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In an era where science fiction is thriving in entertainment media with spectacles like Project Hail Mary, Fallout, Silo, Disclosure Day, and many more TV series and feature-length films continuing to take up real estate on our screens at home, it might behoove fans of the genre to rediscover one of the best sci-fi novel adaptations to hit the small screen. The Expanse, a novel series written by James S.A. Corey, was given a live-action visual interpretation on the Syfy channel in December 2015, over a decade ago. And what a masterclass in both narrative and visual production The Expanse was.
The series is set centuries in a future where the Solar System has been colonized by humanity with outposts and civilian hubs expanding the human footprint to key destinations including the Moon, Mars, the asteroid belt, and even one of Jupiter's moons, Ganymede. It's an examination of what life might be like if generations of human colonists formed their own factions and societies throughout the Solar System, much like the world's sovereign nations today. Then sprinkle in a dash of interstellar terrorism, a completely misunderstood and utterly destructive alien technology, and a fragile astropolitical divide with war just a stone's throw away, and you have one of those most thrilling sci-fi series to hit television since Star Trek.
The Expanse is more than sci-fi, it's intelligent
The series treats its world as seriously as it does its characters
The series follows multiple storylines that often intersect. There's the political arena with Chrisjen Avasarala (Shohreh Aghdashloo) who begins the series as the UN Deputy Undersecretary struggling to diplomatically maintain peace between Earth and the government of Mars. Then, there's a neo-noir thread with Joe Miller (Thomas Jane), a police investigator from the dwarf-planet Ceres, investigating the disappearance of a woman who is connected with a rival sovereign collective in the asteroid belt known as the OPA (Outer Planets Alliance). The OPA is often viewed by Earth and the other colonies as a sponsor of terrorism throughout the system.
Finally, there is James Holden (Steven Strait), Naomi Nagata (Dominique Tipper), Amos Burton (Wes Chatham), and Cas Anvar (Alex Kamal) who are investigating an attack on an ice-harvesting ship by a stealth fleet. They quickly band together and take possession of a Martian gunship they name the Rocinate. All of these storylines collide when a mysterious alien substance enters the mix that proves to be as mysterious as it is destructive in the wrong hands.
Why is the return of the first three seasons of The Expanse to Prime Video important?
The series can finally be streamed altogether on one service again
The Expanse as a series went through a rough period following the third season. The first three seasons aired on the Syfy channel. Shortly after the release of the third season, Syfy unceremoniously canceled the series. This caused fan furor which mobilized into an effort to save the series. A petition that received the support of sci-fi and fantasy heavyweights like George R. R. Martin and Wil Wheaton, among others, made its way to Amazon Studios. As a result of the demand, Amazon picked up the series and put the fourth season into production. Seasons 5 and 6 rounded out the series and were also produced by Amazon Studios. Since then, seasons 4–6 have been a fixture on Prime Video.
Because the first three seasons were developed by Syfy, they had to be obtained by Prime Video through a licensing agreement with Syfy. That agreement expired in early 2025 and the first three seasons vanished only to be available as a VOD purchase. Until now, of course. A new licensing agreement has brought the first half of the series back to Prime Video, enabling fans to rewatch the entire series from beginning to end entirely on the platform. If you wish to rediscover the adventures of the Rocinate, or simply watch one of sci-fi's best series in the modern age of television entertainment for the first time, now is your chance to see the complete saga.
How to watch The Expanse on Prime Video
For newcomers to Prime Video, there is a free option
In case there is any confusion, you do not have to be an Amazon Prime member ($14.99/monthly) in order to access Prime Video. Prime Video can be acquired as a standalone subscription at just $8.99/month if you don't want all the extras that come with Amazon Prime. If you want no ads, this subscription will go up by $3 to $11.98/month. However, if you're a newcomer to Prime Video entirely, you might consider the free 30-day trial. This is a much longer trial period than most streaming services offer. It's certainly enough time to watch all six seasons of The Expanse.
If you're like me and simply want all the sci-fi or fantasy you can possibly get, the Prime Video library is full of options. In fact, one of the most popular sci-fi films of this year, Project Hail Mary, is currently streaming on Prime Video. There's something here for anyone who loves grade-A sci-fi.
