[SyFy Friday] Killjoys Season 4 Starts July 20th

ViRGE

Elite Member, Moderator Emeritus
Oct 9, 1999
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Good news everyone!

That holiest of nerd holy periods has once more begun for 2018 I am of course talking about SyFy's 10 weeks of space action shows, aka SyFy Friday.:p

Sadly this year the roster is lighter than the past. Dark Matter, may you and your obvious production problems rest in peace.

With Dark Matter off the slate, SyFy Friday has been reduced to two shows: the always awesome Killjoys, and Wynonna Earp, which is starting its 3rd season.

Killjoys Season 4 teaser

Killjoys S04E01, "The Warrior Princess Bride":

Trapped in the mysterious and mind-bending greenspace and on the run from the deadly Lady, Aneela and her father Khlyen struggle to stay one step ahead while keeping a wounded Dutch alive.

----

May as well give this one [Dark Matter] it's own thread...

Description/Pilot Spoiler:

A spaceship crew awaken from stasis with no memory of their mission or their identities, but once they reach their destination, a mining colony, they begin to look for answers while working together to survive in the series premiere of this adaptation of the graphic novel series of the same name.

The show is from Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie, who were previous responsible for Stargate. Though that goes for both the good (later SG1 and Atlantis) and the bad (SGU).

SyFy picked up a 13 episode season order, and it's being produced by Prodigy Pictures (Lost Girl). So like virtually all other sci-fi, this is Canadian.:p

The first episode airs June 12th, and assuming SyFy doesn't pull one of their infamous schedule screws, should be done a week or two after Labor Day, right before the fall TV season starts.
 
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ViRGE

Elite Member, Moderator Emeritus
Oct 9, 1999
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As for the pilot episode, it's, uh, surprisingly good?

To be clear the only reason I'm even bothering to watch the pilot is because of Mallozzi and Mullie, who although are far from saints (see: SGU) at least have the experience and credentials of writing interesting and yet uplifting science fiction TV. My faith in SyFy on the other hand is at an all time low after SGU, Defiance, and Ascension.

While it's clear that this isn't going to be Stargate 2.0, it's also clear that they're avoiding the soul-crushing emo bleakness that defined BSG and then all the BSG-alike shows (SGU) that SyFy has commissioned over the years. Instead what we get is something along the lines of Stargate, Firefly, and perhaps Space Cases thrown into a blender. Which is to say a bunch of lost characters in a tense situation, but also a show that can still have some fun/heart with its situation.

Since this is the second post in this thread I'll avoid the spoilers here. But while the pilot isn't perfect, it was good. It was interesting. It was the first pilot for a SyFy-backed show since Warehouse 13 that I haven't immediately hated. They may yet do a face plant here and do something stupid, but for a pilot they're at least starting out on the right foot. Other than the slow world building that's going to come from the central theme of lost characters without their memories, I guess the worst I could say about the show is that the characters are still clear sci-fi archetypes at this point. On the other hand the male lead is clearly cut from the same cloth as Jack O'Neill (with 2 L's) and John Sheppard, so there's going to be plenty of room for snark.:p

I don't think it's going to blow anyone's socks off with one episode, but there's definitely enough going on here to justify tuning in next week. With any luck, this is just the anchor SyFy needs for the new Sci-Fi Friday.:)

And I think that was David Hewlett in that picture at the end...
 

techs

Lifer
Sep 26, 2000
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I didn't read your post since I will be watching the show later today.
I could go for your yay or neigh opinion?
 

ViRGE

Elite Member, Moderator Emeritus
Oct 9, 1999
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I didn't read your post since I will be watching the show later today.
I could go for your yay or neigh opinion?
"As for the pilot episode, it's, uh, surprisingly good?"

Not perfect, but it exceeds my admittedly low expectations for SyFy, enough that I can be bothered to write about it and will tune in next week.
 

thebestMAX

Diamond Member
Sep 14, 2000
7,487
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Was looking forward to this and Defiance all week and damn Comcrap went out at about 7 until after midnight. Funny, the guide and DVR worked though no internet, phone or TV. GRRRRRRR!! TV Guide I use doesnt say its going to be repeated either but maybe I can find it on line. Hate watching TV on the computer though. I set the DVR to get the 1AM repeat but dont think the cable was back on by then.
Luckily Defiance will be repeated nest Friday AM so I didnt lose that.
 

techs

Lifer
Sep 26, 2000
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OK, watched the first episode and I thought it was pretty good.

It had a Stargate: Universe vibe, but once I got over that I really did enjoy the interactions amongst the crew.

I would guess those who watched Farscape may also see similiarities.

Despite being one of SighFy's biggest critics I have to say someone seems to have finally done a good job. Hopefully it's not just for one episode and the quality continues.

My recommendation is watch it and decide for yourself.
 

destrekor

Lifer
Nov 18, 2005
28,799
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I'll have to watch this.

For a moment I was thinking this was THE show I have been waiting for on SyFy, but alas, it turns out that is The Expanse. I am super excited for that and hope the hype holds true and it is "the next big thing" in the drama/space opera hard sci-fi world of television. I've been thoroughly bored since I wrapped up BSG and SG1 and want more serious awesomeness, not boring procedural shows (though SG1 obviously fits the procedural category). I do enjoy Constantine and 12 Monkeys, but they cannot hold a candle to their trailblazing predecessors.
 

DesiPower

Lifer
Nov 22, 2008
15,366
740
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What's wrong with SGU? I liked it, it was not a typical SG storyline but in itself it was a good show. Only thing disturbs me is the abrupt end, I need some closure :(
 

Skel

Diamond Member
Apr 11, 2001
6,214
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Do these SyFy shows follow some kind of outline from old bad 90s shows? I tried giving this one a go, but honestly it's pretty bad. I could get behind the plot of the show, even the possible twist at the end
where it turns out they could be the bad guys
but the dialogue and acting are really bad. I also can't understand the need to have someone that runs around with a katana. I can't tell if they're targeting 8th graders or it was written by one.
 

techs

Lifer
Sep 26, 2000
28,561
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Do these SyFy shows follow some kind of outline from old bad 90s shows? I tried giving this one a go, but honestly it's pretty bad. I could get behind the plot of the show, even the possible twist at the end
where it turns out they could be the bad guys
but the dialogue and acting are really bad. I also can't understand the need to have someone that runs around with a katana. I can't tell if they're targeting 8th graders or it was written by one.

Interesting how we both saw the same thing but reacted to it so differently.
I guess the real test, as always, will be what the audience sees and hears.
I am going to see if I can find any reviews of the first episode from trusted sources.
 

ViRGE

Elite Member, Moderator Emeritus
Oct 9, 1999
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What's wrong with SGU? I liked it, it was not a typical SG storyline but in itself it was a good show. Only thing disturbs me is the abrupt end, I need some closure :(
In a nutshell? It was dark, depressing, emo crap.

Nothing good ever happened to those people. They had no optimism. They were petty and couldn't work well together. They always did the wrong thing, and in other people's bodies no less! And then you had weird mystic crap going on like the baby.

Battlestargate Voyager 90210: The New Class was a clear BSG clone, because BSG was still edgy and popular. But like that emo phase in your teenage years, the public grew out of it and that left behind a miserable show about miserable people, with none of the optimism or adventure of Stargate. Even "dark" DS9 wouldn't make the audience suffer like that for weeks on end. Who wants to take Prozac just to watch sci-fi? It was a miserable show that was 2 minutes of CGI and 40 minutes of human suffering every week.

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2128699

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2418804

Do these SyFy shows follow some kind of outline from old bad 90s shows? I tried giving this one a go, but honestly it's pretty bad. I could get behind the plot of the show, even the possible twist at the end
where it turns out they could be the bad guys
but the dialogue and acting are really bad. I also can't understand the need to have someone that runs around with a katana. I can't tell if they're targeting 8th graders or it was written by one.
They're hitting the character archetypes hard, no doubt about it. You can basically look at each character by the end of the episode and see the Stargate/Firefly character they're based off of.

One: The O'Neill/Sheppard everyman, but without the innate leadership and military skills
Two: Carter with another half-dozen points in badassery
Three: Jayne Cobb
Four: Asian swordsman Ronon
Five: River Tam
Six: A Teal'c that talks
The Android: Okay, this one has no immediate parallel. McKay crossed with Walter, perhaps? :p

That said, it was the first episode and you need to establish character traits early. So I'm willing to put up with it to see where they go from here. Most importantly they're not all insufferable jackasses, and at least some of them want to be good.
 
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ImpulsE69

Lifer
Jan 8, 2010
14,946
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I wouldn't say there is too much original with this series, and the first episode was so so. Acting and effects were pretty much what I expected.

I'm jonesing for a new space show so I'll continue to watch it for a few to see where it goes.
 

ViRGE

Elite Member, Moderator Emeritus
Oct 9, 1999
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Acting and effects were pretty much what I expected.
I haven't seen a budget figure quoted for this, but it's definitely going to be lower budget than Stargate given SyFy's situation and the average viewer numbers these days. So I don't expect we'll see nearly as much flashy CGI or similar effects.
 

Elixer

Lifer
May 7, 2002
10,376
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Seems OK so far, but, I feel they should have done a 2 hour premiere for this one as well.
 

Charmonium

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May 15, 2015
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I do enjoy Constantine and 12 Monkeys, but they cannot hold a candle to their trailblazing predecessors.
Unlike 12 monkeys, Constantine has been canned. They were trying to shop it around but no one was buying and contracts are up this month. I liked the show and even I have to admit it was a little thin.

but back on topic. I like the idea of the characters having to face what appears to be their true nature. My guess is that someone hacked both the crew and the ship. With their selective memory loss, they can now be reformed.

The only person not on the manifest seems to be the young girl/hacker/geek. Probably not a coincidence. We'll see.

I thought the acting was competent. The black dude I remember from First Wave and Continuum but I've seen him in few sci-fi shows. He's a pretty decent actor. No one else looked familiar but that doesn't mean anything.
 

matricks

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Nov 19, 2014
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I liked it, and will certainly watch the next episode. That said, as long as a story is new to me and not poking holes in stuff I already like, I am fairly easy to please.
 

Childs

Lifer
Jul 9, 2000
11,450
7
81
It was a miserable show that was 2 minutes of CGI and 40 minutes of human suffering every week.

You could be talking about Game of Thrones...

Anyways, the pilot was alright but nothing special. I think the problem is it seems familiar, but not necessarily in a good way. Its like SGU, Andromeda and Farscape all mashed up, but without the good casting of either show, including SGU. It is just the pilot though, so maybe it'll grow on me. I usually like Roger Cross and Jodelle Ferland, and the Asian dude's character is kinda neat, so there is potential.
 
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ViRGE

Elite Member, Moderator Emeritus
Oct 9, 1999
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You could be talking about Game of Thrones...
And to be fair I dislike Game of Thrones in large part because it's so bleak...

I'm a big proponent of the heroic future. Give people something to aspire to. It doesn't necessarily have to be a space opera (though those are fun), but show them that the future isn't something to fear.
 

MongGrel

Lifer
Dec 3, 2013
38,751
3,068
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And to be fair I dislike Game of Thrones in large part because it's so bleak...

I'm a big proponent of the heroic future. Give people something to aspire to. It doesn't necessarily have to be a space opera (though those are fun), but show them that the future isn't something to fear.

The writers are pretty damned good though I'd say....

I mean adapting GOT.
 
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james1701

Golden Member
Sep 14, 2007
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I enjoyed it. I wish it would have been a two hour premier to a get a more complete first episode. Looking at IMDB, they are bringing some SG cast into the show for appearances and directors I do like the upbeat feel of the show as others have said. This could be the show I have been searching for since all SG and ST has left airwaves.

I can't wait to see more.
 

DigDog

Lifer
Jun 3, 2011
13,443
2,084
126
pros and cons

pros :
1. science fiction

cons:
1. bad acting
2. bad lighting
3. boring camera work
4. bad dialogue
5. ugly sets and costumes
6. bad special effects
7. bad casting
 

techs

Lifer
Sep 26, 2000
28,561
4
0
You could be talking about Game of Thrones...

Anyways, the pilot was alright but nothing special. I think the the problem is it seems familiar, but not necessarily in a good way. Its like SGU, Andromeda and Farscape mashed up, but without the good casting of either show, including SGU. It is just the pilot though, so maybe it'll grow on me. I usually like Roger Cross and Jodelle Ferland, and the Asian dude's character is kinda neat, so there is potential.

I didn't know who Jodelle Ferland was so I looked her up and was surprised. I knew she looked familiar but didn't expect that she would be "Harmony" from the Stargate: Atlantis episode of the same name, where she plays a young, 12-14 year old future queen who has a crush on Sheppard.

She's all growed up at 20 now. Good find!

Oh, I love Roger Cross as a supporting actor. He's not starring material, but is a very good actor who adds a lot when used properly and I always like seeing him in a show.
 

Skel

Diamond Member
Apr 11, 2001
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Interesting how we both saw the same thing but reacted to it so differently.
I guess the real test, as always, will be what the audience sees and hears.
I am going to see if I can find any reviews of the first episode from trusted sources.

I have that feeling a lot when I see some shows that are beyond stupid yet people try to tell me they're some of the greatest stuff on TV. Some of the time I'm convinced we're watching two different shows. While I don't try to be hypercritical of anything, I don't grade on a curve. It either works for me or it doesn't. I'm sure this show will last a couple of seasons and it will develop a following. One thing I learned when I worked in comics, the thing I thought was the worst thing I ever wrote is someone's most favorite thing ever.