Underrated Sci-Fi Series Is The Perfect Pick For Everyone Who Misses Firefly
Firefly wasn’t the first series to use the genre mashup of sci-fi and Western, but it did popularize the mixture, and to this day, it is what people think of when they hear “space western.” Decades later, it’s become common for sci-fi shows to take on some aspects of Westerns in their world-building and storytelling, and though it lacks the dusters and six-shooters, Killjoys captures the spirit of the old West. Following a trio of bounty hunters that are constantly outgunned and often on the run from one group or another, it doesn’t hit like Firefly, but will scratch the same itch.
The Killjoys
A Killjoy is a bounty hunter, and right away in the first episode, we meet our “heroes,” Dutch (Hannah John-Kameen, Ghost from Ant-Man and the Wasp) and Johnny (Warehouse 13’s Aaron Ashmore), as they take a kill warrant for Andras on what seems like a routine mission. It turns out, though, that “Andras” is Johnny’s brother, D’avin (Luke Macfarlane, a Hallmark movie regular), so instead, they find a way to nullify the kill warrant. D’avin joins them as a brand-new member of the Killjoys and, thus, becomes the audience surrogate for learning about the rough and tumble business.
Episodic Adventures
That’s only the first two episodes of Killjoys, which soon falls into a rhythm of episodic adventures combined with the usual mythology arc playing out in the background, and unlike some sci-fi shows that can’t find the right balance, this SyFy original keeps things moving from the word “go.” The Killjoys are working as officers for the RAC (Reclamation Apprehension Coalition), one of many factions in the universe, all of which seem to revolve around Old Town, an industrial city essentially controlled by The Company, a massive conglomerate that has a stranglehold on trade and commerce.
You can see where the conflict in Killjoys is going, but as with any series about life on the edge of society, allegiances can change with the wind.
The World Is Deeper and More Complex Than It Seems
During its run on SyFy, Killjoys received widespread praise for the worldbuilding and surprising depth of its world as unlike Firefly, which didn’t have the time to explain much of the workings of the Inner Planets, this series is able to get deep into politics, subterfuge, and secret plots involving immortal super soldiers. What I appreciated is that this felt like a spiritual successor to, again, Firefly but also Farscape, and in an era of super serious sci-fi, it’s refreshing to find a series that doesn’t take itself too seriously and remains fairly light-hearted throughout.
Come For A Good Time
That is both a positive and, to some, a negative with Killjoys, which never reaches the emotional depth of its contemporaries, like The Expanse or Dark Matter. And I have to admit, it’s reflected in the acting, which is passable but doesn’t go beyond “B-tier sci-fi series.” To me, that’s a good thing, as I started watching the show for a good time, and that’s exactly what I had with nearly all 50 episodes (so there’s plenty to binge).
Multiple Ways To Stream
REVIEW SCORE
I’ll even admit one of my favorite things about Killjoys is the fun that the crew had with the episode titles, which are all either puns or references, from “How to Kill Friends and Influence People” to “The Hullen Have Eyes” and, what I hope is a purposeful reference to Blake Lively’s greatest line-reading of all time, “Wargasm.” That right away lets you know the level of seriousness that the show maintains, and you’re now either excited to check it out or want to stay far, far away.
If you like Firefly or Farscape, at least give the first four episodes a shot, and then you can judge Killjoys. The Canadian space Western is streaming on Hulu and Fubo, but you can also buy it on VOD from Amazon Prime Video and AppleTV.
