Defiance fans can breath a sigh of relief, the series is officially moving on past its first season. SyFy has renewed the program for a 13 episode Season 2, which is currently aiming for a 2014 premiere.
Production on the upcoming episode cycle will begin this August in Toronto.
"Bringing the rich world of Defiance to life has been an incredible team effort. We couldn't ask for better partners than [showrunner] Kevin Murphy, his amazing cast and crew, and Trion Worlds," SyFy head Mark Stern said in a statement. "We can't wait to see where they take us in the second season."
Kevin Murphy will return as the executive producer and showrunner alongside executive producers Darren Swimmer and Todd Slavkin. Michael Taylor will serve as a consulting producer.
Defiance stars Grant Bowler, Julie Benz, Stephanie Leonidas, Tony Curran, Jaime Murray, Graham Greene, and Mia Kirshner. There is no word on who is returning, as the initial season is only half over and we may see some character deaths/departures in coming episodes.
Defiance's April 15 premiere was the second largest in SyFy history in the 18-49 demographic. Throughout the season, it has performed surprisingly well, often beating its scripted competition, in its Monday time slot; and has quickly become " SyFy's highest-rated original series this year."
The show takes place in the aftermath of a alien attempt to colonize Earth. After a massive war, the humans and various alien races live in an uneasy peace. One city in particular, Defiance, is built in the ruins of St. Louis and is home to a wide variety of aliens, cultures, and factions.
It airs on Mondays at 9PM on the SyFy channel.
Its videogame counterpart has so far amassed over 1 million registered accounts across three platforms. The game takes place in the new frontier of the San Francisco Bay area.