The Expanse was cancelled by Syfy after three seasons and then picked up by Amazon to run for three more, but there is still more story to tell, and there remains a chance that the show could continue.
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What Is It?
This series takes place hundreds of years in the future, when humans have ventured beyond Earth to colonize the planets, establishing three main governing powers in the solar system: the United Nations of Earth and Luna, the Martian Congressional Republic, and the Outer Planets Alliance (OPA), a loose political confederation of colonies scattered across the asteroid belt and the moons of Jupiter and Saturn. When the daughter of wealthy and influential Jules-Pierre Mao goes missing, a detective living on Ceres is tasked with finding her, which leads to the discovery of an alien protomolecule in the solar system. That, in turn, sets in motion a rise in tensions among the governing powers and brings them to the brink of war. Renegade captain James Holden and his crew aboard the ship Rocinante find themselves in the middle of this predicament, and they may be the only ones who can keep the planets from destroying each other.
Aired: Syfy/Prime Video, 2015-2022, 6 Seasons Totaling 62 Episodes
Developed By: Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby
Starring: Thomas Jane, Steven Strait, Cas Anvar, Dominique Tipper, Wes Chatham, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Frankie Adams
Why Did It End?
The Expanse had somewhat of a rough ride during its six-season run and was almost cut short way too soon. It premiered on Syfy in 2015 as a big-budget production that received plenty of accolades but never quite lived up to the ratings expectations of the network (which was hoping for the next Walking Dead or Game of Thrones). The series was cancelled after three seasons, but a raucous fan campaign led to Amazon picking it up as an original for its Prime Video streaming service, helped in part by the fact that Jeff Bezos was a fan of the show. It continued for three more seasons on that platform but still failed to draw the viewership numbers needed to justify its budget, and the sixth season was announced in advance as its last.
That did represent a logical ending point for the series, as it had covered through the sixth book and the story then jumps forward thirty years. The main storyline—the war between the Belters and the inner planets—was resolved by that point, though a few loose ends were left hanging. A side story followed events on the planet Laconia, based on the Strange Dogs novella, and introduced the character of Admiral Duarte, who plays an important role in the later books. However, that thread was left unresolved, leaving fans to wonder why it was included in the first place.
Will the Show Continue?
Despite the fact that The Expanse never enjoyed the same high viewership numbers as other genre entries like Stranger Things, The Witcher, or The Mandalorian, it has become a highly regarded series and is widely considered a top-tier sci-fi entry. The show currently holds a combined Fresh rating of 95% on Rotten Tomatoes across all seasons, along with an 85% Audience Score, and it frequently appears on best-of lists of sci-fi TV shows (case in point). It has proven to be more of a slow burn with general audiences, but this is a series that will continue to build its reputation over time, and there is clearly interest in continuing it in some form.
The rights to the property have reverted back to its production company, Alcon Television Group, which is actively looking to bring it back to television in some format. There were discussions with Amazon about producing a final movie to wrap up the series, but Alcon reportedly felt that would not do the story justice. It is possible they could produce a new season based on the Strange Dogs novella, or they could continue directly from where Season 6 left off, following further adventures of the crew of the Rocinante, as the show opened up an entire universe of possibilities (literally). Another option would be to jump ahead to the seventh book, possibly aging the cast digitally, though it appears Alcon has the rights to that book but not the ones that follow (and they may not currently have the rights to Strange Dogs either).
Authors Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck attempted to buy the rights back from Alcon, but the company chose to retain the property for now. As a result, any continuation that incorporates the later books would require Abraham and Franck to be involved. A version that departs from the novels might still be acceptable, but many fans would likely want the series to adhere to the source material to some degree (despite the liberties the show has already taken). Ultimately, Alcon will need a platform willing to finance a new season, and they are reportedly shopping the property. So while The Expanse did conclude after six seasons, there remains a definite possibility that it could continue at some point.
What Can the Fans Do to Help?
After The Expanse was cancelled by Syfy, fans around the world rallied in support of the show, generating enough attention to convince Amazon to pick it up for three additional seasons. So if they did that once, why can’t they do it again? And the people at Alcon would certainly support their efforts.
If fans can get the show trending on social media, that could attract renewed attention and spark interest from other streamers. Organizing watch parties could help push it into the Nielsen Streaming Rankings, and purchasing episodes via VOD would also impact the bottom line. One service in particular that fans could target is Apple TV, which has already produced notable sci-fi entries such as For All Mankind, Severance, and Foundation, and has demonstrated a willingness to support its originals. The Expanse is also less expensive to produce than mega-budget projects like Stranger Things or The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, making it an appealing option in the current, more cost-conscious post-Peak TV environment.
The show also comes with a built-in audience and global fanbase, which could provide an immediate subscription boost to a platform like Apple TV. And with Alcon actively shopping the property, another well-organized fan campaign could certainly help the cause. It has been ten years since the show first premiered, and fans saved it once before, so perhaps they can do it again. And maybe we’ll get more from a series that many already consider one of the greatest sci-fi TV shows of all time.
Did you watch The Expanse, and would you support efforts to bring it back for another season and perhaps more? Chime in with your thoughts in the comments below.
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