.

To be fair, I personally despise every one of those investigative/criminal/lawyer shows ; there's just too many of them on...:mad:

Which one was Shaw ... the replacement C.O.?

Yep....

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0948272/

This program already have my award for "worst new show in 2009". I couldn't get past ten minutes of the first episode - it was truly awful.

The worst part is that junk like this gets to air when shows such as Firefly and Journeyman are axed.

To be fair, I personally despise every one of those investigative/criminal/lawyer shows ; there's just too many of them on...:mad:So it is their quantity that you don't like. That's puzzling.

It wasn't made for the purpose of stopping astronauts shooting off at high speed, only to stop them from slowly drifting away.

I wouldnt know since I didnt design it. But If I did that senario would be one of the senarios I would design for. Do you know how fast she was traveling? I mean since you have made a medical diagnoses already?

Actually both....

Ajay Sharma is Hindu, Ted Shaw is a Buddhist.

Yeah, I was referring to Shaw. I liked AJ - he should have stayed. And the geeky physicist guy reminds me of the dude on Reaper.

I wouldnt know since I didnt design it. But If I did that senario would be one of the senarios I would design for. Do you know how fast she was traveling? I mean since you have made a medical diagnoses already?

I admit to being wrong about the tether. I don't know how it was designed. I made too many assumptions.

Why are people always so critical of the science aspects of sci-fi shows? This is television - it isn't real. For some reason, people expect the science on Sci-Fi shows to be 'realistic', and yet, nobody complains about the silliness in all of the other popular shows: ie.

Using a 0.7 MP image from a cell phone and zooming in to someone's eyeball and capturing the face of the killer (CSI)

District Attorneys going from arrest to trial in a couple of days rather than months for a major homicide. Also, these DA's seem to run 22 major homicide trials in one year, as opposed to the actual 1 or 2 (Law & Orders)

Female cops that weigh a buck-ten soaking wet. No way they could pass the rigorous physical entrance tests (every cop show)

Investigators that get DNA analysis results from crime labs in minutes, instead of days (every cop show)

The FBI having a hiring policy whereby all females must be verging on supermodel good looks (every show with FBI female agents)

Female cops and agents allowed to wear 4 inch stilletos while on duty (CSI Miami, most CBS shows).

The list is endless. Why pick on sci-fi? :cool:

Even Battlestar Galactica, which was pretty good sci-fi by most standards, never tried to explain the gravity on the ships.

I understand that certain elements of belief must be suspended to forward the story. And I will give in to the fact that this show is better than recent productions such as The Storm and Meteor. However, don't define something in a show and then blatantly blow it up a few scenes later. Other shows, while having the issues you refer to, are at least consistent in their presentation.

It just seems that the focus of the show is unclear. Is it sci-fi? Is it religious debate? Is it Grey's Anatomy in space? Whatever it is, it needs to map a direction and go.

And what's wrong with stilettos? :p

It just seems that the focus of the show is unclear.Not even a little bit. The focus of the show was very clearly outlined. It is just that a lot of people refused to grant, acknowledge, internalize or accept what the network said: "a sexy, provocative space thriller".

How the hell are so many people missing the potential of this show? They are going to visit 7 planets (which would be ALL of them, now that Pluto has been demoted), and since the ship clearly includes an aeroshield, they are most likely planning to do some very exciting aerocapture routines to get into orbit of at least one or more of the planets. Several episodes each season can be taking place while in orbit of REAL planets in OUR SOLAR SYSTEM! They were very careful to describe the surface conditions on Venus correctly, so it appears they intend to be accurate in their depictions of the planets. So many people have virtually NO UNDERSTANDING of our own solar system, and this show can put that information out to people in a nicely entertaining easily digestible manner. They tried hard in that first two hours, hard enough that I was willing to give them a pass on the gravity inducing nanites. This show could really be worthwhile if it got a chance. Beats the living crap out of EVERY BRAINLESS REALITY SHOW on TV today!

I was very worried about this because for the first hour the background music TOTALLY overpowered the dialogue, it seemed to be fine the second hour tho.

I'm reserving judgement on the show itself until I've seen a season, or I feel it is completely worthless (which is relatively rare).

Kudos to iontyre for finding the silver lining in Venus' clouds (if you'll pardon the pun). It's quite an interesting take on the show, and the potential for education that it presents. Do you really suppose it was one of their intentions?

(all of this is, of course, totally contrary to the sort of thing that the great viewing public appears to be supportive of now, but hey, they can TRY...)

Not great by any means, but not horrible either as as an ordinary drama. What most people will have a hard time accepting is the fact that they made no attempt at all to present a visualization of what ordinary places on earth would look like 40 years in the future. The bar and motel look like the 1980s. Not to mention the clothes they wear on earth. But again, this is hardly a sci fi show.

I'm not defending this show, because I thought it was extremely mediocre. But one thing I DID like was the fact that they didn't make everything look super futuristic on Earth. Buildings last longer than 40 years. Most structures built in 1980 will still exist in 2050. Not everything will look like futuristic bubbles 40 years from now and not everybody will be wearing quazi-futuristic pajamas all day long.

How the hell are so many people missing the potential of this show? They are going to visit 7 planets (which would be ALL of them, now that Pluto has been demoted), and since the ship clearly includes an aeroshield, they are most likely planning to do some very exciting aerocapture routines to get into orbit of at least one or more of the planets. Several episodes each season can be taking place while in orbit of REAL planets in OUR SOLAR SYSTEM! They were very careful to describe the surface conditions on Venus correctly, so it appears they intend to be accurate in their depictions of the planets. So many people have virtually NO UNDERSTANDING of our own solar system, and this show can put that information out to people in a nicely entertaining easily digestible manner. They tried hard in that first two hours, hard enough that I was willing to give them a pass on the gravity inducing nanites. This show could really be worthwhile if it got a chance. Beats the living crap out of EVERY BRAINLESS REALITY SHOW on TV today!

I agree about the reality shows. Can't stand 'em.

Not even a little bit. The focus of the show was very clearly outlined. It is just that a lot of people refused to grant, acknowledge, internalize or accept what the network said: "a sexy, provocative space thriller".Thus far, it's neither sexy or thrilling.

Thus far, it's neither sexy or thrilling.When do you plan on watching the first episode? :rolleyes:

I couldn't make it through the second episode. I noticed right off the "bat" that they made a point of explaining how they handle weightlessness with the nanites in the spacesuit routine, and then to make sure we got this concept they show the tomato floating across the room. Later on, Donner (Ron Livingston) tosses a baseball up in the air and it comes right back down to his hands. As Tom Hanks might say, "There's no nanites in baseball!" Baseball concept inspired by Sisko and Archer from Star Trek.

I noticed the baseball too...I was like "WTF???!!!!"--but then I thought maybe the crew quarters are in the part that rotates to simulate gravity?

I noticed the baseball too...I was like "WTF???!!!!"--but then I thought maybe the crew quarters are in the part that rotates to simulate gravity?

Well, that makes sense. Good point.

I like science fiction, but, really, this show isn't very good, at least so far. I guess it is "on probation" for now. The DVR can record it and I'll FF through it if I have time. If a DVR conflict develops, it's toast.

If they cancel it, eh, no biggie.

When do you plan on watching the first episode? :rolleyes:I had high hopes for this initially, but they sank like the Titanic....:rolleyes:

I had high hopes for this initially, but they sank like the Titanic....:rolleyes:

The creator has already mapped out the show for a 3 season run and knows exactly how it ends. The sad part is that baring some ratings miracle, there's no chance that this show will get beyond the already booked 13 eps, if it even airs that many.

Being that it's a 4 country production, Canada/UK/Germany and the US, there might be a slim chance the other partners may finish it and air it in their respective countries in it's entirety. I wouldn't hold my breath though.

What somewhat amazes me is that a major US network would even consider trying this at all given the track record of serialized sci-fi styles shows in the recent past. And to call it a Grey's Anatomy in space? Isn't there already plenty of science fiction going on in Grey's already, what with Meredith coming back from the dead and the whole Denny ghost thing? :D

I'm liking it, and I really surprised about that. :)

And to call it a Grey's Anatomy in space? Isn't there already plenty of science fiction going on in Grey's already, what with Meredith coming back from the dead and the whole Denny ghost thing? :DShows you're a bigger fan of G.A. than myself; I never knew the name of Izzy's friend, just that he had a bad heart and left her a bunch of money when he passed....

Shows you're a bigger fan of G.A. than myself; I never knew the name of Izzy's friend, just that he had a bad heart and left her a bunch of money when he passed....

The DVR is still set to record it, and I'll watch it when I've gone through everything else. :)

People are missing the point with the tether. It wouldn't have made a difference if they had used a motorized winch instead of reeling her in by hand. Because in either case she should have died when the tether was stretched to its limit, because the sudden stop should have generated enough g-force to scramble her brain. (If they made the tether elastic enough to prevent a sudden stop, like a bungee cord, then she would have rebounded and gone bouncing all over the place.)

I'm a little late watching the episode, but she was only moving at the (relative) speed that air pressure pushed her out; not the travel velocity of the ship. (not much worse than throwing a wrench off the space station.

I am really tired of the voice-over narrative already and the grade school documentary bits are driving me nuts. Other than that, it's just moving a little slow. Maybe they were planning on presenting the show in real-time over 6 years.

I m enjoying the show...& infact cant wait to see the next ep. What is in the pod...that take them to Mars?

What is in the pod...that take them to Mars?

"Beta."

People are missing the point with the tether. It wouldn't have made a difference if they had used a motorized winch instead of reeling her in by hand. Because in either case she should have died when the tether was stretched to its limit, because the sudden stop should have generated enough g-force to scramble her brain. (If they made the tether elastic enough to prevent a sudden stop, like a bungee cord, then she would have rebounded and gone bouncing all over the place.)

That was indeed one of the major things wrong with the tether. Because there was a lot of it., it would have had some "bounce," enough that she would not have been kept taught. She would rebounded in some direction, dead or alive.

Not only that, all he had to do was pull on the tether and she would have kept moving without any other necessary force. The tether would have automatically wound back up. He just would have had to make sure she didn't slam into the side of the ship. :D

All kinds of science laws were broken with the tether scene.

I noticed the baseball too...I was like "WTF???!!!!"--but then I thought maybe the crew quarters are in the part that rotates to simulate gravity?

The baseball stood out like a sore thumb to me as well. The crew quarters are not in those rotating sections.

I'm surprised that no one noticed, or at least post about it, that the communication delay doesn't exist.

I never knew that they developed sub-space communication. Oh wait, that was a different series :D

I fully understand the reason for not trying to write scripts that have to deal with the communication delay, being that far away and getting farther away.

But still, just plain bad science.

My wife and I are still loving this show. She feels it is one of the better shows we're watching these days. Great stuff.

The baseball stood out like a sore thumb to me as well. The crew quarters are not in those rotating sections.

And you know this how?

It seems to me the general work areas are not in the rotating arms but the crew quarters are.
Notice the vomit in zero g and then right into the waste basket in the crew quarters?

The show is a sexy provocative space thriller, and I'm good with that. I don't mind the science sucks. I almost turned it off in the first half hour but I'm now very glad I did not as I got into it.

I'm starting to like the way they handle the flashbacks, sort of like a miniature version of the Lost back stories.

Defying Gravity will certainly be on my watch list and I'm not entirely sure why so many folks here seemed to hate it. It has potential.

But I'm a sci fi (if not syfy) fan and have also thought Christina Cox was incredibly hot since I used to follow her in the Blood Ties series.

Yesterday I couldn't place who the very cute Daisy Adair was and had to do a bit of lookup for her on Google/IMDB. This in turn led me to the news they recently made a Dead Like Me movie (loved that series) so I was fairly pleased with the whole affair.

- Tom

I gave up near the end of episode 1. I have little interest in a space soap based on a NASA mission with uninteresting, unattractive, horny, misfits.

Defying Gravity will certainly be on my watch list and I'm not entirely sure why so many folks here seemed to hate it. It has potential.



Well, some of us are disappointed that a much better effort at similar subject matter, FOX's 'Virtuality', never got past the pilot stage. But this one did. It might have potential but 'Virtuality' had much more IMO, and at least seemed to have more respect for real science as others have mentioned. A more talented creative team as well.

Anyway, it's a moot point. Based on the negligible ratings, DG won't go much further. Doesn't give me any pleasure to say it, as sci-fi is so poorly represented on the small screen.

People keep forgetting that the show is showing science of future. so complaints abt instant communication, gravity inside the ship, etc r things we dont know if it can be done in the future.

As someone mentioned....we dont see faults in so many cops based shows. But in any Sci-fi show we niptuck for everything.

IMO...its one of the better shows on ABC ATM..or on any broadcast channel

As someone mentioned....we dont see faults in so many cops based shows. But in any Sci-fi show we niptuck for everything.

LOL ... I guess some people just like to show off how smart they (think they) are. :)

OTOH, I tried watching some of "Known Universe" on NatGeo last night and was shocked at how much they watered down the science for public consumption. Then again, in the age when some people take the "Creation Museum" seriously, perhaps that's a requirement. ;)

Well, some of us are disappointed that a much better effort at similar subject matter, FOX's 'Virtuality', never got past the pilot stage."Much better" is subjective. I enjoyed both the same -- no significant difference between the two AFAIC.

I'm surprised that no one noticed, or at least post about it, that the communication delay doesn't exist.

I never knew that they developed sub-space communication. Oh wait, that was a different series :D

I fully understand the reason for not trying to write scripts that have to deal with the communication delay, being that far away and getting farther away.

But still, just plain bad science.I noticed it but this program, just like Impact, Meteor, Storm, etc. is so full of errors that it would take all day to list them all.

Can someone explain to me what the scenes in the bar about erections was all about as I missed the few minutes where the initial challenge was made and what the rules were.

They were wearing a patch that suppressed hormonal response, and the challenge was to see if any of the men were manly enough to overcome the drug evidenced by supporting an erection.

Was looking forward to this, but good Lord, it was mind-numbingly bad.

OMFG, a multi-billion dollar spaceship and there is inadequate insulation on three (yes, three) (supposedly redandant) "busses" and QC was so bad no-one spotted it or found that wrench before launch? Plus, it took until now, halfway to Venus, for it to short stuff out? Totally lame! Btw, triple redundancy would be inadequate for a spaceship. IIRC, even Boeing 747s had quad redundancy. You also wouldn't put redundant "busses" next to each other (just in case a stray wrench shorts them out!).

Oh, and if it was so cold in that guy's room that lost gravity why not drag your sorry ass along to somewhere warmer?

Plus, that spaceship has way too many "glitches" (their pet word used way too often). I hope that 50 years from now we can build glitch-free spaceships with real redundancy.

And the list goes on.

My wife and I enjoyed this week's episode quite a lot. Amazing how entertaining something can be if you're watching it for its entertainment value. :)

My wife and I enjoyed this week's episode quite a lot. Amazing how entertaining something can be if you're watching it for its entertainment value. :)

Really enjoyed this week episode myself also. I watch the show for entertainment....& it do that job completly. For reality based show...maybe I tune to TruTV

I've been surprised - because I'd agree the science isn't the best - but I am really enjoying the show; I definitely find myself wanting to see more at the end of each episode. I hope that we're able to see the entire run, and that there is some conclusion at the end of the season, since I'll be amazed if it gets a second season.

Well lets just hope they don't introduce a race of religious robots ala BSG. This is science fiction is it not? I am amazed how many of you will dress up like trekkies and accept teleportation but will nitpick a communications delay and a retrievial cable that doesnt work like you think it should.

Okay, so who here dresses up like a trekkie? C'mon, fess up; vurbano knows you're out there. :p

Mrs. Skippy and I both remarked how we enjoyed this episode the best so far. It's still 'Grey's Anatomy In Space', but the Martian intelligence/entity mystery has elevated it to the "interesting" level for us. The ratings mean it's dead-spaceman-walking of course, but I hope we get some resolution to the mystery before it "passes beyond the rim".

I'm loving this show but I didn't understand the bearded fat-guy hiding in the corner of his pod. Is he scared to float?

I'm loving this show but I didn't understand the bearded fat-guy hiding in the corner of his pod. Is he scared to float?
He's totally unsuited for space travel. He was included because Beta apparently insisted.

I'm watching for the science fiction aspect but it's moving way too slow. At this rate it could take 12 years in TV time for their 6 year mission. I'm guessing that they are hoping that SciFi viewers will put up with the boring interpersonal relationships and Soap Opera fans will just ignore the SciFi features.

I'm guessing they're hoping that viewers who like space-based drama will enjoy the interesting interpersonal relationships and ignore the boring science-oriented tedium. That dichotomy you highlighted though (interest in interpersonal relationships versus interest in science aspects) really does put a fine line on who will and will not like science fiction presented on television. In print, there is enough of each to satisfy everyone, but there are far more books made available each year than television programs.

He's totally unsuited for space travel. He was included because Beta apparently insisted.

Really? I didn't get that, but it's plausible I suppose. I thought he was there because he's some kind of computer genius that the mission couldn't do without.

I'm guessing that they are hoping that SciFi viewers will put up with the boring interpersonal relationships and Soap Opera fans will just ignore the SciFi features.

I guess that's what you get when you design a show by multi-national committee to spread out the costs. Looks like they wanted to create a hybrid that would appeal to the most people and thus have the greatest chance of success. Women typically don't care for hard sci-fi, so we'll give them the suds. We'll have lots of cool CGI to rope in the fan-boys. And we'll have an overarching mystery to pull in the people who like that sort of thing. Throw in just enough hard sci-fi to appeal to fans of the genre. Stir well and voilà! Trouble was, ABC didn't appear to have much confidence that a mass audience would like the soup, so they saved it for a "weekend special".

When was the last time a broadcast network achieved Top 20 Nielsen ratings success with anything spaced-based? (serious question; not rhetorical)

When was the last time a broadcast network achieved Top 20 Nielsen ratings success with anything spaced-based? (serious question; not rhetorical)

July 20, 1969. ;)

The Beta is very interesting aspect of this show. Its like choosing which people to be onboard.....but it is also playing some sort of game with others on board also...with crying baby noise & fighting flashback......plus dead astronost....all seem very intresting.

The fat dude...I think was acting like moron...willing to die but not willing to move....& also quite annoying. Cant wait for the next week episode.

ABC can hopefully move it to a better time slot for better rating. surely hope that they dont cancel this show. I m watching less broadcast shows...because of their tendency to cancel shows & leave things hanging. Hope ABC can keep it going

I'm prepared for cancellation. As soon as someone answers my question, above ("When was the last time a broadcast network achieved Top 20 Nielsen ratings success with anything spaced-based?"), that will only raise the inevitable next question ("When was the last time a broadcast network achieved Top 20 Nielsen ratings success with anything spaced-based, that premiered over the summer?")

Your question was answered

#118

So it is pretty unreasonable, then, that folks expect broadcasters to expend a lot of resources staging space-based dramas, given that viewers don't do their part.

I'm prepared for cancellation. As soon as someone answers my question, above ("When was the last time a broadcast network achieved Top 20 Nielsen ratings success with anything spaced-based?"), that will only raise the inevitable next question ("When was the last time a broadcast network achieved Top 20 Nielsen ratings success with anything spaced-based, that premiered over the summer?")

Wasn't 'Star Trek - The Next Generation' a top show when it premiered? I know it was syndicated by Paramount on their UPN network, which made it a broadcast show, but I seem to remember it drew a pretty big audience at the time. Of course, that was in a pre-500 channel world as well.

Wasn't 'Star Trek - The Next Generation' a top show when it premiered? I know it was syndicated by Paramount on their UPN network, which made it a broadcast show, but I seem to remember it drew a pretty big audience at the time. Of course, that was in a pre-500 channel world as well.

Actually it was a syndicated program, not on any network. ST:Voyager was the first one owned by UPN.

Indeed, and at its height TNG pulled in 11.5 million. And as Skip pointed out, that was back in the pre-500 channel world. Even today, in the 500 channel world, the #20 television series pulls in an audience of 12.6 million.

But 11.5 million would be huge for a sci-fi program today, eh? If you don't count LOST, no sci-fi show since ST:TNG has drawn anywhere near that number. Don't recall what 'Firefly' got, but it wasn't enough to survive. For as much acclaim as BSG got, I don't think it ever drew more than 2.5-3 million.

It's worth noting that the last scheduled broadcast for the show is 9/13, which is only the 8th of 13 episodes. ABC is airing Brothers and Sisters in the time slot starting 9/27. If they show the remaining 5 episodes at all, the best we can probably hope for is a Saturday evening burn-off. It's pretty obvious that by starting it so late in the summer they were never really committed to airing all the episodes anyway and setting it up for failure, at least IMHO.

But 11.5 million would be huge for a sci-fi program today, eh? If you don't count LOST, no sci-fi show since ST:TNG has drawn anywhere near that number. Don't recall what 'Firefly' got, but it wasn't enough to survive. For as much acclaim as BSG got, I don't think it ever drew more than 2.5-3 million.

Heroes was getting 14-17 million in it's prime during the first season and second season opener.

Heroes is not "space-based".

Heroes is not "space-based".

Yes, and as a superhero fantasy, it's not what I would really consider "science fiction" at all.

Yes, and as a superhero fantasy, it's not what I would really consider "science fiction" at all.

If you bring Lost up in the conversation, you have to bring up Heroes. Heroes is more SF than Lost is.

You're correct: Neither show is relevant to the question I asked.

Defying Gravity suffers from being space-based.

Defying Gravity suffers from being space-based.

IMO....I watch it because its space based...& I also find it entertaining. Hoping ABC contine the season & order the next one

IMO....I watch it because its space based...& I also find it entertaining. Hoping ABC contine the season & order the next oneMe too, on all accounts. My statement didn't mean to imply anything different... Defying Gravity suffers from being space-based, from a ratings and longevity perspective, not from the standpoint of being entertaining and enjoyable.

Me too, on all accounts. My statement didn't mean to imply anything different... Defying Gravity suffers from being space-based, from a ratings and longevity perspective, not from the standpoint of being entertaining and enjoyable.

That's very true. Funny how space exploration has completely fallen off the radar for most Americans. It's been over 30 years since the public's imagination was fired up by moon landings. A show like this, even dumbed down as it is, could have succeeded then. But now? Our primary space vehicle since those halcyon days is a souped up Ryder truck ferrying supplies to a low orbiting space station that appears to have no real purpose other than as a black hole in NASA's budget and a visual aid for international diplomacy. No wonder shows like this and the similar but more challenging 'Virtuality' get no respect; nobody cares anymore. Sad.

What about "V" when it first started airing? But that was 30(?) years ago.

Not sure that "V" would be considered space-based (my memory is foggy but wasn't it mostly Earth-based?) Regardless, it never was successful, canceled after 19 episodes once it became a series.

Not sure that "V" would be considered space-based (my memory is foggy but wasn't it mostly Earth-based?) Regardless, it never was successful, canceled after 19 episodes once it became a series.

Right you are on all counts. Previous failure notwithstanding, 'V' "the remake" returns to the small screen this winter starring, among others, 'Firefly's' Alan Tudek and stunning Morena Baccarin, 'The 4400's' Joel Gretch, and LOST's lovely Juliet, Elizabeth Mitchell. You know rodents will be swallowed.

It's worth noting that the last scheduled broadcast for the show is 9/13, which is only the 8th of 13 episodes. ABC is airing Brothers and Sisters in the time slot starting 9/27. If they show the remaining 5 episodes at all, the best we can probably hope for is a Saturday evening burn-off. It's pretty obvious that by starting it so late in the summer they were never really committed to airing all the episodes anyway and setting it up for failure, at least IMHO.
Indeed, this is basically summer schedule filler, if ABC was really behind this show it wouldn't be airing in this summer slot. As I noted in an earlier post, the creator already has 3 seasons and an ending already mapped out, what's sad is that we'll likely never see it. I wouldn't mind seeing how it ends, I have some ideas who/what "Beta" is, maybe he'll post the story in a blog or something.

BTW, anyone for "Journeyman 2.0"? :)

http://www.thewrap.com/article/exclusive-abc-lands-time-travelers-wife-series_5273

Indeed, this is basically summer schedule filler, if ABC was really behind this show it wouldn't be airing in this summer slot. As I noted in an earlier post, the creator already has 3 seasons and an ending already mapped out, what's sad is that we'll likely never see it. I wouldn't mind seeing how it ends, I have some ideas who/what "Beta" is, maybe he'll post the story in a blog or something.



This is what pisses me off broadcast channels & keep me off watching shows there. They mostly cancel shows even when the season havent finished.

As noted in ur comment, ABC by starting this so late & then also late night on Sunday...was setting it up for failure. That u ABC....ur behavior made me realise that I will not watch most of ur new series this season maybe except Flash forward.

Hoping that some cable network can pick it up & continue to series.

It's worth noting that the last scheduled broadcast for the show is 9/13, which is only the 8th of 13 episodes. ABC is airing Brothers and Sisters in the time slot starting 9/27. If they show the remaining 5 episodes at all, the best we can probably hope for is a Saturday evening burn-off. It's pretty obvious that by starting it so late in the summer they were never really committed to airing all the episodes anyway and setting it up for failure, at least IMHO.

Any idea if they if fact produced all 13? All of 'em "in the can" somewhere? If so, then I guess it's going to be DVD-required to see the whole thing.

If you bring Lost up in the conversation, you have to bring up Heroes.Vision, how dare you mention these two in the same sentence!? :mad:

Any idea if they if fact produced all 13? All of 'em "in the can" somewhere? If so, then I guess it's going to be DVD-required to see the whole thing.

I believe all the ordered eps were produced, which was 13, but those 13 don't complete the story. As I noted above, the creator has a 3 season run outlined, it's highly unlikely the "ending" will be contained in these 13 eps. Some have noted that it seems to be moving slowly, well, that's by design as it was expected to go 30+ episodes.

It's a 4 country collaboration, but given it's tanking badly in the US, I would guess that's it's highly unlikely the other members will complete it for airing in their respective countries(Canada, UK, Germany).

This should have been a mini-series style presentation in my opinion, but then the big dollars for the production probably wouldn't be there, it has a wonderful look about it, but a short run mini-series may not provide the back-end revenue to make it worthwhile.

You really do have to wonder why they even bother sometimes(speaking of the network, ABC in this case). Of course, the current eps are filling a spot in the schedule.

As noted in ur comment, ABC by starting this so late & then also late night on Sunday...was setting it up for failure.You're ascribing emotional perspectives to an entity (television network) that operates solely on rational logic. The is just simple math to them. This show ended up in the timeslot it ended up with because it wasn't deemed worth bumping something else out of a better timeslot.

That u ABC....ur behavior made me realise that I will not watch most of ur new series this season maybe except Flash forward.I've made an observation based on the past few years: Generally -- again presumably based on rational logic, not emotion -- networks will give series that they own more of a chance than they'll give series that they're paying someone else for. There is no reason to continue the bleeding longer than necessary to have a strong foundation for concluding that the series will fail.

Based on that, there is cause for concern for dramas this fall on ABC, specifically. Of the five big broadcast networks (counting CW as being owned by CBS and WB), all of the new dramas this fall are owned by the network that they're being broadcast on except the three new series on ABC (which coincidentally are all owned by WB).

Hoping that some cable network can pick it up & continue to series.I wouldn't count on it. Way too expensive I suspect.

^^^All good points. ABC is apparently investing a lot in 'Flash Forward', a heavily serialized drama in the LOST mode. The TV critics seem to think it has a shot at success. But if that one fails, it's curtains folks. We'll never see another LOST, much less another 'Defying Gravity'. Not when cheap reality shows can fill those schedule slots and draw millions of glazed eyeballs.

On the one hand, it's sort of a relief that there is less of interest (to our household, anyway) coming up to watch this fall. On the other hand, this is, of course, due to there being even more reality TV than ever. Anyone who intends to view something LIKE DG is probably out of luck now, and getting unluckier...

On the one hand, it's sort of a relief that there is less of interest (to our household, anyway) coming up to watch this fall. On the other hand, this is, of course, due to there being even more reality TV than ever. Anyone who intends to view something LIKE DG is probably out of luck now, and getting unluckier...

U r right....& I m one of those...that r getting unluckier. Broadcast channels have just too many reality shows....& cable r mostly filled with CSI type shows. Thankfully there r some interesting shows like Burn Notice, Royal pains, Warehouse 13, Leverage among others on Cable...that fill in somewhat...plus looking forward to Flash forward & Vampire Diaries on CW (not to mention the returning Lost, Heroes & for wife America Top model, Project Runway & Top Chef (which I also enjoy))

Generally -- again presumably based on rational logic, not emotion -- networks will give series that they own more of a chance than they'll give series that they're paying someone else for.

Sure; if the inhouse-produced series manages to become a hit to any degree, they benefit from also getting all the money from video sales, overseas rights, syndication profits, etc - rather than just getting profits from US broadcast on a show bought from another studio.

So, no next on. Did they pull the plug already?

So, no next on. Did they pull the plug already?

I have no idea....but my DVR do show that next sunday will have a new episode. dont know if that will change by that time.

I thought the music was really good in this ep. Anyone recognize it??

"Everything I Build" by The Stills

Thanks! Gotta look that up now...

Just a heads-up... the next new episode of Defying Gravity will be preempted in Boston (at least) for the Jerry Lewis Telethon. It will be broadcast, instead, at 3:05 AM on 9/9/2009.

3:05 AM

The rating should look great at that time slot :(

Just to comment on the ongoing show, thought the last episode treaded water a bit. No movement whatsoever on the overall Martian mystery; guess they're going to drag that out for the entire season (hopefully, ABC will actually broadcast the entire season). Paula losing the thumb and being able to have it "regrown" represents an advance in medical technology that's certainly further off then the time frame of this show indicates. Ditto re-attaching it - nerves, tendons, bones and all - and having it functional within a week. Too much time wasted on the doctor's war trauma, the pharmaceutical abortion, and so on.

But hey, I'm still watching. Even weak sci-fi is better than no sci-fi. Sometimes. And I keep wondering when one of Ron Livingston's eyebrows is going to make a break for it (they don't seem to really get along).

Just to comment on the ongoing show, thought the last episode treaded water a bit. No movement whatsoever on the overall Martian mystery; guess they're going to drag that out for the entire season (hopefully, ABC will actually broadcast the entire season). Paula losing the thumb and being able to have it "regrown" represents an advance in medical technology that's certainly further off then the time frame of this show indicates. Ditto re-attaching it - nerves, tendons, bones and all - and having it functional within a week. Too much time wasted on the doctor's war trauma, the pharmaceutical abortion, and so on.

But hey, I'm still watching. Even weak sci-fi is better than no sci-fi. Sometimes. And I keep wondering when one of Ron Livingston's eyebrows is going to make a break for it (they don't seem to really get along).

I don't see how that crate had enough energy to rip her thumb off either, that was a major 'sissy push' he gave it. Minor gripe tho.

The war trauma bit really annoys me anyway, it's been done to death.

I agree that the pacing seems kind of slow. I hope they make it to Venus and 'land' before the show goes away, but I'm not holding my breath.

The crate didn't rip her thumb off; the hatch did.

It looks like 2 more eps and then it's pulled from the schedule. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=17109174&highlight=#post17109174)

It looks like 2 more eps and then it's pulled from the schedule. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=17109174&highlight=#post17109174)

I think that's been mentioned before, maybe somewhere back in this thread. Looks like they're pulling the plug after 8 episodes, leaving the "back 5" in limbo. Don't know if they'll be relegated to a Saturday night burn-off spot or available online. I'd like to see them because I've come this far, but can't see myself buying a DVD set of this one.

I think that's been mentioned before, maybe somewhere back in this thread. Looks like they're pulling the plug after 8 episodes, leaving the "back 5" in limbo. Don't know if they'll be relegated to a Saturday night burn-off spot or available online. I'd like to see them because I've come this far, but can't see myself buying a DVD set of this one.

I'd like to see the "other 5" as well, but from what I've read, seeing those 5 will leave us pretty much in the same limbo state we'd be by only seeing the first 8 as the story is quite a bit longer. Sort of, be left hanging now, or be left hanging later. :p

Or, the creator may have done a quick rewrite to conclude it, but that's seems highly unlikely since the first 13 have already been completed. That brings up another question though, what was the plan for this show in the first place? To bring it back next summer if it showed respectable ratings? If so, then why was it scheduled to only air the first 8 eps, it was set to bang up against the fall premier season from the beginning? The whole thing reeks of a show that was written off before it even aired and was used as summer schedule filler.

I'd like to see it to it's completion, as you've noted, there's so few sci-fi type shows available today, but I have serious doubts we'll ever see it.

It looks like 2 more eps and then it's pulled from the schedule. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=17109174&highlight=#post17109174)That was the plan from the start, when the pilot was first put on the schedule for August 2. There was never any intention to show all 13 straight through.

As an avid sci-fi fan I have been watching this show, but now after reading these last few posts it seems clear that another one bits the dust!

Or, the creator may have done a quick rewrite to conclude it, but that's seems highly unlikely since the first 13 have already been completed. That brings up another question though, what was the plan for this show in the first place? To bring it back next summer if it showed respectable ratings? If so, then why was it scheduled to only air the first 8 eps, it was set to bang up against the fall premier season from the beginning? The whole thing reeks of a show that was written off before it even aired and was used as summer schedule filler.


I think your last sentence says it all. It was available, it was cheap, and they just used it to plug a hole in their summer schedule. They never intended to show all 13 episodes, and to hell with the folks that tuned in and expected to see the full run. I suppose if it had shocked the world and achieved respectable numbers they would have found a way to continue it, but that was unlikely and they knew it. They bought a relatively cheap summer fill-in developed outside the country and had no intention of broadcasting more than 60% of the episodes available. This is the kind of attitude that's causing broadcast TV to spiral down the tubes.

The show concludes with them crashlanding on Venus where they find Gilligan, the skipper, etc......

The crate didn't rip her thumb off; the hatch did.

I didn't catch that part, that makes a little more sense...

Paula losing the thumb and being able to have it "regrown" represents an advance in medical technology that's certainly further off then the time frame of this show indicates. Ditto re-attaching it - nerves, tendons, bones and all - and having it functional within a week.

Eve Weller-Shaw told Zoe Barnes "I'm sorry, you had an emergency hysterectomy". Does that mean they can't regrow a new uterus like they can regrow a thumb? I know next to nothing about medicine or biology, but it seems to me it should be easier than FTL communications and they have that. ;-)

Personally, I think they try too hard to make it very dramatic and end up messing with the suspension of disbelief. The characters have too many issues for such carefully selected astronauts, the ship has too many problems. The physics malfunctions many have noted - I chalked up to budget problems and the writers targeting the Grey's Anatomy demographic instead of nerds. But the soap opera, all that symbolism, is way too forced.

Maddux Donner sitting by Zoe Barnes's bedside in the hospital thinking whether her almost dying was his fault because he didn't notice in how much pain she was at the bus station when it was his fault because he got her pregnant in the first place - that is like disarming the bomb when the clock turns to 00:00:01 - only on TV. Also, when he found out his vasectomy didn't take, he should have told every woman he slept with recently.

I just watched and erased the latest episode last night. What hatch was Paula near? I remember her facing the crate when the other crate was pushed her way. To me it looked like she was messing with the control panel to lock the first crate in place.

While this show is definitely better than a lot of junk out there, there is too much drama and science that is contrived. Maybe it's better we don't see the last 5 episodes. We might have seen the rabbit do a Cujo on them.

Also, when he found out his vasectomy didn't take, he should have told every woman he slept with recently.Didn't he just find out during the physical right after Beta selected him to go up in the first episode? He barely had a chance to tell his father that he was actually going to go, let alone notify anyone about the vasectomy. There have been so many strange things going on, he probably hasn't had time to think about telling anyone. Of course, the only two women he has slept with are probably up there with him, so he will eventually get the chance.

I think your last sentence says it all. It was available, it was cheap, and they just used it to plug a hole in their summer schedule. They never intended to show all 13 episodes, and to hell with the folks that tuned in and expected to see the full run. I suppose if it had shocked the world and achieved respectable numbers they would have found a way to continue it, but that was unlikely and they knew it. They bought a relatively cheap summer fill-in developed outside the country and had no intention of broadcasting more than 60% of the episodes available. This is the kind of attitude that's causing broadcast TV to spiral down the tubes.

U r right....& its no wonder broadcast TV is losing subs...& maybe in few years...they can all shutdown & maybe nobody will care anyway by then with their current attitude.

I like this show quite a lot....but find it strange that some people can take a lot of other unbelieveble stuff...& write such big things..whereas on a few others good show...they continue to watch it & keep talking crap....specially scifi shows. Like we all know what science can do in 10, 20...years.

I just watched and erased the latest episode last night. What hatch was Paula near?<That> hatch.

I don't have a way of posting my finger pointing at the hatch, nor posting the portion of the dialog where they say that's what happened. :p

First, I want to compliment the guy that responded to the nielsen rating question with July 20, 1969. It's been 40 years this summer.

Second, yes the crew quarters are in the pods (for all the "I can't believe the baseball didn't float!" statements out there.)

Having never watched Grey's Anatomy (not really caring too, either), I think that the show is interesting and catchy. Yeah, Firefly and Journeyman looked promising, but I think that the previous one was killed not because of ratings issues, but because Whedon (allegedly) pissed someone off. However, in the multiple times I've watched Firefly, I've never once cared about their lack of gravity explanations or bus problems (their engine rotates...). They get a show on the air that actually tries to present itself decently AS WELL AS incorporate drama and everyone starts looking for holes. Jeez, TNG (as much as I love it) was about 10 people flying around in a giant spaceship with crap people just made up to make the show flow more smoothly (transporters, sub-space communications, warp speed, the list goes on). Either watch the show or change the channel.

and btw, Hall effect thrusters are a FACT. They are currently used on satellites and have an effective thrust that while small can push them to c.

First, I want to compliment the guy that responded to the nielsen rating question with July 20, 1969. It's been 40 years this summer.


In the post I assume you're referencing, I never said it was 30 years since the first moon landing; I said it's been over 30 years since people were excited about moon landings (which actually ended in 1972, with the Apollo program continuing on for another 3 years). Since then, our manned space program has consisted of building and supplying a space station of dubious utility in low earth orbit; not much to get excited about.

Unnecessary comments edited. Next time it will be suspensions and thread ban.

I'd like to see the "other 5" as well, but from what I've read, seeing those 5 will leave us pretty much in the same limbo state we'd be by only seeing the first 8 as the story is quite a bit longer. Sort of, be left hanging now, or be left hanging later. :p

Or, the creator may have done a quick rewrite to conclude it, but that's seems highly unlikely since the first 13 have already been completed. That brings up another question though, what was the plan for this show in the first place? To bring it back next summer if it showed respectable ratings? If so, then why was it scheduled to only air the first 8 eps, it was set to bang up against the fall premier season from the beginning? The whole thing reeks of a show that was written off before it even aired and was used as summer schedule filler.

I'd like to see it to it's completion, as you've noted, there's so few sci-fi type shows available today, but I have serious doubts we'll ever see it.
The show is carried on CTV in Canada on Fridays and they have an episode scheduled on 9/18; no title or description but it is possible that they may show the entire run.

It figures that the show would disappear since it's just starting to look more like a Science Fiction show and less a Soap Opera.

Yup done by the production company of the network that decided not to pick up Virtuality.

Defying Gravity is almost deliberately "Grey's Anatomy in Space". If you like Grey's Anatomy, as we do, and you're tempted to tune in Defying Gravity because of its space setting, then I figure you'll probably enjoy the show. We're looking forward to it.
no offense but I have been watching the show and the whole "greys anatomy in space" makes no sense to me.

Is it canceled yet? ;)

So, I'm assuming that neither Jen nor Wassenfelder have any fears and/or regrets since they haven't experienced any of the Beta hallucinations. :confused:

no offense but I have been watching the show and the whole "greys anatomy in space" makes no sense to me.The term refers generally to those aspects of the storyline that many hardcore science fiction fans would rather not see as the main aspects of the storyline. See the earlier portion of the thread for details.

The show is carried on CTV in Canada on Fridays and they have an episode scheduled on 9/18; no title or description but it is possible that they may show the entire run.

It figures that the show would disappear since it's just starting to look more like a Science Fiction show and less a Soap Opera.


All the current episodes have been available for download on various bitorrent sites - I have no doubt the remaining episodes will be as well.

So, I'm assuming that neither Jen nor Wassenfelder have any fears and/or regrets since they haven't experienced any of the Beta hallucinations. :confused:
Very good question... either what you say is true or there is some other variable that does not exist for them as it does with the others.

Can we add the two astronauts that were taken off the ship and are now helping at mission control? Ted's wife is experiencing what the others are and she is back on earth? Or does it require a certain level of exposure that they didn't get?

Judy

beta is effecting astronauts...but didnt effect all of them. But its not the space thing only. Looks like its some kind of exposure thing. Obviously 2 of the astronauts might not be exposed too much to get them in to hallucinate.

This Beta thing I dont understand yet. What is it? How did it come to Earth? & how come they put this on this mission? Why r they effecting some? Why is it only bringing some past bad memories ie something wrong done by them? Why have the rest of the astronauts not been told about thsi Beta

Lots of question.....I cant wait for the next episode..which appears to be the last one that will air on ABC. unfortunately...1 of the better series will be cut off once again by the broadcasters....who then say that they cant find viewers...HELLO morons....if u keep culling the shows midway...nobody will want to invest time & see ur show

The problem with this show is the folks who like soapy drama don't like scifi, and the folks that like scifi don't want the soap-opera stuff. So neither camp they were trying to interest have been satisfied with the show. It is really too bad, because it is NOT A BAD SHOW, despite what some picky people have been saying about it. This would really have been cool seeing what it would have been like to visit 7 planets. Too bad the scifi folks couldn't just chill out about the little science fubars and the soapy stuff and enjoy the show.

The problem with this show is the folks who like soapy drama don't like scifi, and the folks that like scifi don't want the soap-opera stuff. That's not true as an absolute, as you worded it, and is probably not even anywhere near as it true as it once was (and "as it once was" is perhaps what you're basing your categorical characterization on). There are absolutely people who don't cross the boundary between the two genres, but also there are absolutely people who do.

I do think that Defying Gravity might have been perhaps even too soapy for soap fans. Look at how other science fiction shows are much more adroitly integrating romantic and other relationship-based story lines. They make Defying Gravity seem like they simply had too much of a heavy hand; perhaps like what Mark Cherry and Michael Edelstein would have created 20 years ago, instead of what either of them should be creating now. Perhaps that lack of subtlety on Edelstein's part is what had the two part ways a few years ago.

All the current episodes have been available for download on various bitorrent sites - I have no doubt the remaining episodes will be as well.

Typically they have to be broadcast somewhere first before you'll see anything on P2P sites. It's hard to tell from the CTV site if anything past Ep.8 is set to air. Being the lead broadcaster one might assume that CTV will air all that have been produced, which I believe is 13. ABC on the other hand appears to have put it to bed after this coming Sunday's airing.

I don't believe ABC ever scheduled any more than that.

Anyone know if the show is doing any better, ratings-wise, anywhere else? Germany? UK? Or has it not been broadcast anywhere else yet?

I don't believe ABC ever scheduled any more than that.

Anyone know if the show is doing any better, ratings-wise, anywhere else? Germany? UK? Or has it not been broadcast anywhere else yet?

I don't believe it's aired yet in the UK or Germany, and based on the below link it seems it's had a tough time breaking into the top 30 Canadian shows the last few weeks.

http://www.bbm.ca/en/nat08242009.pdf
http://www.bbm.ca/en/national_archive.html

Very good question... either what you say is true or there is some other variable that does not exist for them as it does with the others.We still don't know how Wass was selected for the mission. Beta must have had something to do with it as we've been told several times that he was not in physical shape for it.

That's not true as an absolute, as you worded it, and is probably not even anywhere near as it true as it once was (and "as it once was" is perhaps what you're basing your categorical characterization on). There are absolutely people who don't cross the boundary between the two genres, but also there are absolutely people who do.

I do think that Defying Gravity might have been perhaps even too soapy for soap fans. Look at how other science fiction shows are much more adroitly integrating romantic and other relationship-based story lines. They make Defying Gravity seem like they simply had too much of a heavy hand; perhaps like what Mark Cherry and Michael Edelstein would have created 20 years ago, instead of what either of them should be creating now. Perhaps that lack of subtlety on Edelstein's part is what had the two part ways a few years ago.

Oh come on, its WAY less soapy then that hospital show its always being compared to. No way is it too soapy for soap fans. I used to watch Guiding Light, Edge of Night (dating myself on that one) and Ryan's Hope, I know what soapy is...

Okay, maybe not too soapy, but too obviously intentionally soapy... better?

We still don't know how Wass was selected for the mission. Beta must have had something to do with it as we've been told several times that he was not in physical shape for it.

HE WAS....IMO...he still not in a physical shape to be on this trip. It has to be Beta....& I cant wait to know more abt it.

I'm really disappointed that this show is canceled as the season finale was really starting to become interesting.
Would have really liked to see what was in pod 4 and what beta really is.
Now were just left hanging in space.

The season finale brought things up a notch. I'm glad the crew were able to see what was in pod 4. I wonder if we were actually going to be shown something in later episodes. Our imagination or the reactions of the crew might be better than seeing the actual alien. If there were more produced episode, I hope we get to see them online or on cable or something if ABC doesn't show them next summer.

Another good episode. I throughly enjoyed this series. Good things comes to end quickly speically on broadcast network.

Good that the team finally realized that all their coocooness was because of Beta....& that they got the see it. But now I m more interested in knowing myself wtf is Beta.

too bad ABC had canceled this show. Hoping that Syfy or WGN America or any other cable network picks this show up & give us the complete series.

too bad ABC had canceled this show. Hoping that Syfy or WGN America or any other cable network picks this show up & give us the complete series.

This sounds like a job for DirecTV's 101Network.

So this was the last episode ABC will broadcast? It's often asked after another sci-fi program goes down in ratings flames, "Why doesn't Syfy or [insert cable network here] pick this show up now?" The answer is that if it's a Big Four show, it's probably going to be prohibitively expensive for a cablenet to pick up the ball and continue to run with it. But in this case, since this is a relatively cheapo international effort with costs spread out over several producers and countries, it might actually make sense for somebody else to pick it up. Syfy would be the logical choice here. Even with it's flaws, DG would be better than a lot of their current programming, IMO. And they could probably afford it.

So this was the last episode ABC will broadcast?It is the last episode that ABC has scheduled to broadcast.

It's often asked after another sci-fi program goes down in ratings flames, "Why doesn't Syfy or [insert cable network here] pick this show up now?" The answer is that if it's a Big Four show, it's probably going to be prohibitively expensive for a cablenet to pick up the ball and continue to run with it. But in this case, since this is a relatively cheapo international effort with costs spread out over several producers and countries, it might actually make sense for somebody else to pick it up. Syfy would be the logical choice here. Even with it's flaws, DG would be better than a lot of their current programming, IMO. And they could probably afford it.Syfy is a network of a competitor. So I think it just as likely that ABC will block Syfy from picking this program up, at least until ABC's exclusivity expires. It is a shame that ABC's two biggest non-sports cable networks are both aimed at children. Maybe ABC could put the remaining five episodes on SOAPnet.

My next question would be then why do the big four keep trying the SciFi shows? Why not leave them to the SyFy's of the world since the big four never give SciFi shows a chance to find an audience before they axe it? Don't give me the budget reason again either. If SyFy can have quality shows like SG1 and BSG then any scifi show's budget could be scaled back to accommodate a cable network and still work. In my experience, scifi shows just take more time to find a footing and an audience but, the big four do not let shows do that anymore. Why they continue to try and waste viewers time in the process, is beyond my understanding (I'm still angry about Journeyman).

I'm still debating on weather to watch Flash Forward for this very reason, it just looks like that type of show that the network will cancel before it has a chance to succeed. I'm just tired of getting caught up in a show only to have the network yank the carpet out from under me. The networks are turning people off to network TV these days because they keep canceling all there shows.

In my experience, scifi shows just take more time to find a footing and an audience but, the big four do not let shows do that anymore. Why they continue to try and waste viewers time in the process, is beyond my understanding (I'm still angry about Journeyman).

I'm still debating on weather to watch Flash Forward for this very reason, it just looks like that type of show that the network will cancel before it has a chance to succeed. I'm just tired of getting caught up in a show only to have the network yank the carpet out from under me. The networks are turning people off to network TV these days because they keep canceling all there shows.

I really don't see the networks changing there policy on this anytime soon.
As much as we viewers don't like this practice it is a unfortunate reality.
I think when it comes to new network shows it's best not to get your hopes up.
Just enjoy it for what it is, however long it may last.
Even though DG is now canceled, I still am glad I watched it to the end and have no regrets.

As a previous poster noted, this show airs in Canada as well. It will be interesting to see if they air any new episodes beyond the 8 ABC aired. It airs on Friday in Canada but I'm not sure if this coming Friday is the one we just saw, or Ep 9. Digging around it appears that CTV is the host broadcaster so there's a fair chance they will continue to air the remaining filmed episodes.

As to what it's the pod, that's easy, the same thing that was in the briefcase in Pulp Fiction. :D

I really don't see the networks changing there policy on this anytime soon.
As much as we viewers don't like this practice it is a unfortunate reality.
I think when it comes to new network shows it's best not to get your hopes up.
Just enjoy it for what it is, however long it may last.
Even though DG is now canceled, I still am glad I watched it to the end and have no regrets.

Same here....throughly enjoyed DG.....& is the only show in a long long time that I watch live.....including the commercials....rather than through DVR (the other being NBC Journeyman which incidently also got cancelled).

Syfy new show warehouse is a hit...so maybe its the audience plus the channel that combine to make a better or hit show. I m sure if DG was on Syfy...it was getting much much higher rating then on ABC.

Even Legend of the Seeker is considered a hit on WGN America....& I thank god that it was not on 1 of the broadcast network...otherwise this was also canceled.

Defying Gravity, we hardly knew ye...

By Kona Gallagher, TV Squad

It seems like not even two months ago, I was interviewing Ron Livingston about his exciting new ABC drama, Defying Gravity (probably because it was about 6 weeks ago), and now it's gone. After airing only 8 episodes, ABC has just announced that last night's episode of Gravity would be its last.

Although ABC hasn't given any official word about its cancellation, it wasn't as though it came as much of a surprise, given the show's troubles from the very beginning. According to Ace Showbiz, "It premiered to only 3.83 million viewers on August 2 and the number has constantly deteriorated since then. Last week, ABC has excluded listing Gravity on the schedule after the September 13 episode but did not give explanation to that."

The fact that everyone from the show's producers to its actors kept on describing Defying Gravity as "Grey's Anatomy in space," probably didn't help matters much either. I've seen most of the episodes, and while it could have done with a lot less Grey's-like twinkly music to signify emotions, it was a perfectly passable summer show. Luckily, for all of you fans out there, SlashControl has all of the episodes available to view online.

What do you think? Are you sad to see it go, or are you amazed it lasted this long?

"Eve Ate the Apple" is episode 9 and it is scheduled to air on CTV on Friday, Sept. 18 (http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/show/CTVShows/20090706/DefyingGravity-default/20090914/). So hopefully it will show up in places where Americans can see it.

ABC is totally stupid for at least not showing the remaining episodes on Saturday nights or something. Every time they pull something like this, it means fewer viewers are willing to take the chance the next time around.

ABC is totally stupid for at least not showing the remaining episodes on Saturday nights or something. Every time they pull something like this, it means fewer viewers are willing to take the chance the next time around.

They clearly don't see it that way. My guess is they figure the audience for sci-fi is so small and fragmented they don't need accommodation and, like an kicked puppy, we'll always come back. ;) This show was never more than a cheap way to fill a summer schedule slot although I don't know why they couldn't have started it a month earlier. So, those of us who got stuck it out this far need another way to see the "Final Five". They'll be online somewhere, one would presume.

"Eve Ate the Apple" is episode 9 and it is scheduled to air on CTV on Friday, Sept. 18 (http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/show/CTVShows/20090706/DefyingGravity-default/20090914/). So hopefully it will show up in places where Americans can see it.

ABC is totally stupid for at least not showing the remaining episodes on Saturday nights or something. Every time they pull something like this, it means fewer viewers are willing to take the chance the next time around.

Cool, I'll have to watch the usual suspects to see if it turns up, I'm sure it will though.

It does suck though that ABC aired all they were ever going to air without at least airing very the next episode.Friday, Sept. 18 at 10/9C -Eve Ate the Apple

A haunting song draws the crew to storage Pod 4; Goss reveals the true nature of the mission.

They clearly don't see it that way. My guess is they figure the audience for sci-fi is so small and fragmented they don't need accommodation and, like an kicked puppy, we'll always come back. ;) This show was never more than a cheap way to fill a summer schedule slot although I don't know why they couldn't have started it a month earlier. So, those of us who got stuck it out this far need another way to see the "Final Five". They'll be online somewhere, one would presume.

The more I've read about this show, it seems that ABC had little to do with it other than license it from CTV to air 8 episodes during the summer to fill a hole in the schedule. Lesson learned, be wary of what ever ABC puts on the air during the "off season", especially a serialized sci-fi show.

The more I've read about this show, it seems that ABC had little to do with it other than license it from CTV to air 8 episodes during the summer to fill a hole in the schedule. Lesson learned, be wary of what ever ABC puts on the air during the "off season", especially a serialized sci-fi show.

Be wary of anything ABC airs period, and especially be wary of anything they renew at an early date, you may not see it again for a year. I still remember the 'Men In Trees', they renewed the show early on, then promptly yanked it from the air and didn't even show the remainder of the season and actually started the next season with the remaining episodes from the previous season and then jumped it around the schedule from here to there and then cancelled it because no one could find it(I mean it got bad ratings) ...

Be wary of anything ABC airs period, and especially be wary of anything they renew at an early date, you may not see it again for a year. I still remember the 'Men In Trees', they renewed the show early on, then promptly yanked it from the air and didn't even show the remainder of the season and actually started the next season with the remaining episodes from the previous season and then jumped it around the schedule from here to there and then cancelled it because no one could find it(I mean it got bad ratings) ...

That was awful what they did to MiT, you never knew when it was going to air, I don't even think I saw the last of the episodes.

The "Men In Trees" situation, to me at least, was far more serious. That show had imagination, a certain charm and some real potential.

This, on the other hand was, to me at least, just a cheap "Grey's Anatomy"-esque ripoff. I am surprised it got on, even in the summer.

And with just eight episodes -- and ABC not owbing at least a part of it -- you had to know its future was murky at best.

Saw this on The Futon Critic (http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=8293):

[09.14.09 - 06:32 PM]
ABC REP: "DEFYING GRAVITY" NOT CANCELED
By The Futon Critic Staff (TFC)

LOS ANGELES (thefutoncritic.com) -- Let the speculation end: ABC's "Defying Gravity" is still very much alive.

Nicole Marostica, the show's publicist for the network, has confirmed the Alphabet hasn't pulled the plug on the show and is still mulling scheduling options going forward.

Due to its late start this summer, ABC didn't have the real estate to air all 13 installments from its first season. "Gravity's" shortened run was made clear from the start: the network announced back on July 22 (read the story), "Brothers & Sisters" would return to its Sunday, 10:00/9:00c slot on September 27, leaving "Gravity" just eight weeks of potential air dates.

This coming Sunday, ABC will air the 2005 feature "King Kong" rather than put originals against CBS's coverage of the Emmys.

"Gravity" nevertheless has been a lackluster performer at best - last night's airing drew just 2.52 million viewers (including a 0.9 rating among adults 18-49), making it the least-watched program on the four major networks.

No indication was given as to when the show will return.

Just enjoy it for what it is, however long it may last. Sometimes I think that televisions should require you to type that in somehow, every time you turn the television on. :)

ABC is totally stupid for at least not showing the remaining episodes on Saturday nights or something.Say that after you compare the ratings of Defying Gravity to the ratings of what they're showing on Saturday nights this fall. Defying Gravity's ratings were so bad that practically anything else would be better (even Eli Stone!), in practically any time slot.

Be wary of anything ABC airs period...And of anything NBC or Fox air, too. And for good measure, be wary of anything CBS airs, as well.

They've all canceled shows early. The one that "did it to you" last sticks out in your mind, I'm sure.

The unfortunate thing about this show was that it really wasn't good enough to generate heated passion for its survival & renewal among its tiny number of regular viewers, myself included. I doubt they'll be many fans worked up enough to generate a "save the show" movement a la 'Jericho' or 'Journeyman'.

ABC may be "mulling its future", but the calculation will almost certainly boil down to what's the cheapest programming they can find to stuff into a particularly unattractive timeslot. If they can noodle that out, we might see the final five eps. Ron Moore's 'Virtuality' on FOX, had it been greenlit, may not have attracted many more viewers but I'd bet my bottom dollar they'd have been a lot more passionate about it. It was a better "pure" sci-fi show from what little we saw.

I think people are afraid to begin watching new shows because of the Networks lack of commitment to them. Why invest your time in a show that never gets fully realized? I'm much more likely to try out a show on cable because I know they have a modicum of commitment.

I think if that were generally true (as opposed to only true for just a certain limited segment of the audience), then DVD sales, and Netflix subscriptions, and such, for old series that lasted, that people avoided for the reasons you outlined, would be trending up markedly. That simply isn't the case. I think, rather, that there is a limited scope of folks for whom this is true, so limited that it doesn't trump all the considerations that drive networks to operate in the manner that they operate.

The unfortunate thing about this show was that it really wasn't good enough to generate heated passion for its survival & renewal among its tiny number of regular viewers, myself included. I doubt they'll be many fans worked up enough to generate a "save the show" movement a la 'Jericho' or 'Journeyman'.

ABC may be "mulling its future", but the calculation will almost certainly boil down to what's the cheapest programming they can find to stuff into a particularly unattractive timeslot. If they can noodle that out, we might see the final five eps. Ron Moore's 'Virtuality' on FOX, had it been greenlit, may not have attracted many more viewers but I'd bet my bottom dollar they'd have been a lot more passionate about it. It was a better "pure" sci-fi show from what little we saw.

I don't get what was so much better about Virtuality? It was ok, but had no real destination, just some obscure "out there" kind of thing. You knew where they were going on DG, and I couldn't wait to see it! Here's hoping we at least get to see Venus...

I don't get what was so much better about Virtuality? It was ok, but had no real destination, just some obscure "out there" kind of thing. You knew where they were going on DG, and I couldn't wait to see it! Here's hoping we at least get to see Venus...

Well for example, to pull a quote from Sona Gallagher's column on the previous page, DG "could have done with a lot less Grey's-like twinkly music to signify emotions". There was too much light romantic comedy and triangles and anguish. The science, such as it was, was bad. It wasn't "hard" sci-fi, but then it didn't pretend to be. 'Virtuality' seemed like a more "grown-up" piece of science fiction, at least to me. I would have loved to see where they could have gone with that one.

But hey, I still watched DG and felt, as Sona did, that it was perfectly passible summer entertainment. And I hope to see those last 5 eps on some platform or another.

Well for example, to pull a quote from Sona Gallagher's column on the previous page, DG "could have done with a lot less Grey's-like twinkly music to signify emotions". There was too much light romantic comedy and triangles and anguish. The science, such as it was, was bad. It wasn't "hard" sci-fi, but then it didn't pretend to be. 'Virtuality' seemed like a more "grown-up" piece of science fiction, at least to me. I would have loved to see where they could have gone with that one.

But hey, I still watched DG and felt, as Sona did, that it was perfectly passible summer entertainment. And I hope to see those last 5 eps on some platform or another.

I really hate it when people say things like this, as if Science Fiction should not ever delve into people and their actual lives. For crying out loud, are people in the future just going to be emotionless robots? The science: the gravity workarounds were excusable as necessary for budget and TV limitations. The only other really annoying science was the instantaneous communication into deep space. They really did not HAVE to do that. Other than that, some pretty nice science was on display, e.g. rotating hab modules and aeroshield for planetary capture.

I can't remember ANY science in Virtuosity...

The solar flare plot was impressive in the last episode. Not just that they knew solar flares are a hazard to space travel, but that they used the exact terminology that's used for warnings. Not even a lot of amateur astronomers are familiar with solar phenomena.

The show definitely started at a weird point in the summer, and I don't think it ever really had a chance. That said, I thought it was a lot better then it was given credit for and really enjoyed it the last couple of months. I too hope we have a chance to at least see the final 5 episodes they shot.

I really hate it when people say things like this, as if Science Fiction should not ever delve into people and their actual lives. For crying out loud, are people in the future just going to be emotionless robots? The science: the gravity workarounds were excusable as necessary for budget and TV limitations. The only other really annoying science was the instantaneous communication into deep space. They really did not HAVE to do that. Other than that, some pretty nice science was on display, e.g. rotating hab modules and aeroshield for planetary capture.

I can't remember ANY science in Virtuosity...

Ever see 'Firefly'...? BSG...? 'Journeyman'...? T:SCC...? Even LOST...? These are just a few recent examples of sci-fi oriented shows that did a tremendous job at character development and interpersonal relationships, exploring lives, backstories, hopes & dreams, etc. without resorting to the kind of cloying, sudsy stuff that this show was built on. You could throw the various 'Star Treks' in there as well. Heck, even BSG's Cylons weren't "emotionless robots"; far from it. I guess it just depends on what you like.

And I don't know about "Virtuosity", but 'Virtuality' was making a real effort to get the science part of its sci-fi theme right. There was a terrific sequence, for example, of how an Orion Drive would work, remember? My gut feeling after seeing these two shows was that 'Virtuality' would be the more "adult" and interesting effort, by a light year. But any comparisons between the two are just academic at this point. Doesn't really matter now; they're both gone. At least this one got to produce 13 episodes, and thus had a chance to explore its plotlines a bit more.

The show definitely started at a weird point in the summer, and I don't think it ever really had a chance. That said, I thought it was a lot better then it was given credit for and really enjoyed it the last couple of months. I too hope we have a chance to at least see the final 5 episodes they shot.

2nd that...I hope ABC or any other network picks the show & let us see the final 5 episode. I quite enjoyed this show.....& actually enjoyed the show from all prespective.

The show was Scifi...& based in the future..so a lot of things were quite new...eg ability to grow thumbs for example....& infact the flashbacks were also quite nicely fit into the show each episode. Each character having halocination on the ship did have a proper flashback story....& made sense.

Very nice show IMO...but got hammered for being on Sunday night.

"No indication was given as to when the show will return":(

I hope ABC or any other network picks the show & let us see the final 5 episode.

I'm pretty sure the show will still finish its run in Canada and the other foriegn markets it is playing. So I wouldn't be surprised to find episodes floating around.

Ever see 'Firefly'...? BSG...? 'Journeyman'...? T:SCC...? Even LOST...? These are just a few recent examples of sci-fi oriented shows that did a tremendous job at character development and interpersonal relationships, exploring lives, backstories, hopes & dreams, etc. without resorting to the kind of cloying, sudsy stuff that this show was built on. You could throw the various 'Star Treks' in there as well. Heck, even BSG's Cylons weren't "emotionless robots"; far from it. I guess it just depends on what you like.

And I don't know about "Virtuosity", but 'Virtuality' was making a real effort to get the science part of its sci-fi theme right. There was a terrific sequence, for example, of how an Orion Drive would work, remember? My gut feeling after seeing these two shows was that 'Virtuality' would be the more "adult" and interesting effort, by a light year. But any comparisons between the two are just academic at this point. Doesn't really matter now; they're both gone. At least this one got to produce 13 episodes, and thus had a chance to explore its plotlines a bit more.

Yeah, you just listed many of my favorite shows of all time (you forgot Farscape, but not a bad list). I still do not think Virtuality had anything over DG. So they had an Orion Drive. Ok, but where were they going? It just felt like the writers did not know enough about the universe to pick a believable destination, so they just didn't bother. Really annoyed me. It was just as 'sudsy', whatever that means, as DG.

This was posted on SciFi Wire.com:

Related Sections: News Opinion TV
The 4 (mostly bad) options Defying Gravity fans face

ABC hasn't officially canceled Defying Gravity, even though an episode billed as the "season finale" aired last Sunday and the show is no longer on the network's schedule. Although it's unlikely that the low-rated series will ever get another season on ABC, there seem to be two or three unaired episodes of the show.

(CTV in Canada will air the final three episodes: "Eve Ate the Apple" on Sept. 18, "Deja Vu" on Sept 25 and "Solitary" at a date TBA.)

Now the question is, what's going to happen to those, and when will U.S. fans get to see them?

Publicly, ABC says it's trying to find room on the schedule for the unaired episodes, according to FutonCritic.com, and that's certainly one option. According to industry insiders we checked with, though, there are several other possibilities that are more likely for the Fox-produced show:

Option 2: Fox will sell Defying Gravity to a cable network, using the unaired (and therefore "new") episodes as an incentive. This is exactly what happened when Fox sold Firefly to our parent company, Syfy, a few years ago. In that case, fans will probably have to wait 6-12 months to see the remaining episodes.

Option 3: ABC will run them online as a stunt to drive traffic to its Web site, just as it did with the canceled show Daybreak. At least this way ABC will get some bang for its buck, and the upside for fans is that they could see the unaired episodes as early as this fall season.

Option 4: Because retail sales are likely to be more lucrative than an online stunt, Fox might negotiate with ABC to hold the episodes for the DVD market, in which case fans are back to the 6-12-month timeline.

Although none of these options offers much solace to Defying Gravity lovers who want ABC to continue the show, the upside is that they'll definitely see at least a little more of the series ... at some point.

We have been hearing that the original production of this show was 13 episodes. ABC broadcast 8. If my math is correct, that should leave 5. Yet this article refers only to 3 remaining.

Mrs. Skippy and I both felt the "finale" was easily the best episode of the series. Wish they had all been this strong, and maybe that portends well for the future, if it has any. Whatever was in Pod 4, it looked like Jen didn't see it (possibly Wass as well).

The only numbers that have been published from official sources are the 13 (the number of episodes ordered) and the 8 (the number of episodes broadcast on ABC). The unknown quantities are how many episodes have been produced, and how many episodes will be produced, both of which could change over time, and if they do, then that can account for some of the inconsistent quantities we hear bandied about in unofficial sources.

The only numbers that have been published from official sources are the 13 (the number of episodes ordered) and the 8 (the number of episodes broadcast on ABC). The unknown quantities are how many episodes have been produced, and how many episodes will be produced, both of which could change over time, and if they do, then that can account for some of the inconsistent quantities we hear bandied about in unofficial sources.

Will...my EPG showed that last episode as Ep10 Season final. I dont remember if they did show 8 or 10. Since this show I was watching "LIVE" & not DVR....I dont remember the count(Mostly I start watching a show after having a bunch of them on my DVR...mostly after the season is over or near ending)

I keep track. :) It was 8.

Check out this interview clip from the Late Late Show w/ Craig Ferguson. Great comic interaction between Craig and Ron Livingston..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpFUbLX3eZU

There's always Option 5, albeit of questionable legality, the next 3(5?) episodes will very likely be available via P2P sites sometime each Friday evening after airing on CTV.

Maybe they will be up on Hulu like the first 8.

Maybe they will be up on Hulu like the first 8.

Now this option is very welcomed & should make a lot of DG fans including myself very happy. Keeping my fingers crossed

There's always Option 5, albeit of questionable legality, the next 3(5?) episodes will very likely be available via P2P sites sometime each Friday evening after airing on CTV.

That's precisely what I intend to do.

Well darn... yet another show I liked bites the dust. Oh well, I got kind of annoyed by the CONSTANT flashbacks. I hear Lost was like this, as well, but I was never into that show. I just liked this one because of the space travel, and I've liked Ron Livingston ever since Office Space. :p My wife and I also just saw him, including a few more pounds, in that Time Traveler's Wife movie.

But really I kept watching it because I wanted to know what this "thing" is that they keep referring to, and what it is that Mission Control won't tell the crew.

Episode 9 aired up here in Canada last night. It is on the CTV website (http://watch.ctv.ca/defying-gravity/season-1/defying-gravity-ep-104-h2ik-hell-if-i-know/#clip203640) if you want to see "beta".

I would expect that that would be blocked to US IP addresses.

I would expect that that would be blocked to US IP addresses.

and it is!!! :mad:

Hulu or Amazon will be our best hope, I guess. My computer's scared of those P2P sites.

Ep 9 was on P2P sites an hour after it aired in Canada.

Episode 9 aired up here in Canada last night. It is on the CTV website (http://watch.ctv.ca/defying-gravity/season-1/defying-gravity-ep-104-h2ik-hell-if-i-know/#clip203640) if you want to see "beta".

Doesn't matter. It will still likely show up on torrents and newsgroups.

- Tom

edit: Thought I was replying to the comment about it being blocked.

WOOT!
Just got done watching episode 9
This episode was great!!
Really makes me pissed that ABC didn't air this.

There is no Ep 9 on Hulu still.....but mostly they upload on Sunday...so will wait.

WOOT!
Just got done watching episode 9 after downloading the commercial free version onto my Windows Media player.
This episode was great!!
Really makes me pissed that ABC didn't air this.

Anybody interested in viewing this I can send you the link for a ton of download options.
Just send me a pm.

I'll second that, a spectacular episode, best one of the 9 so far in my opinion.

They should have condensed the first 8 episodes into the pilot episode and got going with episode 9 that finally gets into the good stuff!

I'll second that, a spectacular episode, best one of the 9 so far in my opinion.

I agree. It was "the" episode we all have been waiting for. I'm hoping for a miracle - just maybe CTV renews it for a second seasion.

never mind hulu....just watch Ep9....what a ep...this show is growing & growing into a very good show.....the best ep till now IMO. Wow....a trip around Solar system to retrive the remaining Beta.....This show reminds me of Journeyman...just when the show got more interesting it was pulloff.

The great thing I like in this show is the flashbacks r very well implemented....where u can really get why they r showing the flashback & how it is linked to the current episode plus they never venture off course in the future episode.

What an episode once again. ABC...shame on u...showing Kingkong...movie...rather then this show

(CTV in Canada will air the final three episodes: "Eve Ate the Apple" on Sept. 18, "Deja Vu" on Sept 25 and "Solitary" at a date TBA.)

I just checked the CTV schedule and didn't see "Deja Vu" listed for Sept 25.

Really hoping that episode 9 wasn't the last one.