Yeah, the debut has been a bit muted. I mean, Syfy has been advertising it but if you weren't a regular Syfy viewer or (like myself) kept pretty close tabs on the Facebook it was easy to miss. Even I missed the premiere! I know the ratings took a hit, and it doesn't seem like a cheap show to produce. I've resigned myself that this could be it, but I'm still hopeful they might wrap up the story with a movie or something if the finale isn't planned. Still, Syfy has a lot invested in it, so maybe they'll give it another chance.
It doesn't have a whole lot of special effects so I wouldn't think it would cost too much more than a regular drama. I would think Dominion would cost more, though I haven't looked to see how it was doing.