After Syfy’s cancellation of the fan-favorite space-based series The Expanse, news broke earlier this week that Amazon was in talks to pick up the show. And yesterday the streaming service officially announced that the series will be joining its lineup of originals starting with its fourth season. The announcement was made by Amazon boss Jeff Bezos at National Space Society’s International Space Development Conference in Los Angeles, and the cast of the show was in attendance there as well. The is no word that the streaming service is committed beyond the fourth season, but I expect it has a good opportunity to find success in that venue because it plays much better to the VOD format. Syfy had dropped the show because its deal with The Expanse‘s production company Alcon Entertainment only gave the cable network the opportunity to make money from the advertising during the live broadcasts. But that model of television viewing has become very outdated in the current environment. Alcon began shopping the show around after Syfy decided not to re-up it for a fourth season, and fans came out in large numbers to give support. They had hashtags like #SaveTheExpanse trending on Twitter, they put up an online petition that reached nearly 140K signatures, and they even flew a banner over the Amazon studios and also launched a replica of the Rocinante into low orbit! The fact that Amazon took notice and decided to pick up the show is a clear sign that engagement from fans can make a difference in the Peak TV era and that the networks that listen to and partner with the audience have a better chance of surviving when the bubble eventually bursts in the current boom of original programming on television.
The Expanse still has six more episodes in its current season that will air on Syfy through the end of June. The first two seasons are already available for streaming to those who have the Amazon Prime membership, and I expect the third season will be added later this year. And the streaming service will likely target mid-2019 for the debut of the fourth season. Fans are still fighting for FOX’s Lucifer to get picked up by another network and for NBC to give Timeless the third season nod, and they will likely be encouraged by the fact that Amazon saved The Expanse and double-down on their efforts. Be sure to keep an eye on this site and the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site for updates and breaking news on these shows and more in the coming weeks.
This show is excellent. It was the best thing on TV, and one of the few shows that make Amazon Prime worth it for streaming.
Balance of the universe restored.