Syfy has announced that Defiance saw 2.7 million viewers. This was the most of a premiere on the cable station since Warehouse 13 in 2009.

Additionally, the 1.3 million people in the desired demographic of adults 18-49 was better than the premiere of Eureka in 2006. The tie-in game from Trion has said to have seen over six million hours of gameplay since launch.