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Dark Matter In The Media: All The Matter That's Fit To Post

Meredith Quill

By Meredith Quill
in Dark Matter [V]

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Joseph Mallozzi
Joseph Mallozzi

Well, that was a crazy night.  I turned in at 106k tweets and counting. Thanks to everyone who participated.   There's a big difference between mostly dead and all dead. Mostly dead is sligh

xaxat
xaxat

Thanks @Joseph Mallozzi for the show and for your efforts to save it. I'll miss it.

ParadoxLost
ParadoxLost

I'm bummed that the show was cancelled.  It was one of those rare shows that seemed to get better as it went along.  This year there was so much stuff that they set up that started to pay off that its

Just Here

Just Here

(edited)

One Minute Trailer:

 

"From The Writer-Producers of Stargate" -- Oh, promo monkeys...

 

 

 

Initial Press Release:
 

NEW YORK – October 15, 2014 – Syfy today announced it has acquired the new original series Dark Matter, which will be produced by Prodigy Pictures (Lost Girl, XIII) and created by Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie (Stargate franchise).

 

The 13 one-hour episodes will be based on the graphic novel Dark Matter by Mallozzi and Mullie, published by Dark Horse Comics, and will air on Syfy in 2015.

 

Executive producers are Jay Firestone, Joseph Mallozzi, Paul Mullie and Vanessa Piazza. The series will be distributed internationally by Endemol Worldwide Distribution.

 

In Dark Matter, the crew of a derelict spaceship is awakened from stasis with no memories of who they are or how they got on board. Facing threats at every turn, they have to work together to survive a voyage charged with vengeance, betrayal and hidden secrets.

 

 

Casting Announcement:
 

NEW YORK – December 18, 2014 – Syfy today announced casting of the new acquired scripted series Dark Matter, which will feature Melissa O’Neil (Broadway production of Les Miserables), Marc Bendavid (Bitten), Anthony Lemke (White House Down), Alex Mallari Jr. (Robocop) and Jodelle Ferland (Twilight) with Roger Cross (The Strain) and Zoie Palmer (Lost Girl).

 

The series begins production in Toronto on January 7.

 

Mallozzi's blog has character breakdowns for each of the main characters, which I've listed as quotes in each of the character threads.

Edited by Just Here
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TVSpectator

TVSpectator

It starts June 12 on SyFy.

 

Thank you. I will probably catch this for the first few episodes before deciding to let it go or to continued (although, I may watch it longer just because of the discussions on this place). Does anyone have high hopes for this show? Because I am on the fence about it, but who knows what this show is going to be like.

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Wynterwolf

Wynterwolf

Ugh, why did this have to have Mallozzi attached to it??  Saw the commercials and thought I'd check it out, because it looked interesting, but... I may have too much residual Stargate Atlantis trauma to give this a try.  

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GracieV

GracieV

Ratings results for the premier: Episode 1 got not that great but perhaps OK ratings for Syfy??

1.279 million viewers for a 0.3 demo rating (18-45 live plus same day viewing) in the US. (It did better than Defiance which had 1.111 m viewers for a 0.2 rating)

(from TelevisionByTheNumbers )

0riginally posted in the episode thread.

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shapeshifter

shapeshifter

...(It did better than Defiance...

I'm guessing partly that is the new space opera effect (various levels of enthusiasm, all willing to give it a shot), and partly because Defiance was a two hour slog through violent elimination of beloved character(s)--mileage varies on "beloved."

Next week should be more telling.

Thanks for posting, GracieV.

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Wynterwolf

Wynterwolf

How do these ratings compare with the shows cancelled at their 5-year mark but fans wanted to continue, like Eureka, WH13, etc.?

 

In that comparison, the rating themselves aren't really relevant.  Shows that have been on for a few years have a tendency to become too expensive relative to the income they generate.  And standard Nielsen ratings are also becoming less relevant, as new media platforms continue to grow.  I would be curious to know what the streaming activity is for each of the new shows, but I don't think that's published.  

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GracieV

GracieV

Thank you to Matheus Maggi who posted the Friday Syfy ratings in the comments thread at TVByTheNumbers:

Defiance 0.24  - 1.157K  --------- up 0.08

Dark Matter 0.20 - 1.068K -------- down 0.02

Killjoys 0.22  - 1.030K -------- down 0.04

 

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GracieV

GracieV

(edited)

^ I know, I just don't get it. I also don't understand what happened that led Defiance to rise so much in the demo although there wasn't all that much of a rise in total viewer numbers. Curiouser and Curiouser.

 

(Edited to add that it was explained to me that last week Defiance actually had a 0.24 rounded down to 0.2 and this week it got a 0.36 which was rounded up to 0.4. )

Edited by GracieV
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FurryFury

FurryFury

(edited)

I'm no expert on cable ratings, but I do not find it promising that a 3rd year show has much better ratings than two new ones. Still, IIRC, 12 Monkeys was renewed with 0.2, so who knows? (Although 12 Monkeys is a much better show than either Killjoys or Dark Matter, IMHO).

Edited by FurryFury
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CoderLady

CoderLady

I can't speak for anyone but myself, but after Defiance I can't really get into Killjoys. It just feels too loud and frenetic and unsubtle. Instead I take the time to have a late dinner, then I'm ready for more Sci-Fi Friday by 10 when I watch Dark Matter. I notice that the viewership dip isn't that large so it may just be me and a few others too lazy to fuss with food prep while Defiance is on.

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GracieV

GracieV

Friday's Ratings from TVByTheNumbers :

 

Dark Matter   0.25  (0.2)     922K viewers (SGU in comment section says it should be 0.3, not 0.2 as reported by TVBTN)

Killjoys           0.23  (0.2)     841K viewers

Defiance        0.24  (0.2)  1.004M viewers

 

the # of viewers and the rating in parenthesis were those reported by TVBTN,  the 0.25,0.24 etc. were provided by commenter SGU.

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ljp

ljp

So I'm not sure what category to post in, but based on my experiences looking for this show to start watching it, it's pretty clear to me that the ratings aren't going to go up at this point since there is no possible way for me to catch up on it legally without paying per episode. It's so frustrating that a few of these networks only make the last 5 episodes available to watch streaming without having to pay. I pay for Hulu, I have all the apps for all the networks. There is still no legal way to watch this show and I'm not going to pay per episode when I don't even know if I like it. Both this and killjoy. I didn't realize these shows started until clearly way late but to not even make the pilot available to watch free is just stupid. Jane the virgin had same issue-when it got an Emmy nomination I was going to check it out. Wasn't available so I said to hell with it.

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sjohnson

sjohnson

Perhaps any hint of the male ingenue is traumatic to those whose notion of masculinity rejects that sort of thing. 

The humor in the One character may not be your thing, but it's put there intentionally. 

Lemke is indeed more experienced than Bendavid, which I should think a good thing for the show, because I find his character nearly as lame as poor old Alex Mallari's. It needs all the skill in delivery it can get.

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call me ishmael

call me ishmael

Perhaps any hint of the male ingenue is traumatic to those whose notion of masculinity rejects that sort of thing. 

The humor in the One character may not be your thing, but it's put there intentionally. 

Lemke is indeed more experienced than Bendavid, which I should think a good thing for the show, because I find his character nearly as lame as poor old Alex Mallari's. It needs all the skill in delivery it can get.

Or maybe One is just a poorly written character which has nothing to do with whatever you think that other people's visions of masculinity is. I actually prefered One at thr beginning until he became, as they say, one-note.

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Lokiberry

Lokiberry

Perhaps any hint of the male ingenue is traumatic to those whose notion of masculinity rejects that sort of thing. 

The humor in the One character may not be your thing, but it's put there intentionally. 

Lemke is indeed more experienced than Bendavid, which I should think a good thing for the show, because I find his character nearly as lame as poor old Alex Mallari's. It needs all the skill in delivery it can get.

I actually enjoy the Alpha female and the Beta male, when the writing and acting is good, and that's the problem here. There are a lot of ways they can go with One's character: should he seek revenge for someone he doesn't even remember, why stick with these criminals when he can return to his old life of wealth and power, but they're not going to be able to pull any of it off because the writing is piss poor and Bendavid can't deliver.

 

Three is a watered down version of Firefly's Jayne. If the character has found any traction at all, the credit goes to Lemke.

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CoderLady

CoderLady

I actually enjoy the Alpha female and the Beta male, when the writing and acting is good, and that's the problem here.

 

You've nailed what I actually like about One's dynamic in the group because it reminds me of the relationship between Helen Magnus and Will Zimmerman in Sanctuary, another show some of these writers and showrunners were involved in. It's by no means a perfect parallel but having a woman being accepted as the leader seems to free up the other team members to be themselves, with interesting results.

 

On Sanctuary and the Stargates, it took a while for the characters and relationships to gel but over multiple seasons it was a pleasure to watch it happen. These days networks are too quick to hit the cancellation button, but if they don't I think One will get to be less annoying once more world-building gets done.

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Chaos Theory

Chaos Theory

(edited)

I want to make another parallel: Defiance. Season 1 is by far the weakest of the seasons but it is also where the vast majority of the world building was done. By the time the season ended you (or at least I) had a real stake in not just the characters but the world they lived in.

I feel the same about Dark Matter and see the same potential. First season built the world and literally started all the characters as blank slates and with each episode the world and the characters expanded and by the end of the first season I have a real stake in each of the characters and the world fhey live in.

For the record I never bonded with a single character on Killjoys and have no stake in the world. I tried and if the show gets renewed I may try again but as of now I have zero stake in any of their fates.

Edited by Chaos Theory
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call me ishmael

call me ishmael

You've nailed what I actually like about One's dynamic in the group because it reminds me of the relationship between Helen Magnus and Will Zimmerman in Sanctuary, another show some of these writers and showrunners were involved in. It's by no means a perfect parallel but having a woman being accepted as the leader seems to free up the other team members to be themselves, with interesting results.

 

To me this comparison points in the exact opposite direction.  Both Magnus and Zimmerman were well drawn coherent characters and their relationship made sense based on what we knew about them almost from the start of the series.  One has bounced around in search of a coherent core and really there was no reason why Two became the leader other than the fact that Six didn't seem to want to be (and I like Two).  Thinking about Sanctuary just makes me think less of the plotting and writing here.

 

For the record I never bonded with a single character on Killjoys and have no stake in the world. I tried and if the show gets renewed I may try again but as of now I have zero stake in any of their fates.

 

 

It is hard to compare the world building since there has been so little on Dark Matter but I wouldn't trade John or Dutch for any of the Raza crew.  I would trade D'avin for the Android because it would be fun to see the Android and Lucy interact.

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MissLucas

MissLucas

(edited)

And I'm sure D'Avin and Three would get along magnificently!

 

Sticking to the point of One's characterization: I keep thinking that he's got a lot in common with Crichton - though the writing for Crichton was more consistent from the get-go.

  • Good guy traped on a ship with convicts/criminals.
  • Despite occasional bouts of heroism his shipmates mostly mock him (One's rousing oxygen-depraved speech was reminiscent of Crichton in 'Crackers don't matter').
  • Befriends the testosterone-driven warrior type after a very antagonistic beginning.
  • Falls hard for the badass female.

I think that's what they were going for but unfortunately it didn't really work out so far. As to why: I blame the writing more than the acting. You could occasionally understand the exasperation Moya's crew felt when dealing with Crichton but at the core you had to like the guy because he was trying to make the best of a shitty situation. One on the other hand has a tendency to come across as whiny and self-righteous and that's not very endearing at all.

Edited by MissLucas
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formerlyfreedom

formerlyfreedom

We actually have a spot to compare the show to other shows; Comparisons To Other Shows: What Do You Mean It's Not "Stargate: Firefly?"

 

Let's keep this topic for Media, please - now that the season is over, we'll be waiting for news on it being picked up, and every time this topic has new posts, my heart leaps - we also have topics for each of the characters, so convo on One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, or The Android can go in the appropriate topic.

 

Thanks!

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call me ishmael

call me ishmael

And I'm sure D'Avin and Three would get along magnificently!

 

Sticking to the point of One's characterization: I keep thinking that he's got a lot in common with Crichton - though the writing for Crichton was more consistent from the get-go.

  • Good guy traped on a ship with convicts/criminals.
  • Despite occasional bouts of heroism his shipmates mostly mock him (One's rousing oxygen-depraved speech was reminiscent of Crichton in 'Crackers don't matter').
  • Befriends the testosterone-driven warrior type after a very antagonistic beginning.
  • Falls hard for the badass female.
I think that's what they were going for but unfortunately it didn't really work out so far. As to why: I blame the writing more than the acting. You could occasionally understand the exasperation Moya's crew felt when dealing with Crichton but at the core you had to like the guy because he was trying to make the best of a shitty situation. One on the other hand has a tendency to come across as whiny and self-righteous and that's not very endearing at all.

This is an interesting comparison. The only doubt i have is that Chrichton was an astronaut. He had some depth to him even if he had no idea what he was doing. But like you i think it is more the writing than the acting.

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Raja

Raja

Last 2 episode ratings at TVByTheNumbers from commenter Matheus Maggi:

 

Dark Matter #12 (0.2)

0.21 - 931K

 

Dark Matter #13 (0.2)

0.21 - 937K

 

Defiance #13 (0.2)

0.22 - 1,165K

That follows the pattern of the entire season, save one week, where for some reason people left SyFy at 9 and returned at 10. Is there some Friday night at 9 show off of my radar pulling people or is something off with this ratings service's methodology?

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Chaos Theory

Chaos Theory

(edited)

That follows the pattern of the entire season, save one week, where for some reason people left SyFy at 9 and returned at 10. Is there some Friday night at 9 show off of my radar pulling people or is something off with this ratings service's methodology?

Well I for one hated Killjoys but like Dark Matter so I skipped 9:00 and went back at 10. Although glad they both got renewed. I might give KJ a second chance.

Edited by Chaos Theory
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GracieV

GracieV

(edited)

Here is the full “Dark Matter” release:

Syfy announced today that popular drama series Dark Matterhas been renewed for a 13-episode second season, set to premiere on the network in 2016. The series, produced by Prodigy Pictures, follows six people who wake up on a derelict spaceship with no memories of who they are or how they got on board, averaged 1.8 million viewers in its first season on Syfy.*

“With its mysterious premise and fascinating characters, Dark Matter has built an incredibly loyal, passionate and engaged fan base,” said Chris Regina, Senior Vice President, Program Strategy, Syfy. “We look forward to another out-of-the-world season from this talented creative team.”

Created by Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie, executive producers and writers of the Stargate franchise, and developed with Prodigy Pictures (Lost Girl), Dark Matter is based on Mallozzi and Mullie’s graphic novel of the same name, published by Dark Horse Comics. The series features Melissa O’Neil, Marc Bendavid, Anthony Lemke, Alex Mallari Jr. and Jodelle Ferland with Roger Cross and Zoie Palmer.

Executive producers are Jay Firestone, Joseph Mallozzi, Paul Mullie and Vanessa Piazza.

 

 

http://forums.previously.tv/topic/25334-dark-matter-in-the-media-all-the-matter-thats-fit-to-post/#entry1466414

 

(I note that Killjoys also got renewed (for 10 episodes) but no mention of Defiance or Dominion)

Edited by GracieV
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