In a surprise move that no doubt has more to do with business dealings than with audience reception, Syfy has announced that it’s cancelling The Expanse at the end of its current third season run. The news comes at the season’s halfway point just as things are heating up for James Holden and his crew as they try their best either to stop a system-wide war or avoid getting embroiled in it altogether. The Expanse has always been highly acclaimed, so its cancellation comes as quite a shock to fans.
“The Expanse transported us across the solar system for three brilliant seasons of television,” says Chris McCumber, President, Entertainment Networks for NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. “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.”
Alcon Entertainment, which produces The Expanse for Syfy, isn’t taking the news lying down. “We are very disappointed the show will not be returning to Syfy,” say Alcon founders and CEOs Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson in a statement. “We respect Syfy’s decision to end this partnership but given the commercial and critical success of the show, we fully plan to pursue other opportunities for this terrific and original IP.”
Given that The Expanse season 3 had a 100% Fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes and given how much source material remains from the James S.A. Corey novels that inspired the series, this cancellation decision will no doubt leave many scratching their heads, but prospects seem promising that the show can find a new home, especially with so much advance notice of the decision. Fans can only hope…
H/T Deadline