The Expanse tv series. (#Savedtheexpanse)

[thorgrim29]

In an effort to make ourselves sad, let us discuss the best sci-fi tv show out there, cancelled because the execs of the channel it's running on in the USA are behind on the times and signed a contract that only gives them the rights (and money) to the live and dvr viewings for a show whose core fanbase is mostly geeky millenials who don't have cable anymore (AKA congrats Alcon, you played yourself). Hopefully Netflix or amazon will pick it up (which might actually get me to pay for amazon TV) but it's been a week without news and apparently they are packing up the set and are about to sell the props to Discovery so the cost of filming season 4 goes up every day. The outlook isn't great is what I'm saying.

I like cheezy sci-fi like Killjoys or Dark Matter (which was also cancelled last year grrrr) as much as the next guy but The Expanse is/was head an shoulders above the rest. It's a great series with no bad performances, great effects and attention to detail, and one of the best book to tv adaptations I've seen.

And it was just on the verge of getting to the really crazy cool stuff too. Clarissa, The Investigator, the Slow Zone, the Behemoth, Medina, Holden about to OD on speed being the funniest thing ever, the Free Navy, etc...

Anyway I'm very happy with season 3 so far, and the part with Prax, Amos and Strickland in the latest episode is one of the highlights so far.

[Lacuna Caster]

Anyway I'm very happy with season 3 so far, and the part with Prax, Amos and Strickland in the latest episode is one of the highlights so far.
Are they planning to cancel mid-season?

[GloatingSwine]

Far as I understand the season is all shot, but seasons of the show cut across the books so it’ll end partway through a story if it doesn’t get picked up.

I’d like it to be, I’m more attached to the books but the series is a good version of them and I’d like to see it continue.

Especially because the more Avasarala we get the better.

[CarpeGuitarrem]

Far as I understand the season is all shot, but seasons of the show cut across the books so it’ll end partway through a story if it doesn’t get picked up.

Season 1 ended part of the way through book 1, but as I understand it, season 2 didn't cover through all of book 2? (I never kept watching... show didn't grab me that much. But then I got into the books and WOW.) From the trailers, it looked like season 3 was still in book 2.

I have to imagine that they'll put book 2's cliffhanger in the midst of s2, but idk where that leaves the ending of the season.

[thorgrim29]

Yeah they pretty much finished Caliban's war on episode 6 of S3.

[Palanan]

So, I'm confused. Has the first half of Season 4 already been filmed? And is there a question of whether that will be aired?

Clone Wars had something similar happen several years ago, cancelled after Season 5 broadcast with half of Season 6 completed. They eventually released the "lost episodes" of Season 6 on DVD. Is there a possibility of something similar here?

Because Expanse is the first TV show in years that I would buy on DVD. The first season was a little slowish, but Season 2 was vastly better and Season 3 has been excellent so far. Watching Bobbi in her power armor is worth the price of a full season.



(And watching her out of it is nice too. :smalltongue:)

.

[thorgrim29]

No, they have so far covered about 2/3 of a book per season, so the midpoint of season 3 was the end of book 2.

[Lvl 2 Expert]

So, what's the plan? A petition? A write in campaign?

[thorgrim29]

So far it seems like the plan is a petition and harassing Bezos. They also got some money together to rent a plane to fly a sign with #savetheexpanse near Amazon HQ.

[Lvl 2 Expert]

Do you have links for those things so people can sign/donate?

You did say time was of the essence.

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by thorgrim29
No, they have so far covered about 2/3 of a book per season, so the midpoint of season 3 was the end of book 2.

I don’t know anything about the books—all I know is the seasons on SyFy.

Has part of Season 4 already been filmed? Or have they only filmed up to the end of Season 3?

[Tom Tearcamel]

I absolutely love the show and I was sooo salty when I heard they weren’t renewed for season 4. I was definitely part of the problem. I’ve always DVRed it because it premiered during my Guild’s raid times for WoW.

I have a feeling I know exactly where it’s going to end. with the Roci barreling into the ring with the Behemoth’s missles hot on her tail. SyFy always ending their seasons with Cliffhangers is tedious. (Looking at you The Magicians) Last week’s book two finale was a pretty solid ending.

[Joran]

I don’t know anything about the books—all I know is the seasons on SyFy.

Has part of Season 4 already been filmed? Or have they only filmed up to the end of Season 3?

They're complete with Season 3 and SyFy will show the entirety of the season; we're about halfway to Season 3. However, a decision needs to be made about how they're going to fund Season 4 soon; the sets are going to be broken down soon and it'll be more expensive to start up again if they had to disassemble the sets.


Do you have links for those things so people can sign/donate?

You did say time was of the essence.

https://www.reddit.com/r/TheExpanse/comments/8kn1os/heres_the_latest_news_on_savetheexpanse_and_how/

The big thing at the moment is to "watch" the show live if you're in the United States and raise the ratings (there have been some people who tuned in their TV and not actually watched it); live ratings is the only thing that SyFy cares about, since they aren't getting any of the ancillary streaming revenues from Amazon (US) or Netflix (international).

There's also a couple other things you can do to support the Expanse. One is to tweet out #SaveTheExpanse on Twitter. There's also a Change.org petition: https://www.change.org/p/amazon-or-netflix-please-buy-the-rights-to-the-expanse-savetheexpanse

I also bugged Amazon Studios (https://studios.amazon.com/contact-us) here and used "For Your Consideration".

The first fan stunt was getting a plane with a banner to fly over Amazon Studios: https://twitter.com/airadsworldwide/status/996474285689524224

The next stunt is getting a weather balloon with a model of the Roci near space. They're already 3/4ths of the way to funded and I'm astonished.

P.S. The Expanse is the best sci-fi I've watched in some time and I'd be very salty and annoyed if it got canceled.

One annoying feature of SyFy is that they're not using the F-bombs that the rest of the world gets. Sometimes it works okay like "What the hell is that?", but I got taken out when someone said "freaking".


I absolutely love the show and I was sooo salty when I heard they weren’t renewed for season 4. I was definitely part of the problem. I’ve always DVRed it because it premiered during my Guild’s raid times for WoW.

I have a feeling I know exactly where it’s going to end. with the Roci barreling into the ring with the Behemoth’s missles hot on her tail. SyFy always ending their seasons with Cliffhangers is tedious. (Looking at you The Magicians) Last week’s book two finale was a pretty solid ending.

I've seen the creators mention that this season does end on a good ending, so I wonder if they're going to rush through the next book's events. I really, really hope the show lasts long enough to get to book 5.

I've always felt like the seasons felt 4-5 episodes too short. First season could have gone until the S2E5, then second season could have gone from then to last week's episode.

Edit: Found the tweets saying no cliffhanger: https://twitter.com/JamesSACorey/status/995068740453584896

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by Joran
I also bugged Amazon Studios (https://studios.amazon.com/contact-us) here and used "For Your Consideration.”

Excellent link, thanks. I’m heading over there next.


Originally posted by Joran
One annoying feature of SyFy is that they're not using the F-bombs that the rest of the world gets.

I’m fine with this. Saturation bombing with that kind of language is one reason why I hate HBO.

[GloatingSwine]

I’m fine with this. Saturation bombing with that kind of language is one reason why I hate HBO.

It means they've toned Avasarala down a lot though.

Like a lot.

[Tom Tearcamel]

Book! Avasarala’s potty mouth is almost as bad as my mother’s. I’m from the Pittsburgh area, and as a historically blue collar area, we tend to swear A Lot. Shows without at least as many swear words as GoT or The Magicians season 3 don’t feel like they talk like real people to me.

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by Joran
I also bugged Amazon Studios (https://studios.amazon.com/contact-us) here and used "For Your Consideration.”

I sent them a brief, polite message, and received a thoroughly bland and generic reply. Pretty sure the hot-air balloon will have a better chance of catching their attention.

Or maybe a mail-in campaign? What could we mail them that says “Expanse”?

…other than glowing blue motes, of course. :smalltongue:


Originally Posted by Tom Tearcamel
Shows without at least as many swear words as GoT or The Magicians season 3 don’t feel like they talk like real people to me.

I quit watching Magicians after the end of the first season, and I haven’t regretted that for an instant. Sounds like I haven’t missed much.

.

[Joran]

I sent them a brief, polite message, and received a thoroughly bland and generic reply. Pretty sure the hot-air balloon will have a better chance of catching their attention.

Or maybe a mail-in campaign? What could we mail them that says “Expanse”?

…other than glowing blue motes, of course. :smalltongue:


I compared the response with my friend's and we got similar, but not identical responses. It seems like either actual people are writing the responses or Amazon's AI is smart enough to simulate different people.

I assume it's counted and it'll be one more data point for Amazon to consider whether to pick up the series.


This is Kim from Amazon Studios.

We appreciate the time you took to provide us with your feedback about Amazon Studios picking up "The Expanse". We welcome the opinions and suggestions of our Amazon customers.

I've forwarded your feedback along to the team involved in the future development of our Amazon Studios features.

We hope to see you again soon!

We'd appreciate your feedback. Please use the buttons below to vote about your experience today.

Best regards,
Kim B.



This is Alek with the Amazon Studios Program.

We appreciate the time you took to provide us with your feedback about the Syfy series The Expanse. We always welcome the opinions and suggestions of our Amazon customers.

I've forwarded your feedback along to the team involved in the future development of our Amazon Studios features and series, as well as the acquirement of distribution rights.

Never hesitate to continue to send us any suggestions for improvement or program lineup as your opinions and viewership is valuable to us.

Have a marvelous Monday!

We'd appreciate your feedback. Please use the buttons below to vote about your experience today.

Best regards,
Alek S.

[Joran]

Preliminary news that Amazon is close to picking up the Expanse. Apparently, this was one of Jeff Bezos' favorite shows.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/expanse-revived-season-4-at-amazon-1113803

On the flip side, I need to figure out how to get my wife to give the show a shot again. I think the first few episodes of the first season felt a little slow, but by season 2, they were going at ludicrous speed.

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by Joran
I compared the response with my friend's and we got similar, but not identical responses.

Interesting. My response doesn’t follow that template:

Hello,

Thank you for your interest in the future slate of Amazon Studios. I was sad to see this show go too, though I am excited at the potential for the show to go on.
I have passed your request to the appropriate people so that they know this is a suggestion our viewers and potential viewers are interested in.

Best regards,
Nakia R.


Originally Posted by Joran
I think the first few episodes of the first season felt a little slow, but by season 2, they were going at ludicrous speed.

For me, the entire first season was a little draggy, especially with the floppy-haired Belter detective. But it was compelling, and beautifully done, and…and…all the other things we love about The Expanse.

*sob*

[Lvl 2 Expert]

To be fair, those are pretty customized for generic responses. I've rarely seen someone put more personality than that into rejecting a job application for instance. I've written to a politician about a subject they (should) care about twice now, and I didn't get any response from them. So these might actually be a good sign. (Or they just have good protocols for dealing with rabid fans.)

[Palanan]

Did we ever have a thread for Season Three?

Can’t find it now, so just dropping in here to say that tonight’s episode felt like five episodes’ worth of awesome. The last scene was especially gruesome, and since I haven’t read the books I didn’t see it coming.

I was actually starting to root for the racing guy by the end of it—even though the poor guy’s ex was playing him the whole way through.

Not having read the books, I was expecting him to be catapulted into another galaxy or something, not to be semi-liquified. This show usually isn’t that graphic, so that was a genuine shock.

Also, I have to wonder—if he was en route to the Ring long enough to grow a beard, how did he store enough food on that tiny little ship?

From other comments, I get the feeling that last week’s episode finished one book and tonight’s started a new one. It feels like a new season, with Prax abruptly gone, Naomi on the Behemoth, Bobbi reinstated, etc.

All of which is a bit of a shame, since I was starting to like Prax, and I’m always happy to see more of Bobbi. :smalltongue:

Speaking of which, this apparently picks up half a year after the last episode? So how long did it take the squid-sphere to reach the outer solar system from its launch position on Venus?

[CarpeGuitarrem]

The scene you're describing was the epilogue to book 2, if that helps place things. Excellent to hear; this is where the series starts to get real interesting...

[Joran]

Did we ever have a thread for Season Three?

Can’t find it now, so just dropping in here to say that tonight’s episode felt like five episodes’ worth of awesome. The last scene was especially gruesome, and since I haven’t read the books I didn’t see it coming.

I was actually starting to root for the racing guy by the end of it—even though the poor guy’s ex was playing him the whole way through.

Not having read the books, I was expecting him to be catapulted into another galaxy or something, not to be semi-liquified. This show usually isn’t that graphic, so that was a genuine shock.

Also, I have to wonder—if he was en route to the Ring long enough to grow a beard, how did he store enough food on that tiny little ship?

From other comments, I get the feeling that last week’s episode finished one book and tonight’s started a new one. It feels like a new season, with Prax abruptly gone, Naomi on the Behemoth, Bobbi reinstated, etc.

All of which is a bit of a shame, since I was starting to like Prax, and I’m always happy to see more of Bobbi. :smalltongue:

Speaking of which, this apparently picks up half a year after the last episode? So how long did it take the squid-sphere to reach the outer solar system from its launch position on Venus?

Yes, this is the start of book 3.

There was also that scene a couple of weeks ago when a teenager completely tore apart his nurse and was putting it back together like a messed up jigsaw puzzle. It's so weird that TV is okay with that much gore, but no f-bombs or nudity.

No more Prax and Bobbi but hey, we get Diogo, sporting a new face tattoo!

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by Joran
It's so weird that TV is okay with that much gore, but no f-bombs or nudity.

Actually, I don’t need any of that. I don’t want this to be GoT in Space.TM

Fact is, The Expanse is more than strong enough without needing any of that as a crutch. For me it weakens the show to include all the gratuitous elements just to be “mature.”


Originally Posted by Joran
No more Prax and Bobbi but hey, we get Diogo, sporting a new face tattoo!

Worst trade ever.

:smallfrown:

[Maelstrom]

Yes, this is the start of book 3.
It's so weird that TV is okay with that much gore, but no f-bombs or nudity.


Plenty of F-bomb's (For instance, in last night's episode, just before the address to Earthers, Avasarala says it, what a surprise)...

[Joran]

Plenty of F-bomb's (For instance, in last night's episode, just before the address to Earthers, Avasarala says it, what a surprise)...

In the US, on SyFy, we don't get any of the F-bomb's. They're all edited out or replaced, because SyFy is airing the Expanse at 9 PM (10 PM is generally the time where cable channels will start airing unedited f-bombs). We got some last season when The Expanse was airing at 10 PM.

We did get Amos saying "I don't SH*T where I eat" unedited though.

[Maquise]

Amazon has officially picked up the Expanse for Season 4:
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/expanse-officially-revived-season-4-at-amazon-1115160

[Palanan]

WOOT!!!



Maybe the little emails to Amazon helped after all, in a tiny way.

[thorgrim29]

Yeah this is great. I had very low hopes of this actually happening but it looks like Bezos' encroaching monopoly on all of our lives will have at least a bit of a positive effect.

[Palanan]

Encroaching? You mean you haven't been completely encroached already?!

:smalltongue:

[Joran]

Encroaching? You mean you haven't been completely encroached already?!

:smalltongue:

Google knows more about me than Amazon. I do however purchase a heck of a lot on Amazon and I'd guess a lot of the services I use are run on Amazon web servers (like Netflix!)

As a book reader, I really enjoy how the show differs a fair bit from the books. The broad outlines are there, but details are changed, characters merged, so the show is definitely it's own story. I also liked how this episode incorporated a lot of the memorable text like "It reaches out, 113 times per second" and "doors and corners".

Edit: Also, Ashford is a heck of a lot more enjoyable in this version than in the book.

[thorgrim29]

Well I refuse to get one of those little spybots they sell and I mostly just use Amazon fro books so I'm not too bad yet :)

And yeah I'm rereading the books (up to Abadon's Gate now) and the characters are all pretty different. Everyone's a bit younger for one (especially Bobby and Alex who are a good 10-15 years younger than in the book. Seriously the actress playing Bobby is 24), and the main characters are... simpler for lack of a better term. Which I guess you have to do for TV but Holden and Amos in particular are a lot less deep than in the book. I'm also wondering if they're going to give all of Pa's role to Drummer or if she's going to be Bull for the Ring arc and then they introduce Pa for the Free Navy arc (or a bit before to follow what they've been doing). Because right now we have 3 characters on the Behemoth that are essentially sharing Ashford, Pa, Bull and Sam's roles from the books. That's a lot of plot to go around especially since we eventually need to have Naomi rejoin the Roci (which I hope isn't a spoiler, this is a story about the Roci's crew, of course she's going to rejoin them at some point...)

[Palanan]

Speaking of Bobbi, is this the last we'll see of her? Or does she return in future books, and thus in Season Four?

Because if I didn't mention it before, Bobbi is at least half the reason the show became so awesome. :smallbiggrin:

[Joran]

Speaking of Bobbi, is this the last we'll see of her? Or does she return in future books, and thus in Season Four?

Because if I didn't mention it before, Bobbi is at least half the reason the show became so awesome. :smallbiggrin:


Yes, Bobbie Draper returns later in the books, in a big role. You'll definitely be seeing more of one Gunnery Sergeant Bobbie Draper.



Some Martian marines show up further in this book's worth of events (not her though, she doesn't show up in this book at all), but I wouldn't be surprised if she showed up later in this season, since she's been shown to be on one of the Martian ships going to the Ring.

[Palanan]

Woot. All the woot.

:smalltongue:

[thorgrim29]

Yeah I could see her taking the role of the marine leader for Abbadon's Gate. They've also been pretty good about light delay in the series and she and Alex were having a live conversation in episode 7 so she seems to be somewhere in the escort fleet, though not on the Hammurabi apparently, I went back and looked.

[Tom Tearcamel]

She is definitely in the Martian Ring Fleet. (A very good point with the live call with Alex) I’m sure we’ll be seeing her and the captain of the Hammurabi, who seemed to be a thoughtful person.

[Joran]

Started re-watching the series starting season 1, episode 1. There are a good number of callbacks to season 1 and things I've missed before.

A couple thoughts:
1) They really made Belters skinny, including this one CGIed one that Avasarala was torturing. Not so much the later parts of the series, where a Belter is mostly distinguished by haircut and tattoos.

2) They made this story hard to get into and keep track. They kept jumping back and forth between plotlines without really giving the viewer any idea of why these 3 storylines were connected.

[Lethologica]

Started re-watching the series starting season 1, episode 1. There are a good number of callbacks to season 1 and things I've missed before.

A couple thoughts:
1) They really made Belters skinny, including this one CGIed one that Avasarala was torturing. Not so much the later parts of the series, where a Belter is mostly distinguished by haircut and tattoos.

2) They made this story hard to get into and keep track. They kept jumping back and forth between plotlines without really giving the viewer any idea of why these 3 storylines were connected.
Well, it's hard unless you have subtitles enabled. Then it explicitly tells you the distress call from the Scopuli was in Julie's voice (lol). Between that and the stealth ship, the three plots are anchored together from the beginning, even if each group is feeling up a different part of the elephant.

[Joran]

Well, it's hard unless you have subtitles enabled. Then it explicitly tells you the distress call from the Scopuli was in Julie's voice (lol). Between that and the stealth ship, the three plots are anchored together from the beginning, even if each group is feeling up a different part of the elephant.

Also, since I watched the series before I could point out to my wife that Julie was wearing a Scopuli jumpsuit.

We're on episode 6 and she asked if the storylines would ever converge.