In 2020 there was almost no science fiction on television worth defending. And then there was this: a detective from the asteroid belt looking for a missing girl, and a system about to go to war. The Expanse is the closest thing to the best science fiction series of the decade, and it is not a small claim.
The story starts two hundred years from now. Humanity has taken the solar system, colonised Mars and the belt, and divided itself into three peoples who hate each other with good reason. Space opera, yes, but with the tension of Alien, the darkness of Blade Runner and the habit of killing characters you liked.
Why it holds up
Because the physics matter and the politics matter, and neither is explained to you twice. The series trusts you to follow. By the time you understand what protomolecule means, you are already inside the story and it is too late to leave.
What to expect
If you come from The Expanse the series, the books are tighter and colder, and they answer a few things the adaptation leaves for later. If you come from the books, the series is one of the rare cases where the adaptation adds instead of subtracting: the characters breathe more, especially Chrisjen Avasarala, who steals every scene she is in.
Start with season one and do not skip. This is a story where the first episode is a promise and the third season is the payment.
Keep reading: the best sci-fi TV shows.
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