Will Syfy Channel's "The Expanse" be its answer to HBO's "Game of Thrones?" The two already share interesting similarities. First, both are TV adaptations of a bestselling series of novels: George R. R. Martin wrote "A Song of Fire and Ice," while James S.A. Corey penned "The Expanse." Second, both series became dark horses and emerged as surprise runaway hits in the TV ratings game. Finally, both shows are struggling to keep up with the publication series' final novels which their respective authors still have to write.
"The Expanse" ended its first season last week, but fans were immediately assured of a second season. Aside from the announcemnent of Syfy weeks ago, the show quickly aired a teaser at the end of the final episode. The 26-second teaser shown by TV Series Finale had voice-overs of the favorite characters saying, "It's not yet over" and "The mystery is just beginning." The second season will return with 13-episodes in January 2017.
Den of Geek describes the show as the ultimate conspiracy set in space. The death of the mother of a non-Terran dweller sends a detective (played by Thomas Jane) into Mars and the outer colonies. What he stumbles into is a sophisticated and complex plot that will unravel the universe and man's history, as they know it.
Syfy president David Howe enthuses, "The Expanse is firing on all cylinders creatively, building a passionate fan base among viewers and critics alike... We can't wait to see where the story takes us in season two."
In another interview with TV Series Finale, producer Naren Shanker said that "The Expanse" TV series is only showing the tip of the proverbial iceberg contained in the books. They also had to slow down the storyline as "The Expanse's" author still needs to write four more books. Shankar and company just might end up facing a "Game of Thrones" dilemma: the TV series broadcast overtaking the actual writing of the final books.
He said that the book series needs a lot of time to tell its "big story." The steady pace of the show, meantime, will allow the viewers to familiarize themselves with the tangled plots and get to know the characters.
"The Expanse" will return to Syfy on January 2016. It stars Thomas Jane, Steven Strait, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Dominique Tipper, Cas Anvar, Wes Chatham, Florence Faivre, Paulo Constanzo, Chad L. Coleman, and Jared Harris.
