Syfy Announces Third Season Renewals for Killjoys and Dark Matter

Both Killjoys and Dark Matter, two science-fiction series that have owned Syfy's summer Friday nights this year, have been renewed for third seasons, the network announced Thursday afternoon. Killjoys ends its second season tomorrow, Friday September 2, 2016. Dark Matter has two episodes airing back-to-back next Friday, September 9, and the season finale on September 16.

Killjoys, created by Michelle Lovretta, tells the story of three bounty hunters in a far-flung future. While they'll take the occasional questionable job, they try to avoid politics as The Quad, the system they operate within, is on the verge of war. Hannah John-Kamen stars as leader Dutch, with brothers John and D'avin played by Aaron Ashmore and Luke Macfarlane, respectively. The sci-fi series features big action, complicated political relationships, deep-seeded intrigue, secret mental and genetic experiments, and a healthy serving of sexy times on the side, all of which have combined to make Killjoys a unique fan favorite.

Dark Matter hales from Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie who Syfy fans are very familiar with thanks to their multiple series and seasons of the Stargate franchise. In the series, a crew awakens from a stasis on a malfunctioning ship - and none of them know who they are, why they're there, or what they've done. That last question (and most of the first two) got answered in season one, leading to a season two that has further placed them at the center of a conspiracy affecting the galaxy.

Melissa O'Neil, Anthony Lemke, Alex Mallari Jr. and Jodelle Ferland star with Roger Cross and Zoie Palmer.

Both series are vanguards for Syfy's concerted effort to bring Science Fiction back to the forefront of their programming. With large, diverse casts (both shows feature teams led by a woman of color, for a start), and unafraid to tackle complex issues of politics, sex, choice and consequence, and more, the pair of summer series show that Syfy remembers what put them on the map. The success of these, along with fellow sophomore series 12 Monkeys (also received a third season pick-up this year) and freshman series The Expanse and The Magicians, the network has begun to change the conversation about their programming by simply going back to telling smart, sexy, and intrigue-filled stories.

Syfy did not announce whether both shows would be back for summer runs again in 2017, though that's a fairly safe bet.