Syfy has given a direct-to-series order to an exciting-sounding new project based on an acclaimed sci-fi book series. The cable network has ordered 10 episodes of The Expanse, from Academy Award-nominated screenwriting duo Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby (Children of Men, Iron Man) and Alcon Television Group. The project has been described by industry insiders as “Game of Thrones in space” — not so much because of the specifics of the plot, but because it tells a dramatic sprawling grown-up story within a popular fantasy genre that’s based on a respected series of novels.
The logline: “A thriller set two hundred years in the future, The Expanse follows the case of a missing young woman who brings a hardened detective and a rogue ship’s captain together in a race across the solar system to expose the greatest conspiracy in human history.”
The Expanse is based on a series of books by James S.A. Corey. The most well-known title is probably the first in the series, Leviathan Wakes, which has been praised for reinventing and updating the old-school Star Wars/Firefly-style space opera. Syfy won a bidding war with another content producer to acquire the project.
Syfy president Dave Howe promised, “The Expanse is epic in scale and scope and promises to be Syfy’s most ambitious series to date. Bringing this coveted book franchise to television with our partners at Alcon and the Sean Daniel Company is a giant win for Syfy, reinforcing our overall strategy to produce bold, provocative and compelling sci-fi fantasy stories. The Expanse joins a killer line-up of high-concept, high quality series, along with recently announced original projects Ascension, 12 Monkeys, the renewal of Helix, and the soon to premiere Dominion.”
Sean Daniel and Jason Brown of the Sean Daniel Company developed the original pitch, with Fergus and Ostby, and will also executive produce. “The Expanse is one of the most special pieces of material we’ve ever encountered and it has been our dream to bring it to life since the moment we read it,” Daniel and Brown said in a statement. “We couldn’t be more excited to be doing it with this team of all-stars.”
Added Alcon president Sharon Hall: “The Expanse is an addictive, sophisticated, character-driven franchise and Mark and Hawk are the perfect people to steer it. Their script is a totally immersive and accessible sci-fi journey.”
(Just FYI, the author of Leviathan Wakes, James S.A. Corey, is actually a collaberative pseudonym of authors Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck. I guess EW didn't know this...) [Reply]
I hope SyFy's promotion efforts paid off. I have no idea where its ratings or viewership is compared to Battlestar Galactica when it first got going, but it's a damn fine show. It deserves a wide audience. [Reply]
I don't get cable anymore, so I watched season one on Amazon Prime. It was so good I am debating between paying 30 bucks to watch season 2 now, or trying to hold out for it to go to prime. [Reply]
Agreed. For those that have been debating watching it - this is a really, really good show. It's very rare to find something this good and it not be a premium channel like HBO, etc. [Reply]
Great show. I've read all the books and at first I didn't like the actors playing Holden, Amos, and Noami. (Holden and Naomi are supposed to be in their early to mid thirties at the start of the series and Amos is supposed to be a giant, the Rock type guy) but the show has done a great job so far and I've grown to like Amos in particular.
This show has potential to blow Battlestar Galactica out of the water, and that is high praise.
As an aside: Guys, please support this show by watching it. It's physics are as close as we can get to modern physics. There are no mcguffins, no handwaving in this show and it has fantastic drama. Watch it and spread the word to your friends. [Reply]
Originally Posted by FlintHillsChiefs:
Great show. I've read all the books and at first I didn't like the actors playing Holden, Amos, and Noami. (Holden and Naomi are supposed to be in their early to mid thirties at the start of the series and Amos is supposed to be a giant, the Rock type guy) but the show has done a great job so far and I've grown to like Amos in particular.
This show has potential to blow Battlestar Galactica out of the water, and that is high praise.
As an aside: Guys, please support this show by watching it. It's physics are as close as we can get to modern physics. There are no mcguffins, no handwaving in this show and it has fantastic drama. Watch it and spread the word to your friends.
Doing my best. I both record and watch the show live as it airs. I talk about it a lot with friends and co-workers. They're all intrigued, but I think too many of them don't like that the show isn't readily available on any of the main subscription streaming services. I bring up the fact that Amazon Prime has Season 1, and then they go, "Okay, I'll put it on my watch list and go with it that way" rather than giving the show the boost it needs through at least watching it on syfy.com
I don't want to see this thing get Caprica'd. Syfy has cancelled struggling shows before, and they could absolutely do it again to this one even though the quality is off-the-scale for anything they've ever broadcasted, and that includes BSG. Would Netflix or HBO or some other network pick it back up after it got cancelled? Possibly, and that would I think solve the problem of not enough people watching it.
Let's see if Syfy picks up Season 3. I'm quite hopeful. [Reply]
It just blows my mind that people will watch hot garbage like The Magicians but won't tune into this. It's one of the best shows on television. Not just on syfy.
Unfortunately it's the most expensive program the network has ever produced. [Reply]
Originally Posted by FlintHillsChiefs:
Great show. I've read all the books and at first I didn't like the actors playing Holden, Amos, and Noami. (Holden and Naomi are supposed to be in their early to mid thirties at the start of the series and Amos is supposed to be a giant, the Rock type guy) but the show has done a great job so far and I've grown to like Amos in particular.
This show has potential to blow Battlestar Galactica out of the water, and that is high praise.
As an aside: Guys, please support this show by watching it. It's physics are as close as we can get to modern physics. There are no mcguffins, no handwaving in this show and it has fantastic drama. Watch it and spread the word to your friends.
This is pretty spot on. I just finished season 1. I generally don't like series/movies that are based on books as much as the novels but this is an exception. A few character ages are a little off but not by too much. Hopefully it gets picked up for season 3. Ratings are down but overall its still one of syfy's better rated shows.
Read The Lost Fleet series by Jack Campbell if you like realistic physics in your sci-fi. Fleets spend days traveling towards each other then shoot and pass in less than an eye blink. Cool stuff. Not terribly demanding but a page turner. [Reply]