Killjoys premieres on Syfy on Friday, June 19 at 9/8C with “Bangarang.” The first episode is written by series creator and showrunner Michelle Lovretta, who is likely best known for Lost Girl.
The episode is directed by Chris Grismer whose other credits include The Vampire Diaries, The Originals, Pretty Little Liars, Orphan Black, and Kyle XY. The basic story follows three bounty hunters in the Quad Planetary System, whose credo is “The warrant is all.” Start looking for t-shirts with that phrase on them now!
The show stars Hannah John-Kamen as Dutch, Aaron Ashmore as John Jaqobis, and Luke Macfarlane as Kobee Andras/D’Avin. John-Kamen is a relative newcomer, having worked in the UK, though viewers may know her from
The Hour. Ashmore should be very familiar to genre fans with his long list of credits, including
Warehouse 13,
Lost Girl, and of course,
Smallville and
Veronica Mars. Macfarlane’s other credits include
The Night Shift,
Brothers & Sisters and
Smash.
It’s always nice to see a show that foregrounds a strong female character. Dutch is Johnny’s superior, as a level five reclamation agent – he’s only level three. While she may don a sexy disguise or two, in general, she’s sensibly and comfortably dressed, and when she does dress up, she’s got “killer” accessories! Dutch has a very complicated backstory, which the pilot only just touches on, but which will no doubt be a continuing plot point. Dutch and Johnny are work partners and roomies, but that’s as far as their relationship goes.
The show has a well thought out universe, so like many pilots of this genre, it spends a fair bit of time filling in some of the backstory. A lot of this backstory, however, sounds pretty familiar. The reclamation agency they work for is a broker to the Rack which doesn’t answer to anyone, including the Company. There are rival brokers and therefore rival agents like Fancy Lee (Sean Beak), who poses a real problem for Dutch and Johnny in the episode. Everything else is run by the Company. Killjoys is the slang term for reclamation agents, who are bounty hunters. Agents swear an oath – “The warrant is all” – underscoring their autonomy and confidentiality. No one ever knows who hires them.
Rounding out the cast is Patrick Garrow as Turin, the agent who Dutch and Johnny report to. Thom Allison plays Pree, their local barkeep and friend. The Quad Planetary System is made up of four planets, including Westerly where the main characters have their home base. We learn that a revolution is brewing on Westerly.
While much of
Killjoys is a familiar concept, the execution is good. The music is good and so are the special effects. The fight scenes are well done – and there’s clearly plenty of opportunity for more! I found the characters engaging, especially Dutch. I suspect that this may be the kind of show that needs an episode or two to find its feet, and I’m looking forward to what a “regular” episode will look like. There are clearly some on-going arcs begun here, but there’s also plenty of opportunity for warrant-of-the-week episodes.
Don’t forget to tune in to
Syfy (or Space in Canada) this Friday, June 19 at 9/8C for the premiere. Before that, you can look for my interview with stars Hannah John-Kamen, Aaron Ashmore and Luke Macfarlane on Monday! Are you excited for Killjoys? Let me know why in the comments below!
About the Author - Lisa Macklem
I do interviews and write articles for the site in addition to reviewing a number of shows, including Supernatural, Arrow, Agents of Shield, The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, Forever, Defiance, Bitten, Glee, and a few others! Highlights of this past year include covering San Diego Comic Con as press and a set visit to Bitten. When I'm not writing about television shows, I'm often writing about entertainment and media law in my capacity as a legal scholar. I also work in theatre when the opportunity arises. I'm an avid runner and rider, currently training in dressage.
