Why Was Defying Gravity Cancelled and Should It Be Rebooted?

Defying Gravity started out heavy on the soap opera elements and it was not given much of a chance by its network, but it had the potential to turn into a good science fiction entry.

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What Is It?

This series followed the crew of the spaceship Antares on their mission to explore our solar system.  The story unfolds by interspersing flashbacks to the astronauts’ training period with the actual live mission as they leave Earth for their first destination, Venus.  Their time in space is filmed and is beamed back to Earth (where it is aired reality TV-style) so that planet-bound audiences can follow their progress.  But a series of mishaps beset the crew which leads to the revelation of a mysterious presence known as “Beta” on board the ship which is affecting the behavior of the crew members and may jeopardize their mission.

Aired: ABC, 2009, 1 Season Totaling 13 Episodes (Only 8 Aired)

Starring:  Ron Livingston, Malik Yoba, Paul Garces, Florentine Lahme, Andrew Airlie, Christina Cox

Created By: James D. Parriott

Why Was It Cancelled?

This show appeared on ABC’s schedule in August 2009 with little in the way of promotion and offered a decent space-based sci fi TV show when few others were available.  And while some viewers quickly grew frustrated because of the many soap opera subplots in the early episodes, it still managed to deliver some strong science fiction elements and a realistic look at near-future space travel as well as an interesting story arc that had just begun to hit its stride when it was cancelled.  Defying Gravity was pitched to ABC by creator James D. Parriott (Voyagers!, Forever Knight) as “Grey’s Anatomy in space”, and perhaps that could have worked if the network had given it a chance.  But ABC didn’t seem to really understand what they had on their hands (even though Parriott spelled it out to them quite succinctly) and ended up killing the show before it even had a chance.

It debuted in late Summer–a time when viewership is typically low–with little in the way of an advanced push from the network.  The critics were not too kind to it either (one review was titled “In space no one can hear you whine”), so it didn’t develop much word-of-mouth early on.  Not surprisingly, the ratings results were poor and ABC yanked it from the schedule after only eight of its thirteen episodes had aired.  It had barely built up an audience at that point, and certainly the few who did tune in (myself included) were confused at first when the network billed the show’s eighth installment as its “season finale”. The remaining five episodes were never aired in the U.S. leaving viewers with no resolution to a series that had just started to deliver on its potential.

Should It Be Revived/Rebooted?

The series was released on DVD with all thirteen episodes included, and it slowly started to build a reputation.  But by that time it was far too late for any fan attempt to save it, and we were left with a series that showed the chance to develop into a decent space-based entry (even if it did go heavy on the soap opera elements at times) but which was killed by that fact that its network failed to support it. As sci fi fans who stuck with it discovered, there was much more to the story than the interpersonal drama, and many found themselves disappointed that the end of the thirteen-episode run offered little in the way of resolution.

Since the show never attracted much attention in the first place, a complete reboot with a new cast is certainly a possibility, especially considering the fact that nearly fourteen years have passed since it first aired. But it seems like a waste of that first season which was actually quite good and had some notable performances from its cast. Perhaps another option would be to say that the Antares mysteriously disappeared and a new ship is sent out a decade later or so to find it. That could facilitate bringing back some of the original cast while also restarting the story with new actors. And it does not waste the thirteen episodes already produced.

It certainly seems unlikely that a reboot or a revival would happen since the original show never developed much of a following. But if creator James D. Parriott got behind it, maybe something could happen (he doesn’t seem to be too busy these days, though he may be leaning towards retirement). Short of that, the one season produced is definitely worth a look for sci fi fans as a decent genre entry that had promise.  (You can read more about the series at this link.)

Where Can You Watch It?

The entire series was released on DVD and it is still available at a decent price. It was never given the Blu-ray treatment, but you can buy it VOD (though it is more costly in that format).  It is not currently available on any of the major streamers that I can see, but you can find episodes on YouTube from time to time.

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