The Expanse is one of the best modern sci-fi shows, but these five new and upcoming series have the chance to rival it. Over the years, a few science fiction shows have stood out among the rest at top-caliber TV. Last century, shows like The Twilight Zone, Star Trek, and Doctor Who stood out. Of sci-fi shows in the 21st century, Battlestar Galactica and Lost are particularly noteworthy.
The Syfy-turned-Prime series The Expanse stands among them as one of the best sci-fi series out there. Adapting six of the nine books in the series by James SA Corey, the series stands out for its impressive world-building, social commentary, grounded science, flawed characters, and political intrigue.
While it’s a high bar to meet, other shows could rival The Expanse. These five upcoming series, in particular, have the highest likelihood.
The Captive’s War
Of all the new and upcoming sci-fi shows, the one most likely to rival The Expanse is Prime Video’s The Captive’s War, which will adapt the titular book series by James SA Corey (the pen name of Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck). Set in a far-off future, the story focuses on a group of prisoners who plan to take down the totalitarian alien empire oppressing them.
Out of the three novels and two novellas, only one book and one novella in the series have been released so far. However, what has been published is fantastic. There is political intrigue and high stakes. The Carryx Empire is absolutely ruthless, giving the resistance a good enemy.
Plus, the Prime Video show is bringing back the core individuals responsible for making The Expanse incredible. Showrunner Naren Shankar and director Breck Eisner will be on the creative team for The Captive’s War. Plus, Abraham and Franck will serve as writers. If anyone could make a show to rival The Expanse, it’s them.
Pluribus
Pluribus season 1 just ended on Christmas Eve, and the season was nothing short of brilliant. The show follows a jaded writer named Carol who must save the world from an alien virus that creates a hive mind and forced happiness.
Carol is an extremely relatable main character, flaws and all. The story is well-written and thought-provoking. Despite being a slow-burn, the tension and stakes are high, as the actions of immune humans could either save or end humanity.
Although a lot happened in Pluribus season 1, it has only scratched the surface of the story, and Vince Gillian currently has a four-season plan. If the show continues to offer strong writing, character development, and camerawork, it could very well rival The Expanse in terms of success and quality.
Neuromancer
Another sci-fi show that could seriously rival The Expanse is Apple TV’s Neuromancer, which adapts the iconic book that helped define the cyberpunk genre. The story, set in the near future, follows a data thief named Case, who is hired to complete a high-stakes heist in exchange for a cure for his disability, which prevents him from accessing the virtual world called the Matrix.
Neuromancer has just as huge of a fanbase as The Expanse, if not more, because it has been around for four decades, and it’s considered a seminal piece of sci-fi. As such, the turnout for Neuromance might be just as big as the Apple TV show.
On top of that, Apple TV is more selective about the TV shows it makes, choosing quality over quantity. For this reason, they will likely put a lot of time and energy into making Neuromancer the highest-quality, highest-production-value adaptation it can be, rather than a half-assed adaptation.
Consider Phlebas
The Culture series, which starts with Iain M. Banks's Consider Phlebas, has everything that would make it a strong rival to The Expanse. The story focused on the intergalactic war between a post-Scarcity utopia and the Idran Empire. There is political intrigue, galactic-scale conflict, cinematic descriptions, and action sequences.
The first season of the Amazon Prime adaptation plans to focus on Consider Phlebas, the first book in the series. However, if that does well, there are nine other books within the series to adapt. This means that it could feasibly run just as long, if not longer than, The Expanse TV series.
The best sign that Consider Phlebas has what it takes to rival The Expanse is the fact that a sci-fi writer, Charles Yu, will be writing and executive producing. Shows in this genre can go terribly wrong when someone with no sci-fi experience writes the scripts. Luckily, Yu has experience with science fiction.
Star City
The final upcoming show that can rival The Expanse is Star City, the spinoff of For All Mankind that focuses on the Soviet Union's side. For those unfamiliar with For All Mankind, the sci-fi show follows an alternate history positing the question, “What would the world look like if the space race between the US and the Soviet Union never ended?”
For All Mankind is very grounded in real science, just like The Expanse, even though it eventually becomes speculative. On top of that, the show will have five seasons by the time it ends.
Given the success of the original show, it’s reasonable to think that Star City will be just as successful a spinoff. Plus, Star City will have more political intrigue and a more character-driven story, which will appeal to fans of The Expanse.
