Defying Gravity (2009) User Reviews

Keep an open mind with this show...

[edbermudez16 · 7/10 · 9 August 2009]

A lot of reviews here have really derided this show for being completely unrealistic, cheesy, and boring, and have basically labeled it "Grey's Anatomy in Space." I highly disagree. I address some of the concerns below:

1) Some reviews make the problem with the show one of being unrealistic. First off, IT'S A SCIENCE FICTION SHOW SET IN THE FUTURE. Who is really worrying about realism? And if you are, how can you worry about what's realistic when we have absolutely no way of knowing what is real IN THE FUTURE? Plus, it's simply TV...if you want realism, watch the discovery channel, or go visit Cape Canaveral in Florida, don't come looking for it on a show on ABC.

2) One previous review comments about the female Hispanic astronaut attempting to teach in space via video communication, and how she switched in and out of Spanish when talking. I kind of got offended at that review, as they said that she was simply making up random, nonsense words in Spanish when talking. I'm a native Spanish speaker, and all of what she was saying made complete sense. Second, why is the concept of multilingual teaching so hard to accept? The show is set 41 years in the future, and at the rate Hispanics are growing in this country, Spanish is fast becoming a critical secondary language in the US. Not to mention, various educational programs via the internet are doing the same thing, so it is far from nonsensical. It's simply a very bigoted view.

3) Before making assumptions about the show, or passing judgment on it, watch the episodes available from start to finish. Many concerns about plot holes are addressed in subtle ways that someone not taking any effort to pay attention to the show, and instead use it as mindless background noise, would definitely miss.

4) Yes, I understand the whole "why is there a music video in the middle of the show" concern. There are a couple of points where the show uses a musical "interlude" during emotional/emotion-evoking scenes. The question is, how else would you like them to show the love between a husband and wife, or the thrill of beginning space exploration? By talking about it? By cheesy dialog between the characters trying to say something of deep meaning, but not succeeding? Please. The show tried to appease individuals looking for that sort of thing by the whole "astronaut video diary" scenes. By the way, the scenes in question are about 6-7 minutes out of a 45 minute show. Get over it.

5) This isn't Star Trek. It isn't Star Wars. It isn't your typical science fiction set really far in the future, where anything and everything is possible. It's a show about what space exploration COULD BE like sometime in the next half century, but that doesn't mean that it's how things WILL be. People who have problems with this seem to think that space travel is either via Space Shuttle, or by the Starship Enterprise, and nothing in between. Keep your mind open.

It's a nice change of pace from medical drama shows, legal/police drama shows, "teen angst" shows, and family comedies. It's something a bit different. Plus, only two episodes have aired (both of which were pretty good when you simply sat back and enjoyed it for what it was worth, rather than trying to nit-pick apart the show for every little thing). There's plenty of the show ahead, so give it some time. Plot lines take time to develop and get better.

Obviously, not everyone likes every show. I know that there are definitely shows that I've despised through the years, and I'm sure everyone has their own shows that they feel that way about. All I'm saying is, watch the show, give it a chance, and allow it to be its own show, not something else that it's not, but that you or someone else would like it to be because you were comfortable with the previous show. Additionally, Ron Livingston is the man, so there's always that.

Confused why there is such dislike of this show.

[spudhalvorson · 7/10 · 1 September 2009]

Okay, so I also agree that it is hard to conceive of how the producers will keep this alive given the trajectory of this program, but is the program really that bad? The sexuality between characters: were men to take horribly long space engagements it is believable that a level of sexuality might be tolerated; it is human nature after all. Suppress it for 6 years, I think not.

I like this show, and am enjoying it. I can't think of anything better to watch on television, really. My greatest fear is that like the X-Files, it will come to a speeding cataclysm of a wreck, with poor writing and insufficient funds. The problem is not in the drama, or the relationships. The problem is in maintaining Nielsen ratings, where more and more outrageous plot twists are added to attract viewers, which can be fun, but never realistically brought to a coherent conclusion.

I think folks should give this one a chance, but given their short attention, I'm fairly certain they will not. Just keepin' it real, monkeys.

Lost—in Space

[scottwallvashon · 8/10 · 3 August 2009]

This show appears to be another evolving mystery like Lost. Right away, we are presented with a plausible near-future scenario. Yet, there are obvious hints that something of earthshaking extraordinary significance is lurking in the shadows.

The acting is acceptable. The characters seem too capricious for astronauts, but I say this with reservation. When Lisa Marie Nowak made her cross-country trip in a diaper, the image of the cool-headed, courageous professional was somewhat tarnished.

Their justification for filming primarily in a one gravity environment is a bit embarrassing. Star Trek's gravity plating would have been too advanced for this show, but the explanation they settled on is too problematic. It would have been better if they had adopted a revolving habitat like the space station in Kubrick's 2001. In their defense, they probably rejected a revolving habitat so that they could have more inspiring views through the ship's windows. In that case they should have adopted a ship that was constantly accelerating at one gravity. Then, they would only have to justify the large power requirements. They couldn't have the casual view back to earth, but they must sacrifice something in the way of art to make a show that will sit well with their presumed audience.

I definitely intend to follow Defying Gravity. The recent debut of the sigh-fie channel's noxious Warehouse 13 left me wanting. Perhaps this will make up for that disappointment.

Entertaining

[utopia14 · 9/10 · 9 August 2009]

"Defying Gravity doesn't" and other brilliant witticisms I've found in the press have compelled me to write this review.

I'm not sure what it is people expect from network drama. Are the physics poorly explained? Yeah. Is NASA really full of sexy astronauts that all happen to be dating each other? No.

But seriously people, is that what we want television to be? This may come as a shock, but ER, Grey's, House, etc. don't exactly approximate what it's like to be a doctor but a lot of people love those shows for what they are: entertainment.

There's a lot of excitement in this show. It actually reminded me of Armageddon. Romance, drama, secrets, and space. It's not the Soprano's, but there's definitely room for shows like this on my Tivo.

50/50..

[jinxta · 6 August 2009]

I've just finished watching the first 2 episodes, and I must say, I was intrigued.

It's set in a near future (2052), and a team of astronauts are suiting up for what is going to be the trip of a lifetime; A 6 year journey through our solar-system, visiting all the inner & outer planets, and gathering as much information about our galactic neighborhood & scientific data as they can whilst they're out there..at least, those are the official mission-objectives. We are introduced to an unknown factor, a person or entity (Beta), who/which is somehow manipulating the mission, and known about by the higher ups, but never mentioned. Only the mission commander has been fully briefed and instructed to brief the crew, only after they've arrived at Venus.

It has somewhat of a "Lost"-vibe, in that it's very character driven and mysterious. However, this can be a bad thing..I personally lost interest in Lost, because of exactly that fact; There were too many questions, and the answers only brought up more questions & were not to my satisfaction to begin with. I hope Defying Gravity will not be taking the same route, because it definitely has potential.

Defying Gravity has potential if done Carefully..

[arv_tor_tallen · 6/10 · 8 August 2009]

I just viewed the opener and the first episode, I thought it was mediocre but then again, I hated the new BSG when it started, Now its one of my faves, (the same with Jericho and the 4400,) so i think its still too early to make judgments at least until the end of the 1st season, maybe as early as mid-season.

as for the tech, we see the tech that we have today is because the writers agreed that even though this show takes place in the future, its supposed to be Relevant to today (not to mention the budget costs). IF they wanted, they could have started guess how Quantum entanglement machines might be used, as its supposed to begin replacing electronics by around 2016, however its still too new to accurately guess what kind of impact it might have.

I think the main reason that this will will be disliked is because unlike all the other shows sci-fi or not, there are no real antagonists, thus far; no commies, galactic evil aliens, or laser rocket robots blowing up everything, that we have come to expect from TV/movies.

this show didn't have much of a start, but it has potential.

Great show!

[Donut-77 · 9/10 · 11 August 2009]

I really enjoyed the pilot and 2 episodes so far. I'm a Sci-Fi nut to start off with and my heads been in the stars since I was a kid, so when they start another space based TV show I'm all in.

Ron Livingston is a great actor and makes a fantastic lead in this futuristic space epic. His character is serious, yet relaxed, which I think makes him more likable. The other characters are slowly developing, but all seem to have their own side stories, which for most people will make the show.

Regarding the ship, they really put thought into the possible future techs that could be reality. The ship is definitely more realistic to what might be our first long term spaceship. Built sort of like the International Space Station, put together by component modules, it's long, cylindrical, and not light-speed. I'm sure we'll learn more about the ship as time goes on, but for now they've not really focused on it much. What we do know is that the ship has mysteries. There is a force that's guiding the ship, its crew and their mission to explore the solar system. Who or what this force is has left us guessing.

Overall, the show is off to a good start. It's got it's drama, suspense, and intrigue. Here's to hoping this one stays on the air for a long time!

High Production Value.

[m-od · 7/10 · 2 August 2009]

Very interesting story with a bit of a 2001 feel to it. Space reality, with a touch of otherworldly influence.

I watched this in HD and being a space junkie found it near breath taking. The visuals were so crisp and clear. Things were about as real as they could get. Everything seemed plausible minus the "divine interventions" shall we say.

It also plays heavy with philosophy, debating freewill vs fate. Are we predestined to achieve certain goals, or are we the creators of our future? What is the value of life? Are we just expressed genetics? Where does Biology end and humanity begin?

They've set out on a six year mission to cruise our solar system, will they make it past year one? Let's hope so.

Silly but lovely

[HMVincent · 8/10 · 15 September 2009]

I had no expectations for this show. I'd never heard of it till the week before its eighth (and maybe last) episode. I have no television: I watch shows online. I was looking for something with Ron Livingston in it, after watching "Band of Brothers".

The science and junior-high atmosphere are ridiculous, of course, but I enjoy the slow pace and the wonderment of space. In one narration Donner says, "How the hell did I get here?" I think, if I were aboard Antares as a trained astronaut, I would wonder how I got there, often. After an all-hands meeting, Mintz suggests that they take a moment to remember where they are, then he lowers the light so that they may gaze on Earth and the Moon. That was a nice moment. I think I would alternate between gazing in awe at what surrounds the ship, and cringing in fear at what DOESN'T surround the ship: air.

The mystery of Beta is lovely. I don't care what it is, it's enough that it makes it okay to add weirdness to the story. I'm not familiar with Laura Harris, but she is a lovely and talented actress, and makes a nice foil to Livingston's Donner. Livingston does an extraordinary job, particularly when he reacts with fear and confusion to his hallucinations.

The episodes have improved as the show progresses. At this writing the show has stopped after episode eight, and may not resume. I will be sorry not to see the remainder of the season.

This show won't make it

[scottm-59 · 6/10 · 19 August 2009]

I've watched all four episodes in a row and I find it very hard to believe that it will survive much longer. There are too many times where you are suspending your belief in reality, even times when you clearly should not be.

• The way that these "astronauts" are portrayed makes me cringe. Not that I am an astronaut, but do you really think the male astronauts will be ogling and groping the female ones in a space program such as this? These people would have been fired for sexual discrimination long before they reached the level of a professional astronaut. Yes, it's a TV show, but, 'cmon... it practically makes them look like they're from the dark ages.

• The "science" and technology is pretty poor. I won't go into details for fear of adding a spoiler or two, but it's as if they are only halfway researching they way objects behave in space.

• The roles written for the actors are so standard, so "predefined"... Stereotypes I find almost laughable. Geeky guy, clueless foreigner, lusty woman, a scientist that's a prude... the list goes on. It's like canned melodrama and the woman speaking Spanish half the time (like some sort of older Dora the Explorer) really takes the cake. Again, annoying and obtrusive. The series would have been better without that addition.

The show has a decent premise, and I'm curious about Beta, but not enough to keep me watching and, I seriously doubt it will make it through the first season.

Great cast, good production values, okay direction...painful scripts

[Turambar-3 · 5/10 · 20 November 2009]

The first things I noticed about this series, of course, were the good acting and great CG effects. Then the funny stuff started happening - contemporary clothing and cars over forty years in the future, astronauts who wouldn't have made it past a preliminary interview, trite dialogue, made-up technical details like faster-than-light instant communication from Venus, and General-Hospital plots.

I feel badly for everybody involved with this series other than James Parriott. The people and the sets are very pretty. The music cues us to laugh when the comic relief arrives. We get long music videos twice an episode. For the most part sexual innuendo is completely skipped because it's too subtle - the characters talk constantly about sex because the writers don't know what else astronauts would talk about. The editors gave us lots of long, pregnant moments to give us time to consider the incredible implications of every emotionally charged moment. We're even given lots of "Let's do this" and "when you do this thing that we do" dialogue to remind us that we're watching true heroes, in case we've forgotten. And every episode ends with an honest-to-god "You see, Timmy..." eternal lifetruth.

Admittedly, the plot holes are sometimes pretty large, but that's normal for TV, right?

The whole problem here is that audiences are sometimes too smart. This series should be a rich emotional and philosophical stew but it's really a bowl of thin watery gruel. The "Grey's Anatomy" female demographic doesn't get enough to satisfy, and the sci-fi crowd gets what's left over after the bowl has been licked clean. Without women and sci-fi fans there weren't enough people left to watch this series, and that's too bad for everybody. It's especially bad for anybody who wants to make a sci-fi series for a major network in the near future, because this one will make it tough.

There's a quote from James Parriott that I think is worth including here. "I was reading in The New Yorker how stock market swings follow Pi, the fractal equation. And that's sort of a scary thing, that it just moves. You can plot the right dips and curves that it does indeed move fractally, and that just blows me away. There's just tons of stuff we don't know."

This quote explained loads to me. The problem is that Parriott didn't understand what he was reading, and he got it completely garbled, *and then, being a TV guy, he based a new TV series on his garbled version of what he thought he'd read.* Oh no.

Now, for those who haven't seen Parriott's reveal of where the series would have gone next season, I'll summarize (and no, I'm not making this up):

• Nadia turns into a man. - Donner's vasectomy reverses itself for the second time, so does Zoe's hysterectomy, and he gets her pregnant. - Wassenfelder becomes autistic, making him extra, extra smart, because everybody knows autistic guys are extra, extra smart. - Arnel loses his leg in training, forcing them(?) to recall Zoe. - Jen is forced to kill her bunny in order to have the guilt necessary to see the "fractal objects". - Eve realizes she's supposed to be on the ship, so they put her on a "resupply mission". - Rollie goes to jail again, but when it's necessary to get Eve to Mars Rollie leaves town in a big way. - Goss realizes the "fractal objects" made him a bad guy. - We never find out what the "fractal objects" are, or in fact, what makes them "fractal objects", because frankly, I'm a math guy, and I didn't see no "fractal objects". - Sharon and Walker may still be alive on Mars, but that wasn't completely decided.

There's some good news about all of this that means a lot to me, even though it probably won't mean much to most people. This series has cured me of television for a while. And, as the script writers say, that's a Good Thing.

An Argument against the Nerd Rage

[nicksjames · 10/10 · 10 August 2009]

Fellow Sci-Fi dorks out there...

Calm your nerd rage. Oh no, the show is not realistic. At this point I would quote one of founders of the sci-fi genre, Arthur C. Clarke. Any sufficiently advanced technology appears as magic to those who don't possess it or understand it.

I literally just read a comment where in the same sentence, someone criticized this show based on a lack of time-delay in radio communications, but then went on to talk about traveling at the speed of light and time distortion.

If you want realism sci-fi Fans, then I hate it to break it to you, but all of our "classic" series and movies need to go to a trash can immediately.

Star Trek. Oh yeah. That was realistic. Watch an old episode with anyone who has any kind of science training and watch the look on their face during techno-babble sessions. You seem to accept transporters, warp drive, food replication, made-up minerals and real-time communication in that setting with ease, but not here.

The new BSG, which many people (including myself) love. Heck, they don't even bother with the explanations on this show on purpose (show creator Ron Moore has been quoted as demanding no Star Trek techno babble scenes on this one). You have some kind of "jump" system for traveling in space (ala Dune almost, traveling without moving), real-time communication over vast differences, an endless supply of alcohol and booze, etc. Not to mention the contradictions. (The 13th tribe leaves a probe with a virus, which makes the Cylons sick and die, except a season later we find out the 13th tribe was cylons. my head hurts just contemplating it) Star Wars. Don't think I need to explain the science holes here, anyone who paid attention in elementary school can figure these out. Fire and sound in space. Light speed. Lightsabers.

I could go on and on, but I think my point is made. ALMOST ALL science fiction is unrealistic. That's part of the point. Even movies/shows that were somewhat realistic (2001, 2010 for example, the science in them is fairly sound)have the element of unknown, of unrealistic (the monolith).

As for why the baseball doesn't move, and why the ship has rotating parts even though their suits have the nano-things, that comment from someone made me laugh. They criticize the show for a lack of realism and then criticize it for having a ship move.

Follow this logic with me, OK? For the "real science" lovers out here, I thought this part of the show would have made them happy.

The suits have nano-like fibers built in that pull to the deck, thus enabling the crew to be a lot more productive, moving around in a familiar 1g environment.

But biologically, their bodies would still react over the long-term as if in a zero-g environment. The suit is pulled to the floor, that is still not gravity, that just lets you function as if there is cause all your clothes are being pulled down to the floor. The only way to use these "nano fibers" to do that would be directly embedding them throughout each astronaut's body.

Right before one of the diaries, in fact a lot of them, they show clips of the spinny parts of the ship.

Logically, one way to help battle long-term zero-g environment problems in this situation could be : "let's have their sleeping quarters be in the spinny part; in theory then every astronaut has 6-8 hours per day of being in a "real" gravity environment, thus helping combat zero-g related problems over a long-term. Keeping your astronauts under actual gravity for a third of their time would help greatly. Really, I was surprised the science patrol missed that and instead criticized it.

Point is this show may be somewhat unrealistic (more realistic then a lot of other sci-fi shows they, the way they actually talked about launch windows, planet alignment, how it would be 6 years before another launch opportunity. When's the last time you saw that in a show? "sorry Captain Picard, but our launch window doesn't come up for another 5 hours..."), but I think it's holding it's own atm. Pretty interesting, a slight nod to science but more focus on what it would be like to be one of these astronauts.

And oh yeah, for those who argue, argue, and argue against the relations between astronauts. Couple of points.

A lot, and I mean a LOT (read MOST here, formerly all, Neil Armstrong was one of the only civilians in the Apollo program for example, almost all the rest were Navy/Air Force pilots), of astronauts are former military personnel, often test-pilots or other high-risk type jobs. Try to tell me with a straight face that a bunch of pilots from the Navy and Air Force don't try to get around, especially after being told your an astronaut, your one of the best, etc....

As for the crew not being the best or qualified, they actually bring that up in the show, it has to do with "beta", whatever the heck it is, they keep saying it chose people, they wanted to wash them out, etc...

Soft sci-fi with potential

[lawgustavo · 7/10 · 21 October 2009]

Well, this is my first review here, so I'm not sure if I will do well.

I am a huge fan of scientific fiction, so this series really grabbed my attention.

"Defying Gravity" happens by the year of 2059, in a mission to apparently explore Solar System and its mysteries. A crew of eight astronauts is chosen after intensive training to this mission of six years long (which makes me assume the series was firstly planned for six seasons). When they arrive at "outer space", nothing is like they really expected.

This is more drama than scientific fiction, in my opinion. It involves a lot of personal issues and the life in space, that's why I called this soft scientific fiction. Don't expect good explanation for everything "scientific" you watch, because you won't have, as for example, the artificial gravity explanation is very non-sense.

I was firstly hopping for this to not involve fringe/pseudo science, but I guess it will end up on that anyways, as it's making a lot of success in series like Lost and Fringe.

As I said before, this has a huge potential to become a very good program for sci-fi/drama lovers, but also has an incredible potential to fail.

I heard this series is already cancelled, so only the first season will be released. Quite sad, I wanted to see how it was going to finish.

Science aside, a dull show.

[walrusgumbo · 3/10 · 22 December 2009]

I do not have a physics degree. Of the many scientific inaccuracies, the only one that really pops to my mind was the almost comical handwave of why, with their spiffy nanoclothes, their hair wasn't affected by zero gravity (it's NANO HAIRSPRAY, because perfect hair is Just That Important).

No, I'm not here to complain about the (admittedly laughable) science.

There are two shows contained in one. The first show is a highly interesting one about a space mission where Things Go Really Wrong And It's A Big Mystery. That's INTERESTING, you are always wondering what's going to happen next, what could the solution be?

Then there's the other show, a drippy pointless melodrama about people training for This Big Mission, and who is screwing who, and who gets pregnant, and endless drama. There is a plot point: One of the characters got pregnant, and then got an abortion. Another crew member was the father. They go on about it, episode after episode. It's not alone either, there are enough for any soap opera. (The maker revealed, by the way, that had the series continued, we would have learned that one of the female characters was abandoned as a little girl, baby astronaut has a mysterious Space Pregnancy, and still *another* lady astronaut is actually a Man). It goes on, boring hour after boring hour.

Guess which show makes up 90% of this one?

It's infuriating because I would have really loved to see how the Actual Plot went, but no, half of every episode is flashbacks (or more, no exaggeration at all), forty percent is them angsting over the flashbacks, and ten percent is Real Plot.

It amounts to the most frustrating shows I've seen. The worst part is, if they just said 'she got pregnant with his baby and then got an abortion' in one episode, if they had one episode devoted to a character or little snippet about them, if they introduced the characters properly, it might actually work. They don't so it doesn't.

Great Show!!

[desertsunflower99 · 10/10 · 16 August 2009]

Pray ABC keeps this one on board. It's already an interesting drama/sci-fi/mystery and I'm really wanting to know who (I really suspect it's a "what") Beta is: the one that makes major decisions for the human astronauts but has remained in shadow so far...The cast is excellent and well seasoned (I do not mean old!) -- this automatically lends a trusted measure of character to the series. I rarely watch anything on a regular basis - but I have remembered to view "Defying Gravity" every week... and if you want to know the overall 'climate' of my other IMDb comments check the other posts attached to my account - always a good idea around here (O; .

Bad Science, Bad Fiction.... Just Plain Bad

[dicksmothersjr · 21 August 2009]

Defying Gravity is (ostensibly) a "sexy scifi/drama". Unfortunately, it's about as sexy as the office dork who think's saying "penis" every chance he gets is sexy, there's virtually no science and the attempts at drama are extremely poorly-acted clichés we've all seen countless times in hospital/workplace dramas from the last 30 years which, even when done in a mediocre fashion, have been done a hundred times better.

The show's attempts at being naughty include a sexy, female German astronaut telling the show's hero (with the dopey name Maddox Donner) how she'll be waiting for him naked and in bed in his apartment and a bet between the male and female astronaut trainees as to whether or not any of the males can achieve an erection, despite the anti-libido drugs administered to them via dermal patches (a nerdy cadet wins when the sexy German girl rubs up against him in her bra). These are typical of the show's vain attempts at titillation.

We are also treated to hackneyed attempts at drama we've seen countless times, but done better. Maddox's relationship with his drunken dad who dumps on all of his accomplishments; the female cadet who gets pregnant from a supposedly vasectomized male astronaut but never tells him; the shifting romantic triangles between astronauts (related in endless and sluggish flashbacks), all of which seem to result in marriage: the deep-seated guilt of two astronauts who were forced to leave behind their fellows to die on Mars during a sandstorm. Given the by-the-numbers writing and stiff acting, we make no emotional connection. To put the icing on this cake of mediocrity, we are subjected to Maddox's voice-overs regarding the nature of humanity, the wonders of the universe et al, which sound like Jack Handy's "Deep Thoughts" musings from Saturday Night Live.

The flaw that really destroys the whole thing is the utter lack of regard for real science. This show is supposedly a "scifi drama", which means that it has to succeed as either one or the other if it is to have any value. With the bar having been raised so high by shows like Babylon 5 and BSG, something as slipshod as DF winds up looking worse than 60s scifi-cheese like Lost In Space. Scientific errors? Where does one begin? Howbout the fact that they have instantaneous two-way communication between the spaceship Antares and Earth without any time lag whatsoever, despite being millions of miles away? Howbout the fact that they walk around, sit in chars, set objects down on surfaces, etc, as if gravity were somehow being artificially generated, except for when crewmates have sex or the sexy Latina girl barfs, which floats around as if it were in null G (and if gravity were being simulated by acceleration, everything in the ship would be shoved to the rear, since, unlike real-life rockets, the orientation of the decking is perpendicular to the drive source). And, if gravity seems to be present just about everywhere, just what exactly are the two rotating boom sections for? In more flagrant disregard for the laws of gravity and inertia, in one episode our hero Maddox has to pull a crewmate back into the ship by her tether after she was accidentally ejected into vacuum. However, he winds up having to continuously pull her in, despite the fact that, in a null-G or micrograv environment, after he pulled once, she would continue to move in the direction pulled "until or unless acted upon by an opposite or external force" (first year physics, Day One). Instead, Maddox has to keep pulling her in, hand over hand, tether remaining taught the entire time. An additional minor-but-salient inaccuracy (one that's frequently forgivable in scifi shows for purely visual reasons, but nothing should be forgiven in a show this bad) is the ridiculous size of the Antares and the amount of unnecessarily spacious areas within it. Since any open spaces have to be pressurized and filled with breathable air, the idea behind spaceship (or submarine, for that matter) design is to make the open spaces no larger than necessary. Sinc this show is set in 2052 and seems to be attempting no to stray too far from what is currently possible (Star Trek and other shows can get away with this, since the technology is that of the far future or, in the case of BSG, of another culture in another part of the universe entirely), the concept of building a ship with huge, spacious corridors and giant, cavernous lounges filled with big picture windows so everyone can look out and see the pretty stars (and be microwaved by hard radiation while they're at it) is patently absurd. The amount of oxygen that would have to be brought with them, not to mention the enormous CO2 scrubbing capability that would be required to keep the voluminous internal atmosphere from becoming poison, is truly staggering. Add to these errors the comment by a crewmember in an episode about how beautiful the moons of Saturn appear (seen by the naked eye and while en route to Venus, which is inward towards the Sun? WTF?) and the fact that the Antares' mission is to tour "seven planets in six years" (it would take that long just to get to Saturn), despite the limitations of fuel requirements and the human body's ability to withstand anything approaching the amount of acceleration required to achieve such a timetable, and you've got a show that, despite the fact it's being produced in the 21st century, is about as scientifically accurate as the previously-mentioned Lost In Space.

A previous user comment calls this show "entertaining". I ask you, how could anything so utterly pretentious yet inarguably bad be entertaining to anyone, other than someone who can be satisfied looking at flashing colors on a screen for 60 minutes? Even my cat gets tired of that after five.

I'm not surprised it was cancelled

[Tweekums · 6/10 · 22 December 2009]

Enjoying science fiction I started watching this when it aired on television here, not knowing that it had been cancelled at the time. When I learnt of its cancellation I was not surprised as it started far too slowly and right through the series had flashbacks to their training which were just a distraction as we knew nothing bad could have happened to the characters as the audience knows everything will work out as the characters are alive and well and on the mission. It is a pity it had these faults as the main story about the Antares mission to Venus, and had the series not been cancelled to other planets, was fairly gripping.

In the opening episode we learn that two members of the team, Donner and Shaw, have were on a previous mission to Mars where they were forced to take off leaving two other members of that crew on the surface, understandable this has an effect on them and initially keeps them off the mission. However I wasn't surprised when problems with two of the crew meant they had to go on the mission after all, I'd have been more surprised if they hadn't gone as they were clearly being set up as main characters. As the mission progresses we learn that the crew are in the dark about the true purpose of their journey; to collect alien items from the planets they are visiting, nor do they know one of these items was found on Earth and is on board with them and is causing strange hallucinations.

The cast, most of whom I hadn't seen before, did a good job making me care about their characters even though I learnt the series had been cancelled shortly after seeing the first couple of episodes. Thankfully the first part of the mission occurred on the final episode, it would have been a real let down if they didn't even get to Venus.

Although the crew contains a mix of men and women don't expect and outer-space couplings as they are made to use a device that inhibits such feeling; this however doesn't stop them getting together in the flashback scenes although it is never too racy being made for network television. The series suffers from is early cancellation and I suspect I'd have stuck with it had it lasted longer however I don't think I'd ever consider it must see TV.

Defying Gravity...may not.... but it is good entertainment.

[weissjo · 10/10 · 20 August 2009]

I am admittedly a tech geek, but I do not expect "Science Fiction" to be "Science Fact". I like the current day look of the set, since the Antares has the same "flavor" of the ISS, but on a larger scale.

My only negative on the show was in the case of the Antares crew's "visions" which initially gave me the impression that the show was going to be an apparent Ghost story. But the "lapses", are apparently flashbacks to an earlier mission, at first I thought "Oh No here we go...'Poltergeists in space'", but thankfully that was not the case, or so I believe, only future episodes will show what that is going to become.

The wardrobe looks great, so far, the special effects are believable and overall, I give "Defying Gravity" two thumbs up, as a great near future Sci Fi show. Believable special effects combined with a bit of mystery and suspense and of course some comedy.

A good sci-fi show from ABC definitely NOT greys anatomy in space

[gladfan3-1 · 7/10 · 28 August 2009]

Having read a couple of other reviews on here, i have to completely disagree with the one that says this is greys anatomy in space. For a start there aren't any doctors in this one (well maybe one but hes no brain surgeon). Other comments go for realism and plot problems, well for realism this is SCIENCE FICTION and not a true story, for plot problems i thought that plots unfolded as the series progressed which this seems to be doing nicely. There are the back stories that have some holes but these are getting patched as we go through so commenting on bad plot is a bit premature.

On the whole a nice 42 minute distraction from present day, don't watch this for an insight into the human Psyche in space travel cos its made up. I like this and will be following it.

Oh just one thing to note, as this seems to be made up of actors from other shows how many fans now realise their shows are cancelled! Sorry.

A Perfectly Made Sci-fi Drama

[Rapsicle · 10/10 · 5 September 2009]

I have heard some of the bad press surrounding this television show, and I cannot understand it.

The show is set in the near future, where a group of astronauts are visiting the nearby planets in our solar system, with an added twist.

There is a lot of the show that is not realistic, but it is called science -fiction- for a reason, and I like that it is a lot closer to reality than many other pieces of science fiction. It is however very far from normality, of course, but it is the combination of the reality of relationships and the things that would happen down on earth, combined with the fiction on board the ship 'Antares'. However, there is also the realism of the natural gravity, which is a series possibility in space travel and the idea of their 'jump' that means the ship can move through space quickly which may be able to happen. There are so many other links with scientific fact and theories, so don't be too quick to judge without really knowing about astro-science!

It does, in my opinion, take a few episodes to really kick off. It starts out with the introduction of characters and their previous experiences, with detail flashbacks in later episodes to explain the story. I find myself glued to my television set every time I watch an episode, and after watching an episode I am eager to watch more.

The acting is another big positive. All of the cast perform their roles perfectly, and I have found myself gaining a real connection to the characters. Another positive is that the drama is played out so well that when you watch it, you really start to feel the characters emotions.

This show exceeded all of my expectations, and I am happy to say that I am an avid watcher of 'Defying Gravity' now, and will continue to be for as long as the show continues. I would highly recommend this to anyone, but if you like drama TV shows and also like to subject yourself to a dose of fiction (science fiction in this case!), this show is perfect for you!

Enjoyable and Addictive

[newharton · 7/10 · 7 September 2009]

Tossing physics, "pretty" astronauts and other logistical issues aside, I am completely addicted to this show. Considering that pretty much every television show asks for some suspension of disbelief, my suggestion is to "get over it." The characters are flawed, funny and engaging. The use of flashbacks keeps the plot lines from getting too stale and keeps you guessing at the twists without requiring serious note taking, outlines, and charts (um, pointing at you "Lost"). The characters are more real than what you see on other shows - the impact of past decisions is carried forward and integrated into the "current" story without being too preachy, etc.

In Space No One Can Hear You Yawn

[doctorj-1 · 4/10 · 16 June 2010]

I really wanted to like this one, but that was before i actually saw the episodes. My initial disappoint was that even though this is being billed as science fiction, there's no science in it unless you count name-dropping 'nanotechnology' every time there's something the writers can't explain - like the hair spray that causes hair to hang down in zero gravity. On top of that, it's not even futuristic: people in 2052 wear the same clothes, use the same cell phones, etc. as people in 2008.

What this is at the core is a soap opera. Apparently some committee decided that they could appeal to all viewers by copying parts of different genres and pasting them together at random. There's the relationship dramas cloned from "Grey's Anatomy", a space ship (uh, wait, make that a HAUNTED space ship), some action, some hints about a conspiracy by the powers that be, and occasional reminders of baseball. It may as well have been called "Defying Logic". Is it even remotely plausible that a multi billion dollar space agency would pick a bunch of astronauts for a six year mission whose personalities are absolutely guaranteed to clash?

Had great potential

[bluesquirrel2004 · 8/10 · 12 March 2018]

I have just finished watching this show for the third time since it's release on DVD. But I still, reluctantly, retain my 8/10 rating, even though I now feel quite different about it.

The story-line had great potential, and I would have so loved to discover the meaning of these artifacts. Alas, it will not happen.

What really lets it down for me are the characters. These characters are elite Astronauts that should be the pinnacle of respect, maturity and intelligence.

Instead we get a bunch of alcoholic, over-sexed characters. Seriously, is it believable to be in training for the highest standard of excellence, yet head off to the the bar every night to drink until they vomit, then show up the next day for training? I call absolute bulls#$%t on that!!

But the worst character had to be this Paula Morales whose entire script seem to be limited to telling people they were "disgusting" whenever the word sex was spoken, "Miracles", making the sign of the cross at every opportunity, her St Christopher medallion which barely left her mouth as she kissed it so much. That was absolute nonsense. Plus the fact that she spoke like a 6 year old girl, which forced me to FF her scenes.

And a Medical Officer that suffers PTSD... on a 6 year isolated mission???

The script writers portrayed astronauts extremely poorly. It is no wonder it was cancelled.

All these "astronauts" are head cases

[hotmrkt · 6/10 · 9 February 2011]

How in the world did these people become astronauts? On a space walk, the Donner character sees the two people that got left behind on Mars, one being his lover at the time, and he has history with two of the four women that are along for the mission. The doctor thinks he's back in Bosnia in a war zone, crawling around on the floor hallucinating. The physics guy is cowering in his room afraid of something, I have yet to see why. Even the captain of the ship locks himself in his room pouting about something. There is no way that these people in real life would have been picked to spend 6 years together in a space ship, and hope to make it back. I'm going to continue to watch, as I'm really enjoying the special effects, they spared no expense on that, but I can see why they did not air the entire season on TV.

Your Usual Brain-Numbing American Soap Fare

[Theodor16 · 1/10 · 24 August 2009]

Don't get me wrong - this series might get its followers as it has all the ingredients required for being emotionally involved without the need of brain use. But I can't stand this kind of BS anymore:

• Writers who get by without proper research, without even the slightest knowledge of what they are talking about (Hello! This is supposed to be astronomy, space flight, not a high-school setting);

• The consequential depiction of immature characters (astronauts? Forget it!) that struggle with the same old same old interpersonal problems and act like clueless teenagers, persons I wouldn't care to know;

• Abortion is illegal? A series that doesn't criticize this vehemently, or even condones it? A very good indication that the producers want to keep you in line, impose on you their ideological prison;

• And last but not least: the voice-over by one of the characters near the end of the episode, soaked in some smooth indistinguishable pubertal music, secreting some pseudo-wisdom that isn't even suitable for teenagers.

All in all, forgettable, unimportant stuff that is produced intentionally to keep you drugged with "entertainment", dumb, and numb. Time to wake up, turn off your TV and do something refreshing: take a long summer evening walk with someone, lie on a blanket in the park, or read a good book. It could even be science-fiction.