Syfy Season 2 Switcheroo

Image from TV Line

Is it just me or has the second seasons of 'Dark Matter' and 'Killjoys' reversed places?

Last season Killjoys was definitely the most exciting, with Dark Matter being something of an (admittedly enjoyable) afterthought. This season Dark Matter has picked up steam and become so interesting I'm eager to watch it immediately. The crew (with happy additions) seems to have found their rhythm; and it was a clever move on the part of the writers to eliminate One, who was always something of a killjoy.

See what I did there?

Yet with Killjoys, I'm always a couple of episodes behind- and that's with pretty much nothing else on to watch for the summer. Killjoys seems to have lost its focus a bit this season; the story lines are sprawling and not particularly engaging. Furthermore, Dutch and Johnny haven't been together much this season and they have by far the best chemistry (and comedic timing) of the group. Hopefully it picks up in the episodes I've been neglecting.

Either way, I'm still hoping both shows get picked up for a third season. With diverse casts, creative story lines and tough, intelligent leading ladies they're both worth another go. I would definitely still watch (although perhaps at a lag).

Image from TV Fanatic

Comic Con 2016 Star Portraits, Entertainment Weekly

Dark Matter

American Gods

Luke Cage

Preacher

Game of Thrones

Image Credits: MATTHIAS CLAMER for EW

TV Review: ‘Killjoys’ and ‘Dark Matter’

Photo from Variety

'Dark Matter' and 'Killjoys' don't return until July 1st, but Variety got a early viewing. You can read their review here. I tend to agree with them about Four's character on 'Dark Matter.' I too found the characterization a little heavy handed.

How Syfy is Leading The Charge With Imagining Diverse Futures

Photo from io9

io9 recently featured an article highlighting Syfy's concerted push to create shows with diverse casts and women in the lead.


Talking about 'The Killjoys':

Killjoys’ creator Michelle Lovretta’s motivations for the show stemmed out of her desire to see a very different world than what she had read and watched in science fiction. “I don’t want to just meet myself.” she noted, “I don’t want to meet people who look like myself. I don’t just want to meet people who have sex the way that I do; I don’t like that world. I like a world that is full-bodied and has a lot of variety in it and that’s also something that we kind of commit to trying to do, because there’s nothing more boring and bland and sameless, and if you want to be bland, you shouldn’t be in sci-fi.”

Furthermore, she envisioned that the show featured a woman of color from the onset. “When I first pitched the show concept there hadn’t been a spaceship show on the air in years, so I was already anticipating a tough sell.” Lovretta told us in a recent interview. “On top of that, I was insisting on a WOC at the ship’s helm, which hadn’t exactly been done a million times. But Syfy was fully behind Dutch from the start, and together we made a conscious effort towards casting a diverse lead.”


Some of my personal favorites are mentioned here. And while 12 Monkeys isn't as diverse as I would like it to be, the women kick butt all day every day. Read the full article at io9:

http://io9.gizmodo.com/how-syfy-is-leading-the-charge-with-imagining-diverse-f-1782214014


Photo and text from io9

How the Creators of Dark Matter and Killjoys Are Raising the Stakes for Their Second Seasons

Badass Dutch. Photo from io9

WARNING: SPOILERS

Last year, Killjoys and Dark Matter premiered on Syfy, two shows which returned to a formula that had been long missed by viewers: a story about a spaceship, its crew, and their adventures. Both series are poised to return for their sophomore seasons in July, and they’re coming back bigger than before.

For Killjoys, Old Town is walled off from after it was bombed in the finale of season one, and the entire place is formulating a rebellion against the Company.  

The second season will be delving into some of the deeper stories that were teased last year. Killjoys creator Michelle Lovretta noted that “the point of this season for me is kicking open the barn doors on a lot of the mythos and questions. We explore this season a large part of the origins of Red 17, sort of how all these pieces that look disparate and disconnected ultimately are telling the same story, and are possibly headed in the same direction.”

There are other elements that she hopes to bring out in the second season. “Hannah [John-Kamen] is funny. She’s light, you just want to go have a beer with her. She’s young and full of joy; she sings and she dances,” Season 1 established her as a tough and resilient character with a harsh past; Lovretta noted that she wanted to bring out some of the humor. 

New character Nyx. Photo from io9

For Dark Matter, the revelation that Six was the mole will have some major ramifications for the coming season; as it was a surprise to the actors and audience, the characters won’t learn of his actions until the beginning of season two. Cross noted that the betrayal gives his character a place to go, and that the revelation won’t go down well with his fellow crew members, particularly Five, who he had bonded with over the prior season.

There will be more characters joining the ensemble cast as well, including Devon, portrayed by Shaun Sipos, and Nyx, played by Malanie Liburd. These characters appear to be joining the cast following their imprisonment, and might have a role in their escape.

Devon is a doctor who is haunted by mistakes in his past, while Nyx will be “strong, badass character who is also very charming,” according to Liburd.

She finds a place with the crew of the Raza, and is a character that uses what she can to survive. As she’s coming to know the members of the crew, it seems that she and Two will have a sort of respect for one another.

Read (a lot) more details about the coming second seasons at io9:
http://io9.gizmodo.com/how-the-creators-of-dark-matter-and-killjoys-are-raisin-1779393664


Photos and text from io9