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Defying Gravity (TV series)

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Defying Gravity
Defying Gravity intertitle
Defying Gravity intertitle
GenreDrama
Science fiction
Created byJames Parriott
Directed byDavid Straiton
Peter Howitt
StarringRon Livingston
Malik Yoba
Laura Harris
Eyal Podell
Christina Cox
Peter Howitt
Country of origin Vereinigte Staaten
 Kanada
 Vereinigtes Königreich
 Deutschland
Original languageEnglisch
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes13 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersMichael Edelstein
James Parriott
Brian Hamilton
Michael Chechik[1]
ProducerRon French
Production locationVancouver, Canada
CinematographyStephen McNutt
Production companiesBBC
FOX
Omni Film
CTV
SPACE
ProSieben
Original release
NetworkCTV (CAN)
BBC 2 (UK)
ABC (USA)
ProSieben (Germany)
ReleaseAugust 2, 2009 (2009-08-02) –
present

Defying Gravity is a multi-nationally produced space travel television drama series, first aired on August 2, 2009 on ABC and CTV. Set in the year 2052, with flashbacks to five and ten years earlier in the story's continuity, the series follows eight astronauts[2]—four women and four men—from five countries on a six-year space mission through the Solar System,[3] during which they are monitored from earth via a real-time communication system.[4] The series was pitched to networks as "Grey's Anatomy in space".[5]

Premise

The program follows the adventures of eight astronauts on board the international spacecraft Antares. The lives of the astronauts are being constantly recorded and broadcast back to Earth both as part of an ongoing documentary and as part of mission monitoring. In spite of a libido-suppressing device worn by each crew member, referred to as "HALO" for "Hormone Activated Libido Oppressors", romantic entanglements develop among some crew members. Further complicating their lives is a mysterious storage pod which contains something referred to as Beta, which is exerting a secret impact on their mission.[6]

Development

The project was inspired by the BBC docufiction series Space Odyssey: Voyage to the Planets, broadcast on BBC1 in 2004. The show is being co-produced by the BBC, Fox Television Studios, and Omni Film Productions in association with Canadian broadcasters CTV Television Network, SPACE, and German broadcaster ProSieben.[7]

13 episodes have been ordered,[8] and filming began on January 19, 2009 in Vancouver, Canada, lasting six months. CGI effects are being handled by Stargate Studios, in collaboration with set designer Stephen Geaghan.[6]

Scheduling

On June 30, 2009, ABC announced that it had ordered the program for a summer 2009 broadcast in the United States.[9][5] It was aired on BBC 2 in the United Kingdom[10], ProSieben in Germany,[5] and both CTV and SPACE in Canada.[11]

CTV moved the scheduled airing of the show from Sunday to Friday nights on August 26, 2009, and speculation began about the possibility of the show being canceled.[12] On September 14, 2009, online sources noted ABC's apparent cancellation of the series, with most having reported the eighth episode as the "series finale",[13] while others reported it as the "season finale".[14] The show's publicist, Nicole Marostica, issued a statement on September 14, 2009 that ABC is not in fact canceling the show but that management is deciding on a time slot to air the remaining 5 episodes of season 1.[15]

CTV aired Episode 9 "Eve Ate The Apple" on Friday, September 18, 2009, but does not have Defying Gravity on its schedule for the next week.

Cast and Characters

Character Actor Position Relationship(s) Home location
Onboard the Antares
Dr. Evram Mintz[Bio 1] Eyal Podell Doctor and Psychiatrist Claire Dereux's boyfriend Israel
Jen Crane[Bio 2] Christina Cox Biologist Wife of Rollie Crane, had a past relationship with Ted Shaw Canada[Bio 3]
Maddux Donner[Bio 4] Ron Livingston Chief Engineer Previously, Sharon Lewis, a fellow crewmember who died during an earlier mission to Mars[16]; currently, Zoe Barnes and Nadia Schilling Iowa, USA
Nadia Schilling[Bio 5] Florentine Lahme Pilot "Friend with benefits" to Maddux Donner Deutschland
Paula Morales[Bio 6] Paula Garcés Payload specialist, Pilot, On-board Documentary Producer Brownsville, Texas, USA[Bio 6]
Steve Wassenfelder[Bio 7] Dylan Taylor Theoretical Physicist Apparent, but unstated, infatuation with Paula Morales.
Ted Shaw[Bio 8] Malik Yoba Commander Eve Weller's husband, had a past relationship with Jen Crane
Zoe Barnes[Bio 9] Laura Harris Geologist Had a one-night stand with Maddux Donner who is unaware that it resulted in an aborted pregnancy
On Earth
Ajay Sharma[Bio 10] Zahf Paroo Orig. Flight Engineer; reinstated ground crew Mumbai, India
Claire Dereux[Bio 11] Maxim Roy Flight Surgeon Evram Mintz's girlfriend Montreal, Canada
Eve Weller-Shaw[Bio 12] Karen Leblanc Works alongside flight director Goss Ted Shaw's wife
Mike Goss[Bio 13] Andrew Airlie Mission Control Flight Director
Rollie Crane[Bio 14] Ty Olsson Former Commander, now CapCom Jen Crane's husband
Trevor Williams[Bio 15] Peter Howitt Journalist Britain

Episode List

Season 1 (2009)

# Titel Director(s) Writer(s) Original Airdate
1"Pilot"David StraitonJames D. ParriottAugust 2, 2009 (2009-08-02)
Four male and four female astronauts prepare for a mission aboard the spaceship Antares. Their journey will last six years.
2"Natural Selection"Peter HowittJames D. ParriottAugust 2, 2009 (2009-08-02)
The Antares begins its mission to explore the planets in the solar system.
3"Threshold"Peter HowittSheri ElwoodAugust 9, 2009 (2009-08-09)
A mysterious force aboard the Antares begins to have a profound effect on the astronauts' biological compositions and personality traits.
4"H2IK"Fred GerberBrett ConradAugust 16, 2009 (2009-08-16)
An unknown malfunction sends the Antares into chaos as the ship's operating systems are thrown offline, causing the failure of vital systems such as power, gravity, and heating.
5"Rubicon"Marcie UlinMeredith Lavender & Marcie UlinAugust 23, 2009 (2009-08-23)
As the Antares approaches the point of no return, the crew must deal with the upcoming crossing of the critical boundary where return to Earth is no longer an option.
6"Bacon"[12]Marcie UlinMeredith LavenderAugust 28, 2009 (2009-08-28) (CTV)
August 30, 2009 (2009-08-30) (ABC)
Drawing closer to the orbit of Venus, some members of the Antares crew struggle with guilt and experience vivid repercussions of past actions, while a serious accident puts the life of a teammate in danger, uniting everyone in the desperate endeavor to save her.
7"Fear"Jeff WoolnoughChris ProvenzanoSeptember 4, 2009 (2009-09-04) (CTV)
September 6, 2009 (2009-09-06) (ABC)
It's Halloween aboard the Antares and the forces of darkness are revealed in more ways than one, as feverish hallucinations jeopardize the lives of the crew just as they are about to embark on a promotional event for which the whole world is waiting.
8"Love, Honor, Obey"[Schedule 1][13]Fred GerberSusan Nirah JaffeeSeptember 11, 2009 (2009-09-11) (CTV)
September 13, 2009 (2009-09-13) (ABC)
An impending solar flare threatens the crew of the Antares with dangerous radiation, while the strange force in Pod 4 finally sends out a siren call that proves utterly irresistible.
9"Eve Ate the Apple"Peter HowittBlythe RobeSeptember 18, 2009 (2009-09-18) (CTV)
The crew of the Antares learns about Pod 4 and the real reason for their mission to Venus.
10"Deja Vu"TBATBAOctober 2, 2009 (2009-10-02) (SPACE)[17]
It's election day but the crew aboard the Antares is still processing the news about their real mission on Venus.
11"Solitary"TBATBAOctober 9, 2009 (2009-10-09) (SPACE)[18]
In the final hours before the landing on Venus, crew members of the Antares confront the loneliness and isolation of space.
12"Venus"TBATBAOctober 16, 2009 (2009-10-16) (SPACE)[19]
It's the day of the Venus landing, a historic and dangerous event likely to alter the lives of everyone involved.
13"Kiss"TBATBAOctober 23, 2009 (2009-10-23) (SPACE)[20]
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.
  1. ^ As of 14 September 2009 this episode was the last scheduled airing of the show on ABC.

Reception

US weekly Nielsen ratings

Further information: [[:Nielsen ratings]]
# Episode ABC Air Date Timeslot (EST) Rating Aktie 18-49 Rating Viewers (m) Rank (Overall)
1 "Pilot" Sunday, Aug. 2, 2009 9:00 pm 2.4 4 1.1 / 3 3.83 #21
2 "Natural Selection" Sunday, Aug. 2, 2009 10:00 pm 2.3 4 1.0 / 3 3.56 #21
3 "Threshold" Sunday, Aug. 9, 2009 10:00 pm 1.8 3 1.0 / 2 2.81 #28
4 "H2IK" Sunday, Aug. 16, 2009 10:00 pm 1.7 3 0.8 / 2 2.59 #34
5 "Rubicon" Sunday, Aug. 23, 2009 10:00 pm 1.8 3 0.8 / 2 2.66 #33
6 "Bacon" Sunday, Aug. 30, 2009 10:00 pm 1.7 3 0.9 / 2 2.53 #31
7 "Fear" Sunday, Sept. 6, 2009 10:00 pm 2.7 4 0.6 / 2 2.16 #29
8 "Love, Honor, Obey" Sunday, Sept. 13, 2009 10:00 pm 1.6 3 0.8 / 2 2.53 #39

Canadian weekly ratings

# Episode CTV Air Date CTV Time Slot (EST) Viewers (100'000s) Rank (Overall)
1 & 2 "Pilot/Natural Selection" Sunday, Aug. 2, 2009 9:00 pm 7.83 #20
3 "Threshold" Sunday, Aug. 9, 2009 10:00 pm 5.73 #30
4 "H2IK" Sunday, Aug. 16, 2009 10:00 pm K.A. K.A.
5 "Rubicon" Sunday, Aug. 23, 2009 10:00 pm K.A. K.A.
6 "Bacon" Friday, Aug. 28, 2009 10:00 pm K.A. K.A.
7 "Fear" Friday, Sept. 4, 2009 10:00 pm K.A. K.A.
8 "Love, Honor, Obey" Friday, Sept. 11, 2009 10:00 pm K.A. K.A.
9 "Eve Ate the Apple" Friday, Sept. 18, 2009 10:00 pm TBA TBA

References

  1. ^ "Ron Livingston is Defying Gravity". The Hollywood Reporter. 2008-11-04. Retrieved 2008-12-27. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)[dead link]
  2. ^ Benzine, Adam (2008-12-17). "Transatlantic space drama on launch pad". C21 Media. Retrieved 6 September 2009. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  3. ^ "ABC.com - Defying Gravity - About the show". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accesdate= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ "Why ABC's Defying Gravity is no Virtuality 2". {{cite news}}: Text "SCI FI Wire" ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accesdate= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ a b c "ABC Picks Up Gravity". The Hollywood Reporter. 2009-06-30. Retrieved 6 September 2009. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  6. ^ a b "New CTV Series DEFYING GRAVITY Premieres August 2" (PDF) (Press release). Omni Film. 2009-07-10. Retrieved 2009-09-06. {{cite press release}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ Dowell, Ben (2008-12-17). "BBC and Fox take flight for blockbuster drama series". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 September 2009. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  8. ^ Reynolds, Simon (2008-11-04). "Fox, BBC team for space drama 'Gravity'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 6 September 2009. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  9. ^ Bryant, Adam (4 November 2008). "Ron Livingston and Fox TV Are Defying Gravity". TV Guide. Retrieved 6 September 2009. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  10. ^ "New Adventure Drama Slated for BBC Two". World Screen. 17 December 2008. Retrieved 27 December 2008. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)[dead link]
  11. ^ "'Defying Gravity' lifts off August 2 on CTV, A and ABC". CTV.ca. 10 July 2009. Retrieved 16 September 2009. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  12. ^ a b Jones, Bryan (26 August 2009). "Defying Gravity Gets New CTV Timeslot in Canada". TVOvermind. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |accesdate= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  13. ^ a b Whittington, Mark (14 September 2009). "'Defying Gravity' TV series cancelled". Examiner.com. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |accesdate= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  14. ^ Cynthia (14 September 2009). "Defying Gravity: The Season Finale?". SF Universe. Retrieved 16 September 2009. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  15. ^ "ABC REP: "DEFYING GRAVITY" NOT CANCELED". The Futon Critic. 14 September 2009. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |accesdate= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  16. ^ "Video Clip Details". TopTVBytes. Retrieved 2009-08-25.
  17. ^ http://www.spacecast.com/Schedule.aspx?fldate=10/2/2009%208:00:00%20PM
  18. ^ http://www.spacecast.com/Schedule.aspx?fldate=10/9/2009%208:00:00%20PM
  19. ^ http://www.spacecast.com/Schedule.aspx?fldate=10/16/2009%208:00:00%20PM
  20. ^ http://www.spacecast.com/Schedule.aspx?fldate=10/23/2009%208:00:00%20PM

Character biographies

  1. ^ "About the show - Character Bios - Dr. Evram". ABC.com - Defying Gravity. Retrieved 2009-08-17.
  2. ^ "About the show - Character Bios - Jen". ABC.com - Defying Gravity. Retrieved 2009-08-17.
  3. ^ "CTV.ca - Defying Gravity Bios - Jen Crane". CTV.ca - Defying Gravity. Retrieved 2009-08-18.
  4. ^ "About the show - Character Bios - Maddux". ABC.com - Defying Gravity. Retrieved 2009-08-17.
  5. ^ "About the show - Character Bios - Nadia". ABC.com - Defying Gravity. Retrieved 2009-08-17.
  6. ^ a b "About the show - Character Bios - Paula". ABC.com - Defying Gravity. Retrieved 2009-08-17.
  7. ^ "About the show - Character Bios - Steve". ABC.com - Defying Gravity. Retrieved 2009-08-17.
  8. ^ "About the show - Character Bios - Ted". ABC.com - Defying Gravity. Retrieved 2009-08-17.
  9. ^ "About the show - Character Bios - Zoe". ABC.com - Defying Gravity. Retrieved 2009-08-17.
  10. ^ "About the show - Character Bios - Ajay". ABC.com - Defying Gravity. Retrieved 2009-08-17.
  11. ^ "About the show - Character Bios - Claire". ABC.com - Defying Gravity. Retrieved 2009-08-17.
  12. ^ "About the show - Character Bios - Eve". ABC.com - Defying Gravity. Retrieved 2009-08-17.
  13. ^ "About the show - Character Bios - Mike". ABC.com - Defying Gravity. Retrieved 2009-08-17.
  14. ^ "About the show - Character Bios - Rollie". ABC.com - Defying Gravity. Retrieved 2009-08-17.
  15. ^ "About the show - Character Bios - Trevor". ABC.com - Defying Gravity. Retrieved 2009-08-17.
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