It’s not often that a sci-fi series manages to capture the attention of the masses, but when The Expanse premiered in 2015, fans of James S. A. Corey’s novels went absolutely nuts for the show. That’s why when it was unceremoniously canceled by Syfy in 2018, celebrities such as Wil Wheaton, George R. R. Martin, and Patton Oswalt all lobbied for either Amazon or Netflix to pick it up. Crowdfunding campaigns were started, banners were flown, and eventually Prime Video came to the rescue, and the series continued for another three seasons. Four years after its conclusion, The Expanse remains one of the best hard sci-fi shows ever made.

Developed by Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby, The Expanse brought to life Corey’s (the pen name for authors Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck) plethora of novels and short stories about a future where humanity has colonized the Solar System, but politics, backstabbing, and crime still run rampant. Often described as “Game of Thrones in space,” the series benefited from the fact that Fergus and Ostby were no strangers to the sci-fi genre before boarding The Expanse. They previously worked together on hits like Children of Men, Iron Man, and the always fun to watch space Western, Cowboys & Aliens.

What Is ‘The Expanse’ About?

At its core, The Expanse is a political thriller set in space. Taking place 200 years in the future, we’re introduced to three factions on the brink of war: The United Nations of Earth and Luna, The Martian Congressional Republic on Mars, and The Outer Planets Alliance scattered across the asteroid belt and the moons of Jupiter and Saturn. That might seem like a lot of ground to cover, but like its high fantasy counterpart, The Expanse is easy to follow as it bounces around between various plot points and characters that all eventually converge into one.

Perhaps the best part about The Expanse, however, is that it treats both space and science fiction with realism. There are no lightsabers, artificial gravity, or phasers set to stun. Instead, it takes a hard sci-fi approach where Newton’s laws of motion still reign supreme, G-forces can kill you, rogue asteroids are an ever-present threat, and cosmic radiation can result in one heck of a painful burn that no amount of aloe vera can ease. The official synopsis for The Expanse reads:

Hundreds of years in the future, things are different from what humanity is used to after humans have colonized the solar system and Mars has become an independent military power. Rising tensions between Earth and Mars have put them on the brink of war. Against this backdrop, a hardened detective and a rogue ship’s captain come together to investigate the case of a missing young woman. The investigation leads them on a race across the solar system that could expose the greatest conspiracy in human history.

What Did Critics and Fans Think of ‘The Expanse’?

As mentioned, fans went all-in on The Expanse as soon as it premiered back in 2015. Season 1 scored a near-perfect 100% on the Rotten Tomatoes Popcornmeter, and while some say the quality of the show diminished in the latter half of its run, the vast majority agree that it still remains one of the best hard-sci-fi shows ever created.

Critics were a little more guarded when The Expanse first started, but still gave Season 1 a Certified Fresh rating of 79%. Season 2 was when they really started to enjoy it, as it’s rated 95%. Seasons 3, 4, and 5 were awarded perfect ratings of 100%, and Season 6 a solid 96%. Not too many shows can say they’ve enjoyed much the same critical acclaim across multiple seasons, which makes The Expanse definitely worth checking out on Prime Video if you’ve never seen it.