It's not been a good week for Syfy series.

On the heels of its cancellation of its apocalyptic supernatural drama "Dominion," the cable channel announced this afternoon it's ending the sci-fi series "Defiance" after three seasons.

Starring Julie Benz and Grant Bowler, "Defiance" began as an ambitious experiment by Syfy, Universal Cable Productions and NBC Universal, which invested $100 million to launch both a TV series and video game. The gamble seemed to pay off, at least initially, with "Defiance" giving the network its second-biggest premiere ever.

However, by the end of its third season on Aug. 28, "Defiance" was averaging just 1.12 million total viewers.

"'Defiance' was a truly groundbreaking series, delivering an immersive, cross-platform experience that transcended the television screen in a way that viewers had never seen before," Syfy said in a statement. "We are incredibly proud of the work of the extraordinary cast, writers, artists and designers -- and especially showrunner Kevin Murphy -- who together brought the rich world of 'Defiance' to life over its three season arc."

Murphy added, "I got to collaborate with a group of stunning artists operating at the top of their game, and together we built a world. Because of that, there is no room for anything other than joy in my heart."