The Expanse has been cancelled by Syfy – producers search for alternative

The Expanse has been cancelled by Syfy

Syfy has gone back to its roots with doing something it has always done well – cancelling another Sci-Fi series. Now The Expanse has gotten the ax. For a channel that is supposed to be all about science fiction it sure as hell is cancelling a lot of shows. Dark Matter was already cancelled and Killjoys will have its final season next year. Other recent victims were Helix, Continuum and Defiance. In fact so few shows have concluded as they should that I am wondering how Syfy earns its money. 

Reasons

Reasons for the cancellation have been that Syfy only has the right to broadcast episodes for the first time. And with poor-ratings this was not profitable. Others methods such as streaming are better for long-term profitability – as new viewers could binge watch for years to come.

Here is what Chris McCumber of NBCUniversal had to say about The Expanse.

“The Expanse transported us across the solar system for three brilliant seasons of television. Everyone at Syfy is a massive fan of the series, and this was an incredibly difficult decision. We want to sincerely thank The Expanse’s amazing cast, crew and all the dedicated creatives who helped bring James S.A. Corey’s story to life. And to the series’ loyal fans, we thank you most of all.”

I suppose the signs were there that the show was in trouble. So far season 3 has not disappointed, but the production values have taken a noticeable drop. Gone are the lavish sets from the first 2 seasons. Instead more interior shots and poorly finished CGI are hallmarks for economizing.

Netflix and Amazon

So now what? Well, Syfy does not produce nor finance The Expanse – that honor goes to Alcon. As such there is hope that the show may be picked up by another distribution channel. It would not be the first time a cancelled show was revived by Netflix or Amazon.

Personally I think this is a distinct possibility. Syfy oddly enough may not be the right channel for a high budget space opera. The series is based on the popular novel series by authors James S. A. Corey. A series that is ongoing and which will see its eight release in December this year with Tiamat’s War. The Expanse never managed to fulfill its goal of being a sci-fi version of Game of Thrones.

The remains of a series

For now we have the rest of season 3 to look forward to. With another 8 episodes to go there is still plenty of ground to cover before any in-controvertible decisions have to be made. The Expanse stars, Steven Strait, Cas Anvar, Dominique Tipper, Wes Chatham, Frankie Adams and now also Elizabeth Mitchell.

Source: ArsTechnica