# Defiance (2013)

> In a boom-town built after seven alien races arrive and transform Earth, a former soldier and a town's new order must hold humans and aliens together.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/46303

## Facts

- Seasons: 3
- Episodes: 38
- Episode runtime: 43 min
- Status: Canceled
- Genres: science fiction, drama
- Created by: Rockne S. O'Bannon, Michael Taylor, Kevin Murphy
- Network: Syfy
- Cast: Grant Bowler, Julie Benz, Stephanie Leonidas, Tony Curran, Jaime Murray, Dewshane Williams, Graham Greene, Jesse Rath
- TMDB rating: 7.0/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2189221/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: gritty, tense, adventurous, wistful

## What critics say

Audiences found Defiance a visually ambitious science fiction series with a rich alien world and strong potential that was cut short before its story could fully develop, though some found it hard to sustain interest.

## Synopsis

Defiance (2013-2015) is an American science fiction drama series created by Rockne S. O'Bannon, Michael Taylor and Kevin Murphy for Syfy. Set in the near future after seven alien races have permanently altered Earth, the show follows a frontier boom-town where humans and aliens are trying to build a shared civilization. Grant Bowler plays Joshua Nolan, a rugged former soldier who becomes a lawman in the rough settlement, while Julie Benz plays Amanda Rosewater, a tough and pragmatic figure caught among rival powers. Stephanie Leonidas as Irisa, Tony Curran as Datak Tarr and Jaime Murray as Stahma Tarr drive the shifting alliances and feuds of the alien families whose ambitions keep threatening the fragile peace. The engine of the series is the struggle to keep order in a town where every faction wants something different, with each episode built around crises, scheming and power struggles that spill across the settlement. Its serialized, season-long arcs give the show a continuous storyline across three seasons. Syfy's production carries a frontier-western energy, with dusty streets, uneasy truces and a retro musical streak that gives the drama a playful edge. Fans of Firefly, Falling Skies and Terra Nova will find a similar blend of genre adventure and political intrigue.

## Shows like Defiance

- [Earth: Final Conflict (1997)](https://ember.film/tv/2700)
- [The Andromeda Strain (2008)](https://ember.film/tv/18463)
- [Debris (2021)](https://ember.film/tv/88727)
- [Earth 2 (1994)](https://ember.film/tv/1389)
- [The 4400 (2004)](https://ember.film/tv/1397)
- [V (2009)](https://ember.film/tv/19801)
- [The Man Who Fell to Earth (2022)](https://ember.film/tv/98673)
- [Falling Skies (2011)](https://ember.film/tv/32178)
- [Outcasts (2011)](https://ember.film/tv/31698)
- [Another Life (2019)](https://ember.film/tv/68177)

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