The Greatest Sci Fi/Fantasy TV Shows: Considering the case for the sci fi and fantasy television shows that should be counted among the greatest of all time.
What Is It?
This series takes place hundreds of years in the future when humans have ventured beyond Earth to colonize planets and have established three main governing powers in the solar system: the United Nations of Earth and Luna, the Martian Congressional Republic, and the Outer Planets Alliance (OPA), a loose political confederation of colonies scattered across the asteroid belt and moons of Jupiter and Saturn. When the daughter of wealthy and influential Jules-Pierre Mao goes missing, a detective living on Ceres is tasked with finding her, and that leads to the discovery of the existence of an alien protomolecule in the solar system. That in turn sets things in motion for a rise in tensions among the governing powers and brings them to the brink of war. Renegade captain James Holden and his crew of the ship named Rocinante find themselves in the middle of this and they may be the only ones who can keep the planets from destroying each other.
Aired: Syfy/Prime Video, 2015-2022, 6 Seasons Totaling 62 Episodes
Developed By: Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby
Starring: Thomas Jane, Steven Strait, Cas Anvar, Dominique Tipper, Wes Chatham, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Frankie Adams
Argument to Count It as One of the Greatest Sci Fi TV Shows:
When The Expanse arrived on the scene in 2015, there was a dearth of space-based shows across the television landscape. The Battlestar: Galactica and Stargate franchises had come to an end, and Star Trek had not been on the small screen since Enterprise was cancelled in 2005. Syfy had also shifted to mostly “sci fi lite” entries like Warehouse 13, Sanctuary, and Haven since rebranding from The Sci Fi Channel in 2009. But the network had decided to return to space in 2015, starting with Killjoys and Dark Matter, and then delivering The Expanse in December of that year.
This show delivered one of the closest things to hard sci fi that television had seen, with its believable take on first contact, and its realistic portrayal of space travel and battles in space. It also had a notable budget that allowed it to unveil its story visually with amazing cinematography. And while the acting and general direction of the show was rather uneven in its first season, it settled in by the second year as it really started to hit its stride. The cast became more comfortable in their roles and the characters they brought to life helped bump the show up to that next level.
The Expanse was almost cut short after its third season when Syfy cancelled it because the ratings did not justify the cost of the show. But Amazon stepped in and saved it, allowing the series to continue for three more seasons, and they also pumped an even bigger budget into the production. It ended on a high note after its sixth season, coming to a logical conclusion based on where the show was in relation to the books (the novel series takes a 28-year jump at that point). But the show continues to resonate with fans, and they would love more adventures from the crew of the Rocinante as The Expanse has set a new bar for sci fi TV shows and should be counted as one of the greatest genre entries of all time.
Argument Against:
While The Expanse does count as a good sci fi TV entry, it diverges notably from the book series by James S.A. Corey that it is based on and wastes several good storylines and characters. It rushes through some parts of the novels and changes others while also delivering a very different take on some of the characters (most notably Bobbie Draper, though definitely not the fault of Frankie Adams). And while an adaptation can certainly take some liberties, the television series does it to the detriment of the overall story. It ends up getting convoluted and confusing and at times it fails to delve into the true story potential found in the books. The show also got off to a slow start with its uneven first season, and it introduces a storyline in its sixth year that goes nowhere because that was its final season. All of this leads to a series that was impressive from a visual standpoint, but that disappointed in the delivery of its story and characters, causing it to fall short of counting as a sci fi TV great.
Johnny Jay’s Take:
By the time that The Expanse had premiered in 2015, I had read the first book in the series, and I found myself somewhat disappointed in the television adaptation. The interpretation of the characters (apart from Amos) did not match to their portrayals in the book, and the story diverged in several places. Still, I enjoyed the show well enough and stuck with it as I continued to read the books. But ultimately I decided to pause my reading and just watch the show because I found myself constantly comparing it back to the books. And it was at that point that I started to really enjoy the television version. Yes, the series takes plenty of liberties with the source material, but it still does a good job of delivering an engaging, science fiction story populated with a well-developed set of characters. And by the time the show wrapped up, I truly felt like it had turned into a major accomplishment for genre TV. It delivered a realistic take on space travel and an interesting idea on how we might first encounter alien life while also mixing in the intrigue of Game of Thrones-style politics. The Expanse does get off to somewhat of a rough start, but it hits its stride by its second season, and overall the show certainly counts as one of the greats of sci fi television.
Where Can You Watch It?
The entire series has been released on DVD and Blu-ray. All six seasons are currently streaming on Amazon’s Prime Video and you can buy them VOD from sellers like Apple TV.
Do you consider The Expanse to be one of the greatest sci fi/fantasy TV shows of all time, or did it derail by taking too many liberties with the source material? Chime in with your thoughts below or at our discussion thread at r/SciFiTV.
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