There isn’t quite a show like The Expanse, but if you’re thirsty for some more science fiction, we always have some recommendations to offer!
The Expanse was good for many things – scientific accuracy, time spent isolated in space, discovering foreign worlds, technological prowess, along with drama and politics. If you’ve been left hanging after watching all seasons of the show (and a couple of re-runs too), here are some TV shows we think you will like, in no order of importance.
Westworld
The American TV series is a twisted take on a dystopian future, and a wonderful piece of science fiction that was originally a 1973 film of the same name. It also takes bits from the sequel called Futureworld. The show received massive critical acclaim, and has the most-watched first season for any show on HBO. The plot revolves around a Wild-Wild West themed amusement park, in which the town is completely populated by “android” hosts. The hosts keep going through upgrades in their programming to give visitors a more realistic vibe of the West.
We recommend Westworld because of its highly-praised acting performances, visuals, and because any science fiction fan would love it. The show weaves a scary but conceivable future given our technological advances, and what we’d pay just to have some good ol’ fashion fun!
Battlestar Galactica
The American TV franchise is one of those historic science fiction series that started back in 1978 as a TV show. There have been many adaptations of this franchise, including books, and even board games, ending with a prequel series Caprica in 2010. Battlestar Galactica talks about a distant place in the universe where humans have established the Twelve Colonies. A cybernetic race called Cylons are waging war with them, and have already caused massive annihilation of the human race.
Battlestar Galactica is in our list because of the science fiction warfare with superior technology, and fighting for survival against Cylons who were created by humans. Not to forget, politics intervene every now and then, which is what makes it a good show to watch if you enjoyed The Expanse.
WATCH ‘BATTLESTAR GALACTICA’ ON PEACOCK.
The Silent Sea
The Korean show is based on Choi Hang-Yong’s 2014 short film The Sea of Tranquility, and is a science fiction mystery that gives you chills! The show is based on Earth’s distraught future, where the planet is running out of water and food because of global desertification. The show focuses on a group of researchers and astronauts, who head to Balhae station on the moon in search or a certain element of water, to help everyone back home.
The Silent Sea is similar to The Expanse because of a few concepts like a huge global crisis, and a crew on a mission to retrieve or fight for something important for the survival of humanity. And most of it is in, well, space!
WATCH ‘THE SILENT SEA’ ON NETFLIX.
You may also like: Netflix’s The Silent Sea (2021) – Review
Lost in Space
The American science fiction show was originally aired by CBS in 1965-68. Taking inspiration from a novel and comic book in the early 1800s called The Swiss Family Robinson, it is based on a family in space who survive as colonists in the deepest corners explored. With three complete seasons, the show has plenty of ups and downs, along with the entry of a robot, and Dr. Zachary Smith, causing the derailment of the astronaut family’s plan to reach the Alpha Centauri system in peace.
Lost in Space dabbles in space isolation, and the madness of travelling without a sun in sight, along with alien technology, and exploring the unknown. This makes fans of The Expanse want to watch this.
WATCH ‘LOST IN SPACE’ ON NETFLIX.
Space: Above and Beyond
This American science fiction series was truly underrated, and slashed down from a planned five seasons to finally making only one season in 1995-96. The show didn’t survive ratings, despite its Emmy and Saturn Award nominations. You could say it was one of those shows that was ahead of its time. The show revolves around crew members of the US Marine Corps’ 58th Squadron, and are called the Wildcards. The plot is based on tackling extraterrestrial invasion by an alien race called the Chigs, and the crew is protecting Earth aboard their ship, the USS Saratoga, with unforeseen circumstances lying ahead.
We recommend Space: Above and Beyond because it reminds us of a badass crew who work together to defend Earth, along with an unexpected Solar System invasion, which is not exactly like, but quite similar to, The Expanse – at least when it comes to these concepts. But of course, this show does it in a flashier, and more action-packed one season.
WATCH ‘SPACE: ABOVE AND BEYOND’ HERE.
For All Mankind
This Apple TV+ show has been making waves with two outstanding seasons, and has been renewed for a third season too. The science fiction drama is a take on alternate history, and depicting what would happen if the space race never ended. There are historical features in the show as well, including the crew of the Apollo 11 spacecraft, along with important political figures in the space race like US Presidents Nixon and Reagan. The plot follows the Soviet Union landing the first astronaut on the moon, along with diversifying their crew by including a woman in later missions. This forces the United States to take preparative measures to participate fully in this space race.
In For All Mankind, the drama, compelling political pressure, and isolation in space are some reasons we thought you’d enjoy the show, if you’re a fan of The Expanse. Reimagining the past can also get quite creative!
WATCH ‘FOR ALL MANKIND’ ON APPLE TV+
You may also like: The Expanse: One of TV’s Best Sci-Fi Shows Ever
The 100
This American post-apocalyptic drama sends a group of juvenile prisoners who are aboard a space station back down to Earth after 99 years since a massive nuclear apocalypse. Earth is in ruins, with the entire population wiped out, and the planet’s atmosphere depleted. The show takes you through many incredible and interesting concepts, including artificial intelligence, a cloud of consciousness, making you question the foundation of religious concepts and their interpretations. After investing in seven seasons, the last season was a major disappointment, but the show packs a lot of worthy concepts and storylines until that point. We can safely say The 100 is worth a one-time watch for teens or young adults.
We recommend The 100 because it takes you on a journey to colonize different parts of the stars, looking for places and planets not known of, and facing the consequences of stepping into unknown territory. It draws parallels with The Expanse because of its traveling crew, and new worlds.
If you haven’t yet, WATCH ALL SEASONS OF ‘THE EXPANSE’ HERE.
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