Dominion is a television series about angels fighting humans in a ruined world, and it spends two seasons trying to build a mythology around that premise without ever quite landing. The show is a sequel to Legion, the 2010 film starring Scarlett Johansson, and it borrows that movie’s idea of angels as soldiers who can take over human bodies. But Dominion is less interested in the horror of possession and more interested in the politics of its walled cities. That shift costs it dearly.
The series premiered on Syfy in 2014, created by Scott Stewart and Vaun Wilmott. It ran for 21 episodes across two seasons, ending its run on October 1, 2015. The show was filmed in Cape Town, South Africa, and it draws heavily on the mythology of its predecessor. The plot follows an army of lower angels led by Gabriel, who believe humans are the cause of God’s disappearance. Michael, an archangel, sides with humanity against Gabriel, and the show centers on the city of Vega, once Las Vegas, where two houses fight for control while a young soldier named Alex Lannen embarks on a perilous journey.
Trailer, via Lena Alena.
The Premise
The core idea is simple: God vanishes, and the angels blame humans. Gabriel assembles an army of lower angels, the “dogs of Heaven” known as “eight-balls” for their black eyes, and wages a war of possession. Most higher angels stay neutral, but Michael chooses to live among humans in Vega until a prophesied savior arrives to save mankind.
That setup is promising. It sets up a conflict between divine beings and mortal survivors, with Michael as the rare angel who puts human life ahead of celestial duty. The problem is that the show spends more time on the politics of Vega than on the actual war. The result is a series that feels like a slow-moving soap opera with wings.
The Cast
The cast is led by Christopher Egan as Alex Lannen, a rebellious young soldier whose journey through the season drives some of the show’s best moments. Tom Wisdom plays Michael, the archangel who sides with humanity, and Roxanne McKee plays Claire Rysen, Alex’s love interest. Alan Dale plays General Rysen, and Anthony Stewart Head plays David Weel. Luke Allen-Gale plays William Whele, Shivani Ghai plays Arika, Carl Beukes plays Gabriel, Kim Suzanne Engelbrecht plays Sgt. Noma Walker, and Simon Merrells plays Julian.
The ensemble is capable, but the writing often fails them. Dialogue is stiff, and emotional beats land with a thud. The show also leans heavily on visual effects to sell its scale, and the budget shows. The walled cities look impressive in still shots, but the action scenes feel hollow.
The Two Houses of Vega
The show’s central tension comes from the two houses vying for control in Vega. One faction wants peace with the angels, while the other wants war. This rivalry is meant to create a dangerous power shift, but the show never fully commits to it. The stakes are stated clearly in the synopsis, but the execution rarely matches the ambition.
The result is a political game that feels more like a board game than a battle. Characters maneuver for position, alliances shift, and the audience is expected to care. The show’s attempt to build a complex web of allegiances falls flat because the characters themselves are underdeveloped. They exist to represent factions rather than to become people.
Alex Lannen’s Journey
Alex Lannen is the closest thing the show has to a protagonist, and his perilous journey is the thread that holds the first season together. He is a soldier who rebels against the system, and his quest takes him through dangerous territory as the war between humans and angels escalates. His arc is personal, and it gives the show a human center when everything else feels abstract.
But even his story suffers from the broader problems. The pacing is uneven, and the show spends too much time on exposition before letting Alex actually move. The journey promised in the synopsis is a perilous one, but the show delivers more talking than walking.
Gabriel and Michael
Gabriel and Michael are the show’s central antagonists and protagonists, respectively, and their relationship defines the series. Gabriel is the leader of the angelic forces, convinced that humans are the cause of God’s absence. Michael is the angel who sides with humanity, living among them until a savior arrives. The show’s premise hinges on this divide, but the execution weakens it.
The show spends far more time on Gabriel’s tactics than on Michael’s motives. Michael is introduced as a savior figure, but he never gets the screen time to earn that role. Gabriel, meanwhile, becomes more of a strategic threat than a mythic one. The result is a series that promises a clash between heaven and earth but delivers a bureaucratic conflict instead.
The Cities and the War
The show’s setting is a transformed post-apocalyptic future, with newly fortified cities protecting human survivors. Vega is the largest of these cities, and it serves as the main location for the series. The show’s synopsis promises a battle between humans and fallen angels, but the actual war is rarely shown.
Instead, the show focuses on the politics of survival. The cities are described as fortified, but the show spends little time exploring what that means for the people inside them. The war is more of a backdrop than a driving force. The show’s attempt to build a sense of danger falters because the danger is never made real.
The Cancellation
On October 13, 2015, Syfy canceled Dominion after two seasons. The show had been renewed for a second season on September 25, 2014, and the second season premiered on July 9, 2015. The cancellation came after 21 episodes and a run that lasted less than two years.
The show’s failure to find an audience is not surprising. Its mythology is dense, its pacing is slow, and its characters are thin. The show tried to do too much with too little. It wanted to be a grand epic about angels and humans, but it never committed to making either side compelling.
Comparison Table
| Element | Dominion | Legion |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Drama | Horror |
| Setting | Year 25 A.E., post-apocalyptic cities | Modern day, present day |
| Central Conflict | Gabriel’s army vs. Michael’s humans | Angels vs. humans |
| Main Protagonist | Alex Lannen / Michael | Scarlett Johansson |
| Tone | Political, dramatic | Horror, suspense |
The comparison shows how far Dominion drifted from its predecessor. Legion was a horror film about possession, while Dominion became a political drama about angels. The shift in tone is visible in every episode, and it is a major reason the show failed to connect with audiences.
Final Word
Dominion is a show with a good idea and a bad execution. It tries to build a mythology around angels and humans, but it never commits to making either side interesting. The show’s focus on politics over action, its thin characters, and its uneven pacing all work against it.
The show is not a complete failure. Alex Lannen’s journey offers a personal anchor amid the chaos, and the premise remains intriguing. But the show’s refusal to commit to its own ideas leaves it feeling unfinished. It is a series that promises a clash between heaven and earth but delivers a bureaucratic conflict instead.
The show’s cancellation was inevitable. It was a show that was never going to find a large audience, and it ended where it belonged. The legacy of Dominion is a cautionary tale about ambition without discipline.
Score: 4.7 of 10.
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