From Brian Lowry of Variety:

• Defying Gravity
  “Defying Gravity” telegraphs its aspirations in terms of commercial longevity — a six-year (God willing) space mission — but otherwise holds its cards close to its spacesuit. Frequently flashing back to build a soap opera around its sci-fi skeleton, this international co-production proves mildly intriguing and looks reasonably handsome but divulges only vague hints regarding its ultimate destination during the two-hour premiere. As a consequence, the storytelling needs to pick up momentum quickly if the show expects an audience to tag along on its planned journey to Venus and beyond.” Read more.

From Gary Strauss of USA Today:

• With ‘Defying Gravity,’ Ron Livingston is walking on air
  “Gravity focuses on eight astronauts on a six-year mission to explore the solar system, circa 2052. Though its space-travel premise skews toward sci-fi, Defying Gravity’s interplanetary setting serves as a backdrop for character-driven back stories, sexy romantic triangles and a mysterious plotline — or The Right Stuff mixed with Grey’s Anatomy and a bit of Lost.” Read more.

From Heather Havrilesky of Salon (contains spoilers):

• What if you set “Grey’s Anatomy” in outer space?
  “But bending the laws of physics on a space soap is where I draw the line. While I can understand why Parriott and Co. might be tempted to simply swap out the high-pressure hospital setting with a high-pressure intergalactic setting, the stupidity of Defying Gravity really knows no bounds.” Read more.

From Verne Gay of Newsday:

• ‘Defying Gravity’ on ABC is hard to praise
  “REASON TO WATCH Rare prime-time series set in space, plus chance to catch up with journeymen actors Ron Livingston (“Office Space”) and Malik Yoba (“New York Undercover”). But otherwise …” Read more.