Sci-fi masterpieces don't come around every day, a fact made more evident by one of the best space operas of the last decade still being discovered, despite having ended three years ago. The show's earliest outings immediately made it clear it was going to become one of the best sci-fi shows of all time.
Even today, it's still one of the best shows on Prime Video. It's also one of the book adaptations that proves TV is the best format for such a project, as viewers get to explore the story far more thoroughly than in book-to-movie adaptations. Totaling 62 episodes over six seasons, it's also a fairly accessible binge-watch.
The Expanse Rightfully Continues To Find New Fans 10 Years After It Premiered
Beginning in 2015, The Expanse aired its final episode in 2022. While the larger franchise has been expanded with other forms of media, the show itself has remained untouched for three years, despite there being more source material that has never been adapted. Regardless, The Expanse's quality speaks for itself.
A decade after the first episode, The Expanse's reach continues to grow. Even those who hadn't even heard of the show while it was in active production are now becoming huge fans of the gritty space opera. Although largely quite grounded, The Expanse doesn't shy away from its sci-fi genre label, and viewers clearly enjoy that balance.
The Expanse Never Became As Big As It Deserved (Not Even On Prime Video)
Cara Gee in a spacesuit in The Expanse
However, when Syfy pulled the plug after The Expanse season 3, Prime Video saved the show and made three more seasons. Being on a bigger streaming platform gave The Expanse the shot it deserved at being more widely recognized for its quality, but even Prime Video wasn't able to take the show's public profile to the next level.
All Seasons Of The Expanse & Their Rotten Tomatoes Scores | ||
Season | Episodes | Rotten Tomatoes Score |
1 | 10 | 79% |
2 | 13 | 95% |
3 | 13 | 100% |
4 | 10 | 100% |
5 | 10 | 100% |
6 | 6 | 96% |
Thankfully, Prime Video kept the show going until a suitable stopping point in the source material arrived: the end of the sixth book in the series. So, even though there are still Expanse books that never made it to the big screen, the show does tell a complete story and ends before a sizable time jump that happens in the novels.
Shows Like The Expanse Have Become Way More Difficult To Find
Amos Burton poses with an assault rifle in The Expanse promotional image.
There was a time when it was difficult to move without bumping into a TV space opera. The sci-fi subgenre boomed in the 90s and 00s with things like the various Star Trek shows, Battlestar Galactica, and the Stargate franchise. In the 2020s, shows like For All Mankind and Foundation on Apple TV+ are keeping space operas alive, but they're far more scarce.
For space opera fans who have never seen The Expanse, it's well worth watching. While The Expanse can be difficult to find on streaming in some countries, options like digital purchasing or DVD box sets mean it's still possible to access it. In short, The Expanse is still a brilliant and modern take on a beloved and dwindling TV genre.
Source: Rotten Tomatoes
