A new Canadian sci-fi series from “Lost Girl” creator Michelle Lovretta (“Mutant X”), “Killjoys” follows deep-space bounty hunters as they pursue their bounties.
... Well cast and written and staged with a campy sense of humor … It is all rendered with a steampunk sauciness that eschews slick effects. The frequent fight scenes don’t much care about credibility. They, like the rest of this entertaining show, favor a comic-book sensibility. Real-life bounty hunting is an unpleasant job, but in this deep-space world it seems like one of the coolest careers available. …
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says:
... both the low-rent look -- a red filter for this scene! a green filter for this scene! -- and the emphasis on fights over character development dooms the show to medocrity. …
... a tedious exercise in “Blade Runner” lite, featuring a trio of bounty hunters who roam the galaxy collecting fugitives on behalf of something called the Reclamation Apprehension Coalition. The name might sound like garbage pickup, but it’s oddly appropriate for a series this disposable. …
... the word “connection” could sum up Killjoys’ myriad problems, starting with the frayed one it forges with viewers. As most fans of genre entertainment know, it’s essential to establish the rules of a sci-fi/fantasy universe early in the game: Who are these people? What are they fighting for? Why should we care? Killjoys boasts slick outfits and action sequences, but the rest is pretty fuzzy. Characters are hard to define beyond their physical attributes, making them difficult to root for (or against). Though the show moves at lightning speed, the pace prevents it from conveying a sense of place. And admittedly, three episodes in, I’m still not entirely sure what exactly a “killjoy” does — or why. …
9 p.m. Friday. Syfy.
