If you hadn't heard, the re-imagining of the 80s mini-series V will premiere on ABC next week.  Of course, if you hadn't heard you're either deaf, in a coma, or haven't left your house in weeks.  ABC's marketing department has opened its eyes, finally, and thrown out all the stops on their new sci-fi drama about a group of aliens that arrive on Earth playing nice, but who secretly want to eat us (yeah, as in literally eat us).  So has ABC finally learned something from past mistakes at marketing a sci-fi drama for television, or have they just gotten lucky?

Its easy to pick on ABC, of course, because they've thrown us a lot of science fiction and quasi-science fiction over the last few years, but in reality every one of the broadcast networks have done a terrible job at promoting genre television.  Just look Fox and their inability to do much with Dollhouse and Firefly.  And NBC's monumental failure just last fall with Kings.  If anything, ABC has done a bit better than most, especially with their quasi-science fiction shows such as Lost and FlashForward.  But this summer ABC gave us Defying Gravity, a fantastic, well-written, and fun little summer show that almost nobody even heard about, and those that did had no desire to actually watch it.

The failure of Defying Gravity to grab viewers has been blamed, by many critics and fans alike, by the marketing and promotion of the show before it launched.  For the most part, advertising for Defying Gravity was minimal to none on ABC that week.  The ads that did air on the network described the show as "Grey's Anatomy in space" and other similar gimmicky comparisons.  ABC, like many networks in the past, seemed to have no idea who their audience was for this show.  Granted, Defying Gravity was not a show that was going to appeal to all sci-fi genre fans.  At its core, Defying Gravity was a character drama that explored the human condition and had themes rooted deeply in fate and our role in the universe that happened to be set in space.  As a science fiction fan it certainly appealed to me, but had it been marketed better it could have easily appealed to many others that don't consider themselves science fiction fans.  In short, their marketing not only drove away their core science fiction viewers, it also drove away their hopeful non-sci-fi audience as well.  Gravity's fate is still unknown, but for the time being it has been pulled off of ABC without finishing its first season episodes.  ABC has indicated that they will show the remaining episodes but have given no hint as to when or how this will happen.

V, however, has been a different story entirely so far.  Even before this week, commercials for the new series were all over their network, and in the past few days you can't get through a commercial segment without seeing them.  But more importantly has been the content of the commercials.  It's true that V is a different kind of show than Defying Gravity was.  V doesn't appear to be as centered on a serialized episode format, and because it doesn't happen "in space" it doesn't seem to be as science fiction centered.  But don't kid yourselves, although it will revolve around very human issues and the human struggle to survive, at its core V is a show about aliens who look like lizards and come to our planet to destroy us.  But even knowing that, you can watch the promotions that ABC is airing and not be consumed by the science fiction element.  The current promos clearly paint the series as being about manipulation, struggle, and survival.  The pleasant and calm face of Anna, the leader of the visitors, is chilling in the commercials when you consider their true intentions of human consumption.

In their promotions for V I haven't once heard them compare the show to Grey's Anatomy.  Nor have I heard them compare it to Lost or any other successful show on their network.  This is a good thing.  While some might disagree, it gives V the opportunity to establish itself without any preconceived notions, other than those set by it's predecessor.

In the end, we won't know for another week if the positive promotion and marketing of V has paid off, and resulted in strong ratings, and to be honest we don't even know if the quality of this show is good enough to keep any viewers the promotional marketing brings in.  While all genre shows seem to struggle over the long haul, I do predict that V will have a strong debut for a genre show, and ABC deserves all the credit if that happens.  If I'm wrong, then I'm sure we'll have plenty of articles across the web talking about how ABC failed in their marketing once again.  Success in television, after all, is a fickle bitch.

Has ABC Finally Figured Out How to Market Sci-Fi with V?

Well, Defying Gravity will be airing its 13th and final episode this week on Canada's 'Space' channel, five episodes after it was unceremoniously pulled from the ABC schedule.  Sadly, there is still a demand for those final five episodes here - and the demand is being answered with silence.  If ABC plans on finishing off the series for US fans, they apparently don't intend on telling anybody about it.  With that in mind, we thought it might be some comfort for US fans to have the teasers for the episodes they have missed.  Small comfort, I know.

Defying Gravity resumed airing in Canada first on CTV, then on Space.  The final episode, "Kiss", airs this Friday.

Defying Gravity (Ep. 109) "Eve Ate The Apple"

As the Antares draws closer to Venus the mysterious secret in Pod 4 is finally exposed, revealing the incredible true nature of the space mission.

Defying Gravity (Ep. 110) "Deja Vu"

It's Election Day back on Earth but the Antares crew is still coming to terms with the awe-inspiring events that have just transformed the focus of the mission.

Defying Gravity (Ep. 111) "Solitary"

In the final hours before the landing on Venus, crewmembers of the Antares confront the loneliness and isolation of space.

Defying Gravity (112): "Venus"

It's the day of the Venus landing, a historic and dangerous event likely to alter the lives of everyone involved.

Defying Gravity (113): "Kiss"

After landing on the burning surface of Venus, Zoe walks toward a sound only she can hear, drawn by her destiny into almost certain destruction.

Defying Gravity Comes to a Close - Anywhere But Here

It seems that ABC might be just as confused about the future of Defying Gravity as the rest of us are.  Yesterday TVOvermind reported that Defying Gravity had been canceled.  Although no official announcement from ABC had been made, it seemed clear by ABC's actions, and the show's ratings, on what had happened, and many other sites also reported the cancelation (we did mention that nothing official had been announced, by the way).  After publishing our article I personally attempted to get in touch with the show's publicist at ABC for a confirmation and some answers to our questions.  While I didn't receive a response, it seems that The Futon Critic did, as they posted the below news article this evening.

LOS ANGELES (thefutoncritic.com) -- Let the speculation end: ABC's "Defying Gravity" is still very much alive.

Nicole Marostica, the show's publicist for the network, has confirmed the Alphabet hasn't pulled the plug on the show and is still mulling scheduling options going forward.

Due to its late start this summer, ABC didn't have the real estate to air all 13 installments from its first season. "Gravity's" shortened run was made clear from the start: the network announced back on July 22 (read the story), "Brothers & Sisters" would return to its Sunday, 10:00/9:00c slot on September 27, leaving "Gravity" just eight weeks of potential air dates.

This coming Sunday, ABC will air the 2005 feature "King Kong" rather than put originals against CBS's coverage of the Emmys.

"Gravity" nevertheless has been a lackluster performer at best - last night's airing drew just 2.52 million viewers (including a 0.9 rating among adults 18-49), making it the least-watched program on the four major networks.

No indication was given as to when the show will return.

So let me get this straight...ABC pulled Defying Gravity from its schedule a week early, gave no previews for the next episode, and didn't think they should send out a press release explaining to fans of the show what was happening?  How did they ever plan to get their audience back if they allow the show to mysteriously disappear with some future non-committal return date not even mentioned to anyone, anywhere?  So they say it hasn't been canceled, but they don't have the slightest bit of a plan for when or how to air the remain five episodes of a show that's only pulling in 2.5 million viewers?  Why is ABC being so damned passive aggressive with this show?

Before I say what I'm about to say, I just want to be clear that I love this show.  But don't jerk our chains ABC.  Don't hope that this is going to disappear in the mist that is the fall season, and that none of us are going to remember this show in a few months.  Either have the guts to cancel this fantastic show and face us, or give us a plan of when we'll get to see the remaining episodes.

Yesterday I said that a Save Defying Gravity campaign was out of the question, but I think I might be having a change of heart.  Anyone up for showing ABC that we love this show and want it back?  Sound off in the comments and let us know what you think about saving this show.  The most successful campaigns have been the ones where fans actually mail or buy something significant from the series to the executive staff at the networks.  So what are you willing to do?

'Defying Gravity' Not Actually Canceled Yet According to ABC

For the small (and we mean very small) group of fans who loved this show, it is a sad day, as it seems that ABC has canceled Defying Gravity without airing all of it's planned (and filmed) thirteen episodes.  While no official announcement has come from ABC yet, the decision was made clear during the September 13 broadcast where ABC announced it as being the Season Finale and didn't show any previews for the next episode at the end.

The move doesn't come entirely as a surprise.  A few weeks ago Canada's CTV moved the show from Sunday night to Friday nights.  It was obvious from the ratings that ABC would need to make similar adjustments, but their resolution wouldn't be so easy.  The reruns ABC was showing on Friday were already beating what Defying Gravity had been producing and Saturdays weren't an option due to the return of college football.

Last week ABC removed the series from the schedule listing, prompting many to assume the show had been canceled, but when no word came from ABC, there seemed to be a little bit of hope still.  But that has faded after last night's episode left the crew six days before they arrived at Venus, the first destination of their six year mission to explore the solar system.

Since no official announcement has come from ABC, it's still unclear what they will put in Gravity's place on Sunday nights, but they shouldn't have to fill the spot for long.  Brothers & Sisters returns to the timeslot on September 27, and it's possible that they will either play Brothers & Sisters reruns during the weeks in October when Defying Gravity was set to air their last episodes, or perhaps they'll even shift the Brothers & Sisters lineup some and give us new episodes during that time.

As for the future of Defying Gravity in Canada, it's fate is still unknown.  But if you live in the U.S., you're going to have to wait for the DVD set before you learn the real ended to the first season of the show.  ABC originally purchased 13 episodes of the series, and at the time all 13 episodes had already been filmed, however its unclear how many episodes would end up on a DVD, or for that matter if a DVD would ever even come out.  Keep your fingers crossed!

Source: Aceshowbiz

UPDATED: An ABC Publicist for Defying Gravity has released a statement saying that the show hasn't been canceled and that the remain 5 episodes will be shown.  However, no details on when that will happen have been provided.  For the full story, read 'Defying Gravity' Not Actually Canceled Yet According to ABC

'Defying Gravity' Has Been Canceled After 8 Episodes

"But...we've already shot the episodes...why would they cancel us?"

The summer space series Defying Gravity is a show that I have been enjoying quite a bit over the past few weeks.  However, despite my love of this series, and its centering on the lives of these astronaut's exploring our solar system, it seems that none of the rest of you are watching it...at all.  News broke a few days ago that Canada's CTV will be moving the series to Friday night's in Canada, which seems to be a dreaded sci-fi dumping ground.  So what will ABC do with this great little series?  Your guess is as good as mine (and the folks over at TVbythenumbers).

For those of you that are fans of the show, hold strong, because the show hasn't been canceled yet.  The good news is that the entire first season (12 episodes) has already been filmed, so at the very least it seems like we'll get to see it on DVD if ABC cancels it.  However, the terrible ratings can't be ignored, and normally you'd have to assume ABC would move it somewhere else in its schedule.  Saturdays would be a good place to park it for another few weeks, which is a similar strategy that NBC followed with Kings this summer when it aired the remainder of its first season.  The only problem is that College Football will be starting back up before Defying Gravity ends, so Saturdays seem less likely.  Friday are already out of the question for ABC, because the reruns they're showing Friday night are already beating the new episodes of Defying Gravity (I know, I told you the ratings were bad!).  For us fans out here we can only hope that ABC will hold fast and keep Defying Gravity on Sunday night's until the first season has played out.  But regardless of whether we finish watching it on ABC, or on DVD sometime in the future, you can be sure you won't be seeing a season 2 of this show.

Source: TVbythenumbers

Defying Gravity Gets New CTV Timeslot in Canada

On Sunday, August 2 at 9 pm EST ABC will premiere it's new summer filler series, Defying Gravity which stars Ron Livingston and Laura Harris.  But this new series is no filler, and just might be the best new show I've seen all summer.  We'll save the full review for later, and instead focus on giving you a first look at Defying Gravity, and to hopefully make you want to tune in for its two-hour premiere on August 2.

ABC says

Four women and four men hurtle through space with nothing to do for six years and eight billion miles, except maybe solve a powerful and awesome mystery. Maybe, just maybe, some of them will even hook up. How cool is that?

Defying Gravity is a sexy, provocative thriller set in the very near future against the backdrop of our solar system, in which the eight astronauts from five countries undertake a mysterious six-year international space mission on the spaceship Antares.

They can't run from karma, however, as their past actions reveal intimate and interconnected relationships that have a strange effect on the present. As the astronauts travel towards Venus, we travel into their past with flashbacks to earlier years from the grueling selection and training process. What could have happened?

Maybe there is something to this fate thing after all.

This is a great summary of the show, but non-sci-fi buffs should take note, this is not your typical, other-worldly science fiction.  Defying Gravity takes place in a very near future, with everyday people like you and me.  You should also note that central to this story is the relationship of its characters and the mysterious force at play behind the scenes, and not on time travel, crazy science, or some long lost colony from Earth's past.

Defying Gravity is a serial show, with each episode further building on the previous one.  Each episode focuses on daily life aboard the Antares, while also flashing back to various moments in the character's pasts in a way similar to the flashbacks on Lost.  But don't confuse Defying Gravity as a Lost knock-off, because it's not.  They simply utilize the same story-telling device as Lost has made famous (see our original preview article here)

Below are four clips for the upcoming premiere episode, to give you a taste of what you're in store for come August 2.  There is also a link to a gallery of promotional images from the show at the bottom of the article.

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View the Defying Gravity Promo gallery.

A First Look at "Defying Gravity" (Video)

Defying Gravity is a sexy, provocative thriller set in the very near future against the backdrop of our solar system, in which the eight astronauts from five countries undertake a mysterious six-year international space mission on the spaceship Antares.

They can't run from karma, however, as their past actions reveal intimate and interconnected relationships that have a strange effect on the present. As the astronauts travel towards Venus, we travel into their past with flashbacks to earlier years from the grueling selection and training process. What could have happened?

Maybe there is something to this fate thing after all.

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Defying Gravity Promotional Photos

If you're a fan of sci-fi and haven't yet heard of the new summer filler, Defying Gravity, premiering on ABC on August 2, catch up fast. The series is well put together and fantastic! More on that later. For now, I have a few episode summaries for the two-hour premiere, as well as the third episode that will air on 8/9. The series starts on ABC on Sunday, August 2, from 9pm to 11pm (Eastern standard time) and then will fall into a normal Sunday timeslot at 10pm/9 central.

PREMIERE

THE SPACE PROGRAM SETS ITS SIGHTS ON A NEW FRONTIER WHEN EIGHT ASTRONAUTS SET THEIR COURSE FOR A SIX-YEAR DISCOVERY MISSION INTO SPACE, ON ABC'S "DEFYING GRAVITY"

The Antares crew launches into space, on "Defying Gravity," SUNDAY, AUGUST 2 (9:00-11:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network. In the first hour, "Pilot" (9:00-10:00 p.m.), a team of eight astronauts, embarking on a six-year journey to explore Venus and other planets in the solar system, find their lives and destinies intertwined and carefully directed, not only by Mission Control officials on Earth, but also by an unseen force which is much closer and far more powerful.

"Pilot" was directed by David Straiton and written by James Parriott.

In the second hour, "Natural Selection" (10:00-11:00 p.m.), some rocky and intriguing developments confront the crew as they learn to adjust to life on board the Antares, as they find that some past choices, combined with an unknown element in the ship's mysterious Storage Pod 4, lead to a complex web of dreams, desires and illusions that result in a life-threatening crisis.

"Natural Selection" was directed by Peter Howitt and written by James Parriott.

"Defying Gravity" stars Ron Livingston as Maddux Donner, Laura Harris as Zoe Barnes, Malik Yoba as Ted Shaw, Christina Cox as Jen Crane, Florentine Lahme as Nadia Schilling, Paula Garces as Paula Morales, Eyal Podell as Evram Mintz, Dylan Taylor as Steve Wassenfelder, Andrew Airlie as Mike Goss, Karen LeBlanc as Eve Shaw, Zahf Paroo as Ajay Sharma and Maxim Roy as Claire Dereux.

The series third episode, entitled Threshold, airs on Sunday, August 9 at 10/ 9 central.

THE ANTARES CREW REALIZE THE GALAXY ISN'T THE ONLY THING
THEY'LL BE NAVIGATING, ON ABC'S "DEFYING GRAVITY"

"Threshold" - The crew is turning up the heat, on ABC's "Defying Gravity," SUNDAY, AUGUST 9 (10:00-11:00 p.m., ET). Taboos are broken and lines are crossed as personal and professional relationships aboard the Antares and on Earth continue to intensify, while the unseen power behind the mission begins to create both cellular and psychological transformations among the astronauts.

"Threshold" was directed by Peter Howitt and written by Sheri Elwood.
"Defying Gravity" stars Ron Livingston as Maddux Donner, Laura Harris as Zoe Barnes, Malik Yoba as Ted Shaw, Christina Cox as Jen Crane, Florentine Lahme as Nadia Schilling, Paula Garces as Paula Morales, Eyal Podell as Evram Mintz, Dylan Taylor as Steve Wassenfelder, Andrew Airlie as Mike Goss, Karen LeBlanc as Eve Shaw, Zahf Paroo as Ajay Sharma and Maxim Roy as Claire Dereux.

The series' executive producers are James Parriott, Michael Edelstein, Brian Hamilton and Michael Chechik. "Defying Gravity" is a co-venture between Fox Television Studios and Omni Film Productions and is produced in association with Canada's CTV and Germany's ProSieben.

Spoiler Guy: Defying Gravity Episode Summaries

Fox TV Studios, Vancouver's Omni Film Productions and the Canadian network CTV are teaming up to bring you the show that's being dubbed "Grey's Anatomy in space".  Yeah, that's a weird tagline, right?  Perhaps a longer explanation is in order.

Back in 2004 the BBC produced a series called Space Odyssey: Voyage to the Planets, which is the inspiration for Defying Gravity.  Space Odyssey was broadcasted as a docudrama about a group of astronauts traveling to different planets.  Defying Gravity has a similar premise: "[it's a] sexy, provocative relationship drama set in the very near future against the background of our solar system, in which eight astronauts from five countries (four women and four men) undertake a mysterious six-year international space mission covering eight billion miles. With the eyes of the world upon them - everything they do is monitored, and every emotion they feel, scrutinized - they soon discover that their real assignment is not at all what they thought."

The show was created by James Parriott (executive producer on Grey's Anatomy and Ugly Betty) and is executive produced by Michael Edelstein (former executive producer of Desperate Housewives).

Fox has ordered 13 one-hour episodes, which will be filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia and broadcasted on CTV, ABC, on Germany's ProSieben network and on the BBC.

The cast is headed by Ron Livingstone, best known for his roles in Office Space, Sex and the City and Band of Brothers.  Laura Harris (Dead Like Me and 24), Christina Cox (Blood Ties and The Chronicles of Riddick), Eyal Podell (The Young and the Restless), Zahf Paroo (Edgemont and Antitrust), Florentine Lahme (Impact), Ty Olsson (Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem) and Peter Howitt (writer/director of Sliding Doors) round out the cast as the other astronauts.

Well what do you know....we even have details about the premiere episode from TV, eh?

**Warning: Spoilers Ahead**

In the two-hour DEFYING GRAVITY series premiere (Sunday, August 2 at 9 p.m. ET), two of the eight novice astronauts onboard mysteriously develop heart ailments only hours after leaving Earth’s orbit for Venus and a six-year inter-planetary sojourn aboard the spaceship Antares. Replacing the ill engineer, Ajay Sharma (Zahf Paroo) and Mission Commander Rollie Crane (Ty Olsson), are experienced astronauts Maddux Donner (Ron Livingston) and Ted Shaw (Malik Yoba). Donner’s arrival disturbs the ship’s geologist Zoe Barnes (Canadian Laura Harris), who is linked to him by a strange dream and a romantic encounter from their early training days.

Although nearly every facet of life on the Antares is broadcast to avid viewers on Earth by documentary producer Paula Morales (Paula Garces), there is also a hidden force that appears to be controlling events from within the spacecraft. With the real purpose of the mission known only to flight director Mike Goss (Andrew Airlie) and a select few, the Antares finally leaves Earth’s orbit for the immensity of interstellar space.

In the second hour, some rocky and intriguing developments confront the crew as they learn to adjust to life on board the Antares, now well on its way to Venus. In spite of the libido-suppressing HALOS supposedly worn by everyone on board, pilot Nadia Schilling (Florentine Lahme) continues her seductive designs on Donner. Zoe still hears strange cries, seemingly coming from Storage Pod 4 – which is off limits to most of the crew. After Ted, now spaceship commander, is briefed by his wife, scientist Eve Shaw (Karen LeBlanc), about the true nature of the mission, he enters Pod 4 and is confronted by a frightening maelstrom.

Meanwhile, back at Mission Control, Commander Goss holds a press conference, ostensibly to explain the abrupt removal of Ajay and Rollie from the Antares. Skeptical British reporter Trevor Williams (Peter Howitt) is determined to discover the truth.

**Spoilers Done**

The show will have a two-hour premiere on Sunday, August 2 at 9:00 p.m.  It will return on August 9 in its regular 10:00 p.m. timeslot.

Preview: Defying Gravity

Get ready sci-fi fans, ABC has a special little treat for us, and its coming before the end of the summer!  ABC has just purchased 13 episodes of a new sci-fi drama called Defying Gravity that stars Ron Livingston (Office Space), Laura Harris (Dead Like Me), Christina Cox (The Chronicles of Riddick, Blood Ties), Malik Yoba (New York Undercover) and Florentine Lahme (ABC miniseries Impact).  All 13 episodes have already been shot, and will also air on Canada's CTV, Germany's ProSieben and the BBC.  So what's this new sci-fi drama about?  According to The Hollywood Reporter:

Gravity,  is set in the near future and revolves around eight astronauts from five countries who undertake a mysterious six-year mission through the solar system.

The FtvS-produced series, slated to air on ABC this summer, is a co-venture with Vancouver-based Omni Film Prods., whose Brian Hamilton and Michael Chechik also exec produce.

"Since we originally pitched "Gravity" to the international marketplace as 'Gray's Anatomy' in space, getting the series on the network that has 'Grey's' and makes the most successful sci-fi show on TV in 'Lost' is a good fit," FtvS executive vp David Madden said. He describes the show as "having a sci-fi premise but being told in a female-friendly way."

Wait, what did he just say?  They're comparing a new sci-fi drama to Grey's Anatomy?  Now I have to admit, I'm a bit nervous about this one.  Still, its science fiction and it's on in the summer, so you can bet your astronaut loving arse that I'll be watching this one.  There are also reports that if the show is successful enough it could get picked up for an additional season as well.  So keep your fingers crossed and stay tuned for an upcoming release date for Defying Gravity.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

ABC is 'Defying Gravity' With New Summer Series