The Expanse 2015

Really late to the party on this one as several times I just quit watching it. Overall I think it's a great sci-fi series, way better than the more recent Foundation, but it's a roller-coaster ride of highs and lows. There are some really great characters in the show, Drummer, Bobbie, Amos, Alex, Ashford and Aversarala, all played by great actors who do a fantastic job.

The two (sadly) main characters though are REALLY unlikable and make the show very tiresome to watch at times (hence my multiple quit viewings), namely, James ("self-righteous dick") Holden and Naomi (selfish bitch "my way or the highway") Nagata. Seriously these two are a real PITA and ruin the show at times, especially Season 5 which becomes the Naomi show, focussed on her family domestics and her search for her drip of a half-soaked son, like seriously, who the f##k cares! She does nothing but whimper, bitch and cry for almost the whole season. Holden also way overplays his long suffering "why me" persona and Naomi is the first person I would have 'spaced' if I'd been her crew mates, a liar, totally unreliable, untrustworthy, selfish and with zero consideration for others, she's "me, me, me, me, me" the WHOLE show! What's also laughable is that Holden and Nagata are supposed to be lovers but have absolutely ZERO on-screen chemistry together, seriously if you didn't know the story and just tuned in on one episode you'd think they detested each other.

Still, IF (and at times that will be a real struggle) you can put up with the tantrums and antics of those two and instead focus on the ACTUAL story, along with all the other great characters, it's a superb sci-fi show, just a pity it was somewhat spoiled by the excessive padding in some episodes (even seasons!) and the pointless family drama story lines. Choosing two main actors who don't suck would also have been a better call!

BORING. and i mean it.

everyone’s acting their asses off but after the main protomolecule mystery is solved, it’s a wrap. they somehow managed to make aliens lame? aliens! like come on.

i didn’t expect farscape level camp but even star trek level antics and entertainment will do. because idk what they were going for other than dull. IMO the show always felt undercooked, like they never wanted to lean too deeply into prestige or delve fully into hinjinks(but they could’ve done both?)instead it occupied this strangely dour, overly serious lane that was sleep inducing af(seriously, my sleep schedule is fixed after a couple of weeks of binging this so that’s a silver lining).

good bits: i loved drummer, chrisjen, naomi and of course bobbie, but super hot, super competent women does not a show make! trust me i tried lmao. i definitely blame the studio switch for the back half sucking so hard as well because it got(more)generic and bland after that. like this show should’ve been tremendous, especially with that sexy budget increase but instead it was monologue after monologue with nice backdrops. giving space documentary. and none of that shit was interesting.

2.5/5 stars - series review.

3/10
Well that was super boring,
I'd heard this was the best syfy since slice bread, there is so much hype and buzz about it so me absolutely loving syfy I knew I had to get round to checking this out.
Wow for a pilot episode it sucked, like watching paint dry is more interesting and engaging. It bounces around from scene to scene and none of them are interesting in fact I think that was a mistake doing that for a first episode when you want/need people to get engaged with the characters in your show.
But apart from detective Miller I really don't give a shit about any of them,
Live or die for all I care.
All that Earth Mars BS
no not interested
"Total Recall" did it so much better and is awesome, this, this is disconnected, not engaging uninteresting drivel. This was a shit pilot and me having to grind it out as I'm fighting not nodding off are turning it off does not boad well for the rest of the show.
I'll watch 4 more eps because of the hype and if it doesn't get it's shit together I'm out.
There are so many many Awesome shows out there worthy of my time and attention.

Now that its over I have to say that for me it didn't live up to the hype but it wasn't bad at all. This show took me so long to get into and I stuck with it because of all the hype. Now looking back I see why. Many of the characters I just didn't care about and the conclusions to many of the storylines felt half baked and didn't live up to anything.

The show really did well with the world creation though. The FX and details are some of the best I have seen in a TV show. Some of the actors were perfect too. The music and sound FX were also perfectly done.

Wes Chatham, Cara Gee, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Keon Alexander and Cas Anvar made the show for me. I didn't feel like Steven Strait ever felt believable and the others just made me not care about them to even mention.

Looking back I am happy I stuck with it but the initial issues I had didn't really get fixed... I just grew to like a few of the characters enough to stick it out. I really hope we get another show like this one that can make a Sci-Fi show believable but also have a better cast and some great stories that pay off.

Overall, 6/10

I hate to be negative but...
James S. A. Corey (the pen-name of the two original authors) did all the hard work for you. They wrote a compelling story that was, pardon the pun, light years ahead of most science fiction out there. Most of the cast members are strong and sell their character convincingly. Avasarala, Alex, Bobbie, and especially Amos have become the faces I see when reading the books that have come out since the series premiered. For some reason, new characters have been fabricated that have far too much screen time and pinnacle characters have been killed off that have much more story left in them. The problem is, the video entertainment world is doing things that most shows rely on when they don't have a strong writing team. Weak plots are fortified by unnecessary drama and romance. This show is now saturated with awkward over-dramatic, non-plot related scenes that make me feel like they were just filling time obligations rather than telling the story THAT WAS ALREADY WRITTEN FOR THEM! The show has spent so much on emphasizing the Belter characters (identified by that horribly ridiculous accent) that at this point, if they continue the show into new series, they will have to abandon the rest of the book series. Honestly, they should have just made a different show called "Over-the-top Soap Opera in Space" and allowed people who respect excellent science fiction and writing to produce the show.

Edit - a few days later:
I just found out why the Alex character was killed off... the creators get a pass on that. What else could you do when you have a predator on the set?

First things first. I don't know the books, never heard of them before. So everything I write is solely based on the show.

I've watched the three seasons that are already released. It's a good show, indeed very good. But I fail to see the masterpiece (yet). Althought I'll admit at the end of the third season it is showing signs.
At the core the story starts very basic. It's a cold war between Earth and Mars. The Belt is kind of the Third World, rich in resources but with no voice at the big table. Everything is a power struggle, a battle for supremacy. Where every party seeks only gains for themselves. A lot of egos involved. The sci-fi part comes with the proto-molecule which is a bit like the Atom. The nation controling it is controlling the world. While the story is very political at first it moves to the sci-fi part later which is really a good thing. But I also had the feeling the plot goes through great lenghts to unfold. It always felt like they could have gotten there in half the amount of episodes.
The production value for a TV show is at the top. Essential for any sci-fi show. Which might ironically be one of the reasons it got initially cancelled. With an average of 600k viewers it is hard to sustain this show long term. Well, it got picked up but I guess it will be a struggle getting from season to season. And from what I gather there is still a lot of the story left to be told.
The downside for me are the characters and by that I mean I don't have a favorite or can connect to any of them. Well maybe Amos. There are moments where I liked the actions of one or the other like Chrisjen or Drummer. I didn't like Naomi at all and the rest like Alex or Holden I didn't care for. What drove me was the story. As long as this stays interesting I will stick with the show.

Supplemental: dropped out after S4 as I just don't care any more for either characters and/or story.

This is hands down the best sci fi drama since BSG. A lot is said about the special effects which truly is eye candy dipped in a bit of LSD, and the plot which is painstakingly detailed and also dipped in a bit of LSD and they are both worth hours of discussion. But psychedelics aside, I'm here to comment on the acting, which I don't think gets enough credit. After some initial jitters in the first season the actors have fallen into their roles and now are the main hook instead of the special effects. Shohreh Aghdashloo helps cover for newer actors in the first season and her smoky voice remains a draw. Steven Strait strongest performance is in the third season and the last few episodes he is edge of the seat good. Wes Chatham and Cas Anvar performance adds comic relief and by the third season the character development is far enough along that they are coming into their own and really making the show compelling. Dominique Tipper strong but feminine performance is great, Frankie Adams is also standout, and Cara Gee's performance especially the last few episodes of season three make it a nail biter. I could go on about others performances cuz there are more, but the point is that this show is freakin speeeectacular.

This series makes me want to read the books. According to Wikipedia, "The Expanse is a series of science fiction novels, novellas, and stories by James S. A. Corey, the pen name of authors Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck. The first novel, Leviathan Wakes, was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 2012." You can tell. The story is nuanced, multilayer and intricate. There are Earthers, Martians and Belters (complete with their own patois), politics, a Cold War heating up, an ideology willing to kill people to protect "life". It's a treasure trove of story, characters and good watching. But, it's not for the faint hearted. Because of the depth of the multiple levels, it takes attention and patience to reveal the interwoven pattern(s). I suggest binge watching the first season, so you don't lose the strands of the story, but, now, at the beginning of the second season (on the ScyFi or Space channel), the basic premise has become a solid foundation, that will support the wait for weekly episodes. I gave the first season an 8 (great) out of 10, but with the second season, it has reached a 9 (superb) climbing on its way to a 10 (un-miss-able). Come for the characters, stay for the intensity of the drama.