2025/12/14
The Expanse first aired on December 14th, 2015 on the Syfy channel. The year 2015 marked the return of SCI-FI set in space after Stargate Universe was cancelled in 2011. In June we got Dark Matter and Killjoys, but in December we got a 3rd SCI-FI show set in space, and to be honest, this definitely is the favorite one of the three. Having said that, Dark Matter is a close second, love that show too.
As you most likely know is that the show is based on a series of novels, created by James S.A. Corey (Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck), and it has the same name. it is set in the future where humanity has colonized the solar system. The Expanse received mostly positive reviews, for its visuals, character development and the political narrative.
After 3 seasons Syfy cancelled The Expanse, well that is what you expect of Syfy of course. Amazon Prime saved the show and produced 3 more seasons, although it must be said that the 6th and last season only consisted of 6 episodes. Still, The Expanse went out with a bang and the finale episode aired/streamed on January 15th 2022. Not long after it was cancelled, the creators expressed their desire to at one point continue the show with a 7th season. The showrunners were Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby, Naran Shankar.
A very strong cast, James Holden (Steven Strait), an Earther executive officer on the Canterbury, later the captain of the Rocinante, the hero who does not want to be a hero. The cynical detective Josephus Miller (Thomas Jane), a belter detective who was assigned to the disappearance of Julie Mao. Alex Kamal (Cas Anvar) is a Martian pilot, first on the Canterbury, later of the Rocinante. Naomi Nagata (Dominique Tipper), a Belter engineer of the Canterbury, later the engineer of the Rocinante. Amos Burton (Wes Chatham) an Earther mechanic of the Canterbury, originally from Baltimore, later the mechanic of the Rocinante. Chrisjen Avasarala (Shohreh Aghdashloo) the UN Deputy Undersecretary of Executive Administration, later UN Secretary-General. Sadavir Errinwright (Shawn Doyle), the UN Undersecretary of Executive Administration, Julie Mao (Florence Faivre) the missing daughter of business tycoon Jules-Pierre Mao. In the follow-up seasons the cast becomes bigger with more very capable actors. Amongst others: Bobbie Draper (Frankie Adams), an MMC (Martian Marine Corps) gunnery sergeant, Camina Drummer (Cara Gee), Frederick Lucius Johnson (Chad L. Coleman), Monica Stewart (Anna Hopkins) and Commander Klaes Ashford (David Strathairn).
It was a real surprise to me, this TV show, although I have to admit, when I first started watching the first season, I had to get used to it a bit, it was something totally different then what I was used to. This didn’t take long mind you, a great cast, massive storyline spanning six seasons, character development, the political schemes, superb CGI, I mean, the CGI on the reimagined Battlestar Galactica was fantastic, but the CGI on the Expanse was just phenomenal. The Expanse was a dream coming true for SCI-FI fans who also love shows like Babylon 5, Star Trek: DS9, Stargate, Farscape and so on. Especially after 4 years of drought of SCI-FI shows set in space. For 100% sure The Expanse already is in my Top 10 favorite SCI-FI shows of all time. Perhaps not yet in my Top 5, but with one or two more rewatches I think this will be a certainty for sure.
Blu-Ray:
The Expanse has also been released on Blu-ray, so you can watch it in the best available quality. With my last rewatch I only had the first 4 season on Blu-ray and watched the last two seasons on Amazon, but earlier this year I also purchased the last two seasons on Blu-ray. They are individually available but also in a complete series set. Be aware, although seasons 1,2,3,5 and 6 are region free, season 4 is region code A, you cannot play it on a region B or C player. All seasons do have English subtitles.
Final Word:
Just writing about The Expanse makes me want to rewatch it again, it is just so good, but I have to fight the urge because there are so many shows of which my last rewatch was before that of my last rewatch of the Expanse. I finished my last rewatch on January 26, 2023 so that is almost 3 years now. I am not sure how long I can fight the urge, I just wish there were more hours in the day to rewatch my favorite shows. Happy 10th Anniversary The Expanse!
Screencaps: Kiss Them Goodbye
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