With the recent resurgence of one-word TV show titles, it can be hard to keep track of new series. Extant, Reckless, Tyrant, Vicious, they all blur together. Syfy is adding another title to the list with Dominion, which is set to premiere on June 19. In case you can't tell from the bizarre ads, Dominion looks really weird and actually has a strange, one-word origin: the 2010 film Legion . Anyone who has seen the ad in which an armor-clad angel with a sword is fighting a guy in a tank top wielding two guns has to be wondering, what is Dominion even about? Here's the official synopsis from Syfy.
Dominion is an epic supernatural drama set in the near future. Specifically, 25 years after "The Extinction War," when an army of lower angels, assembled by the archangel Gabriel, waged war against mankind. The archangel Michael, turning against his own kind, chose to side with humanity. Rising out of the ashes of this long battle are newly fortified cities which protect human survivors. At the center of the series is the city of Vega, a glistening empire that has formed from the ruins of what was once Las Vegas.
It's a lot to take in. But the people behind Dominion seem to realize this and have put together a Tumblr that details the "Legend of Dominion." Seeing Legion might help you understand Dominion a little better, since "The Extinction War" mentioned in the description occurs during Legion, and now this TV series is a sort of sequel. However Legion wasn't that easy to digest either.
It chronicled the aforementioned "Extinction War," centering on a pregnant woman (played by Friday Night Lights' Adrianne Palicki) who's unborn baby is destined to save mankind. There were a few other recognizable stars in the film, including Kate Walsh, Willa Holland, Dennis Quaid, and Tyrese Gibson. But don't expect to see any of them in the TV series, which has a completely different cast and new characters—with two heavenly exceptions.
The Archangels Gabriel and Michael, two of Legion's main characters, will also appear in Dominion, but they'll be played by new actors. Carl Beukes will play Gabriel instead of Kevin Durand, while Paul Bettany's role of Michael will now be filled by Tom Wisdom, a Keanu Reeves-lookalike. The rest of Dominion's cast will mainly consist of relatively new faces, with the exception of Alan Dale, who you probably remember from The O.C. and Lost.
So whether or not you've seen Legion, between the intense mythology and cast changes, you'll almost certainly be confused if you tune into the Dominion series premiere on Thursday at 9 p.m. Hopefully, once you understand what's actually happening, it'll be worth sticking around for the next episode.
Image: Syfy
