by Sean Gallagher

Syfy, your go-to destination for all things Sharknado, has cancelled its flagship series, The Expanse after three seasons. Based on the on going book series by James S.A. Corey, the show was a tale set in the future, with Earth having successfully colonized the solar system. The show was one full of layered characters, tense political landscapes on the brink of war, wonderful visual effects and a plot that weaved multiple protagonists into one cohesive plot. In fact, I’d say the series is science fictions answer to Game of Thrones.

Syfy’s president expressed his regrets in cancelling the series in a formal statement which caused confusion and anger within its fanbase. The series is considered to be one of the best on TV right now and had been receiving critical acclaim throughout its run. The Expanse may not be totally dead though. Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson, co-CEOs of Alcon Television Group (the team that finances the show) was noticeably disappointed with Syfy and announced that he’ll be shopping the series around to other networks. In a statement, they said:

“We are very disappointed the show will not be returning to Syfy. We respect Syfy’s decision to end this partnership but given the commercial and critical success of the show, we fully plan to pursue other opportunities for this terrific and original IP.” With the critical response to Lost in Space and the fact that it owns the international distribution rights, there’s a good chance Netflix could be the new home for the series, but that’s all just personal suspicion.

So why was the show cancelled if it was doing so well critically? It stems from the agreement with Syfy, which put a priority on watching the show live in the U.S. So if you were DVRing the show, like I was, or streaming it on an app, it was ultimately bringing the viewer ratings down. Which is a shame that this was a factor, not everyone can watch their favourite shows live these days. The Expanse ranks as one of the best shows on TV these days in my opinion and shouldn’t be missed for fans of good writing, interesting and layered characters and an eerie look at what the future could be like.

Even more interesting about the show is that it presents a diverse cast of characters that never feels forced. Considering the future seems humanity come together to colonize, the cast features dozens of accents and ethnic groups and even creates new cultures and slangs derived from our own culture. The show successfully manages to make this diverse cast feel natural instead of a forced box being checked. In a world where being inclusive is forward thinking, having the talented cast represent all facets of life really is a bright spot in this compelling series.

With the solar system colonized, political factions started growing. Mars lives in the shadow of Earth while the Belt is inhabited by lowly paid miners, who in their anger, look to violence and terrorism among their ranks. A neutral ice shipper gets caught in a conspiracy and plunges the system into a state of war. Oh – and there may be alien life after all to complicate things.

The final episode will air this July on Syfy. Do you hope the series will find new life on another network, if so which one? Let us know in the comments below and check out our work on Jordan Peele’s new film and what lead to Ash vs Evil Dead’s surprise cancellation.