Just halfway into its first season, "The Expanse" has already received a renewal for a second season from its network, the Syfy Channel. The ratings hit and is a critical success, the space saga set 200 years in the future has captured audience loyalty with its conspiracy theories and compelling character arcs set amidst the outbreak of an interstellar war. Its dark tone and provocative plot have likened comparison's to Syfy's other hit of 10 years ago, the reinvention of "Battlestar Galactica." "The Expanse" might also very well prove to be the launching pad that will return Syfy, as the network leader in crafting excellent science-fiction and fantasy storytelling.
In the series description provided by Space, "The Expanse" is based on the bestselling book series, "Leviathan Wakes," written by Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck. An audience of 4.5 million tuned in to watch the premiere that unveiled a potentially explosive political power keg set in our solar system. In this harsh setting, Earth, or at least the government controlling her, turns out to be the villain. The U.N.-controlled planet is the prime recipient of all the good things mined in the less friendly colonies such as Mars and the asteroid belt. Another 1.6 million viewers stayed on to follow the storyline which, to date, has aired five of the ten episodes in season 1.
Producers Mark Fergus and Naren Shankar are enthused about Syfy''s early announcement of the show's renewal, according to Comicbook. Saying that the show's first season will just barely begin to cover the tantalizing plots of Abraham and Franck, they promise that the second season will show more of the complicated political power play that rules a grim brutal society in outer space. The supposed small incidents in season one will set off a chain reaction that can trigger cataclysmic events like a full-scale war in season two.
Syfy has equal reason to rejoice about the show's success. "The Expanse" just might hurl it back into the forefront of sci-fi TV leadership, a position it has not held since "Battlestar Galactica" made waves more than a decade ago. Bloggers like David M. Perry of The Mary Sue have hailed "The Expanse" as the "best damn space show" that audiences "should be watching right now."
