Syfy adds Dominion to its summer schedule on Thursday, June 19 at 9 p.m.The post-apocalyptic series is a sequel to 2010’s Legion, set 25 years after the events of the film. Archangel Michael has waged war on the humans, following the demise of God, leading his brother, Gabriel, to side with the them. What’s left of mankind lives in small caste-societies like Vega (formerly Las Vegas), where Dominion takes place. The following are reviews from TV critics around the web, compiled by B&C.
"Dominion, in its 90-minute opening volley of impenetrable hokum, is trying to establish too much. Like Gabriel and Michael as archangels who support different sides; of other, lesser angels who are sometimes called, inexplicably, '8-balls' but look like flying vampires; getting anyone to buy [Anthony] Head speaking without a British accent; going for a military andgoth vibe; saying 'Vega' out loud like it's a good thing; trying to make the show feel part Hunger Games, part love story, part dystopian ideal with bad costumes; angels with wings; angels using their wings to fight. The list seems endless."
—Tim Goodman, The Hollywood Reporter
"Religious concerns aside, the explanatory opener is cursory at best, leaving those who have not seen or have forgotten Legion more than a little bewildered. The easy description is that it's The Walking Dead with angels instead of zombies, desert instead of forest and no hint of great writing or acting whatsoever. The special effects, however, are nifty; surely the video game cannot be far behind."
—Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times
"The show musters a few ninth-inning wrinkles in an attempt to reel in viewers to subsequent episodes; by then, though, the dense mythology about the angel invasion, angel hierarchies and what’s transpired during the intervening quarter-century — along with scads of political jockeying seemingly lifted out of Dune — has come to feel almost oppressive."
—Brian Lowry, Variety
"On the other hand, fans of action-fantasy who are comfortable at Syfy’s level could do worse. When Dominion isn’t preoccupied with filling in its portentous backstory, it provides some capably filmed action and a higher grade of acting than usual for this kind of show."
—Mike Hale, New York Times
"It’s Anthony Head, however, who is the most fun as the villainous Secretary Whele. While the nominal antagonist of the piece is the wrathful angel leader Gabriel, Whele is the threat close at hand, scheming to wrest control of the city from Reisen in a familial power struggle of Shakespearean proportions."
—Kate Kulzick, A.V. Club
