The Expanse 

A police detective in the asteroid belt, the first officer of an interplanetary ice freighter and an earth-bound United Nations executive slowly discover a vast conspiracy that threatens the Earth's rebellious colony on the asteroid belt.

Creators:

Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby

Stars:

Steven Strait, Cas Anvar, Dominique Tipper

Top Rated TV #239 | 4 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Steven Strait	...	Jim Holden 45 episodes, 2015-2019
Cas Anvar	...	Alex Kamal 45 episodes, 2015-2019
Dominique Tipper	...	Naomi Nagata 45 episodes, 2015-2019
Wes Chatham	...	Amos Burton 45 episodes, 2015-2019
Shohreh Aghdashloo	...	Chrisjen Avasarala 38 episodes, 2015-2019
Frankie Adams	...	Roberta 'Bobbie' W. Draper / ... 33 episodes, 2017-2019
Thomas Jane	...	Joe Miller / ... 27 episodes, 2015-2019
Shawn Doyle	...	Sadavir Errinwright 27 episodes, 2015-2018
Florence Faivre	...	Julie Mao 24 episodes, 2015-2018

Storyline

Two hundred years in the future, in a fully colonized solar system, police detective Josephus Miller (Thomas Jane), who was born in the asteroid belt, is given the assignment to find a missing young woman; Julie Mao (Florence Faivre). Meanwhile, James Holden (Steven Strait), the first officer of an ice freighter, is witness to an unprovoked attack upon the ship, by craft believed to be from Mars (MCRN Federation). As news of the attack spreads throughout the system, the incident's flow-on threatens to destabilize already tenuous relations between Earth, Mars and The Belt. Far away from the struggles in deep space, on Earth, Chrisjen Avasarala (Shohreh Aghdashloo), a powerful United Nations executive and diplomat, works to prevent war between Earth and Mars by any means. Soon, the 3 find out the missing woman and the ice freighter's fate are part of a vast covert conspiracy which threatens all humanity.

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Plot Keywords:

false flag operation | dead girlfriend | shootout | neo noir | civilian death | 

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Taglines:

We've gone too far

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

TV-14

Details

Country:

Canada USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 November 2015 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Expanse

Filming Locations:

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

Alcon Entertainment, Sean Daniel Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

16:9 HD

Did You Know?

Trivia

The character of Bobbie Draper, like Chrisjen Avarsarala, is originally debuted in the second book, Caliban's War. However, for the purposes of expediting the political aspects of the different planetary governments, she has also been shown earlier than in the source material.

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Goofs

In the opening credits they show Jupiter's Great Red Spot. Since the show is 200 years in the future and the Great Red Spot is predicted to disappear in about 20 years it should not exist.

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Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Best TV Shows of 2018 (So Far) (2018)

User Reviews

Ambitious, complex sci-fi/mystery thriller; offers great world-building and perfectly paced storytelling

Wow: This was by far the biggest surprise for me in 2016. And apparently, I was somewhat late to the party, as the show already began to air in 2015. I'm an avid sci-fi fan, but I hadn't heard or read anything about 'The Expanse', and yet it's one of the most ambitious sci-fi (or generally high profile/concept TV) shows I've come across in recent years.

First, I believe a little (spoiler-free) information might be helpful prior to watching the show, because the viewer is thrown right into an incredibly detailed world where much is shown rather than explained (which is certainly an elegant choice in terms of storytelling and world-building, but there's so much going on and every shot is packed with so much visual information that it can be a little confusing during the first 2 or 3 episodes). So what you need to know is this: A couple of hundred years into the future, humanity is spread out throughout the solar system and divided into 3 opposing forces who are on the brink of an all out war for political power and resources (mainly water - which is harvested in the form of asteroid ice). The 3 fractions consist of the two superpowers Earth (governed by the U.N.) and Mars; the third party are the "belters", which is basically everyone unfortunate enough to be living on poor dwarf planets like Ceres or other large rocks in the asteroid belt (hence the name "belters").

Those belters are the future equivalent of the 3rd World population, as they represent the poor, exploited and underdeveloped colonies in the solar system. Many belters feel represented by the "Outer Planets Alliance" (short: O.P.A.) which is a radical group demanding more autonomy and fairer distribution of resources for the inhabitants of the asteroid belt, but is viewed as a terrorist group by Earth and Mars. Belters are badly affected by the harsh conditions in low (or even zero) gravity (which is often referred to as "low-G" or "zero-G"), as well as low oxygen levels and the strict rationing of water; their bodies develop less muscles and their bone structure has less density compared to that of humans born and raised on Earth or Mars. The belters' life expectancy is roughly half of that of humans living on Earth.

So that's the backdrop to the story told in 'The Expanse', and it all may seem a little complicated at the start, because the plot unfolds through several separate story lines. The key parts of the story are told through the eyes of three different protagonists: a high ranking U.N. official on Earth named Avasarala (played by Shohreh Aghdashloo); a cynical belter police detective named Miller (Thomas Jane) whose story starts on Ceres; and a young executive officer named Holden (Steven Strait) working on an ice freighter in space. Although those three don't know it (yet), their stories are connected - and that's all I'm gonna say about the plot, because this show deserves to be watched unspoiled.

Featuring visual and narrative elements that reminded me of almost every sci-fi film I ever loved - 'Alien', 'Outland', 'Serenity', 'Blade Runner' and many more - this is an R-rated space opera no sci-fi fan should miss. And although it probably can't compete with 175 million costing blockbusters like the new 'Star Trek' movies in terms of visual effects, 'The Expanse' looks fantastic. Given the insane amount of effects work involved, it must have been a very expensive affair for SyFy (who ordered the series from production companies Alcon Television and The Sean Daniel Company), and although I doubt they were able to afford the kind of budget HBO usually spends on shows like 'Game of Thrones' or 'Westworld', in terms of scope and complexity, this new SyFy show easily matches HBO's flagships (it appears Syfy is trying to get rid of its reputation as "shlock-channel").

The storytelling is meticulous and perfectly paced; the world-building richly detailed and always credible, and the patient viewer who doesn't demand everything be explained within the first episodes is rewarded with a thrilling, mysterious tale of adventure and discovery. The cast is terrific (especially Thomas Jane who seems to fit his character like a glove) and the writing manages the astounding feat to elegantly lead us through a very complex world and complicated story without ever feeling forced or weighed down by expository dialogue. Showrunners/writers Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby (known for their Oscar nominated work on the screenplay for 'Children of Men') really have done a fine job bringing the series of novels by James S. A. Corey (aka Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck) to life. Highly recommended to every sci- fi fan: 9 stars out of 10.

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