The Expanse is based on the series of novels by author James S.A. Corey (the pen name of Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck), with the first season following the first book, Leviathan Wakes. In it, Detective Miller is looking for a missing girl, Julie Mao, a missing persons case being a very rare occurrence in the Asteroid Belt. Elsewhere in space, Jim Holden, part of the crew of the Canterbury, hears a distress signal calling out near a rogue asteroid, and has a few of the crew- including himself- to investigate, all the while tensions between Earth, Mars and the Belt are headed to a heated stand-off, with terrorist and activist threats continually growing.
The Expanse starts off by throwing the audience into a new futuristic galaxy in the 24th Century, and then slowly showing us the mechanics of how humanity now works, spread out across the system. With this show being on Syfy, I had hopes it would be a good show, also having read the books beforehand, but I didn't expect to be blown away by that premiere (which is available digitally on YouTube). The acting is great, both from the leads and the supporting cast (though Thomas Jane is stand-out as the hard-boiled detective), the direction is superb, showing us a dark and gritty view of the future, hidden behind the facade of lights and clockwork. The writing is fantastic as well, honestly bearing many similarities to Game of Thrones in how the show juggles politics, violence, and sex. Though, what was just stunning and gorgeous, was the production and visuals. If the Syfy logo didn't appear on the episode, you would never have guessed it were Syfy. The visuals are breath-taking, with the scenes involving the Canterbury looking just incredible, and the production values are wonderful, as there is still an abundance of practical effects. Even the music is haunting and beautiful from composer Clinton Shorter, which sounds a bit like District 9 meets Battlestar Galactica.
The Expanse is a huge and bold effort from Syfy that, so far, is paying off. The structure of the show is much like that of Game of Thrones, switching between characters and following different plot points as they unfold, all the while revealing more and more about the characters. If you love science fiction, get on board. If not, give it a shot, especially if you're a fan of GoT, because George R.R. Martin himself praises both the show and the novels, who even compared it favorably to his own work, even saying, "It's been too long since we've had a really kickass space opera."
The Expanse starts off by throwing the audience into a new futuristic galaxy in the 24th Century, and then slowly showing us the mechanics of how humanity now works, spread out across the system. With this show being on Syfy, I had hopes it would be a good show, also having read the books beforehand, but I didn't expect to be blown away by that premiere (which is available digitally on YouTube). The acting is great, both from the leads and the supporting cast (though Thomas Jane is stand-out as the hard-boiled detective), the direction is superb, showing us a dark and gritty view of the future, hidden behind the facade of lights and clockwork. The writing is fantastic as well, honestly bearing many similarities to Game of Thrones in how the show juggles politics, violence, and sex. Though, what was just stunning and gorgeous, was the production and visuals. If the Syfy logo didn't appear on the episode, you would never have guessed it were Syfy. The visuals are breath-taking, with the scenes involving the Canterbury looking just incredible, and the production values are wonderful, as there is still an abundance of practical effects. Even the music is haunting and beautiful from composer Clinton Shorter, which sounds a bit like District 9 meets Battlestar Galactica.
The Expanse is a huge and bold effort from Syfy that, so far, is paying off. The structure of the show is much like that of Game of Thrones, switching between characters and following different plot points as they unfold, all the while revealing more and more about the characters. If you love science fiction, get on board. If not, give it a shot, especially if you're a fan of GoT, because George R.R. Martin himself praises both the show and the novels, who even compared it favorably to his own work, even saying, "It's been too long since we've had a really kickass space opera."