Riding a wave of positive critical buzz, Syfy has pulled the trigger on a second season of space opera series The Expanse.

The network (Corporate owner of Blastr -Ed.) has ordered a 13-episode second season, which is expected to premiere in early 2017. For those keeping count, that’s three more episodes than we got in Season 1. If you’re not watching it, you should be — it fills that Battlestar Galactica void nicely, with a splash of Blade Runner mixed in for good measure.

Set 200 years in the future, The Expanse follows the case of a missing young woman that brings a hardened detective (Thomas Jane) and a rogue ship’s captain (Steven Strait) together in a race across the solar system that will expose the greatest conspiracy in human history. The first four episodes are a tense build to some major action, and the back half of the debut season looks to take off (no pun intended) in a big way.

“The Expanse is firing on all cylinders creatively, building a passionate fan base among viewers and critics alike, and delivering on Syfy’s promise of smart, provocative science fiction entertainment. We can’t wait to see where the story takes us in season two.” Dave Howe, President, Syfy and Chiller, said.

The series is currently airing Tuesday nights on Syfy (the first four episodes have also been released online for a mini-binge), and the network notes it has garnered strong multi-platform viewership since its Dec. 14 debut, with 4.5 million viewers sampling the first episode on Syfy.com, On Demand and digital outlets prior to the series’ linear premiere, along with an average of 1.6 million P2+ linear viewers (L+3) across the first three episodes.

The series is based on the New York Times bestselling book series collectively known as The Expanse, written by Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck (under the pen name James S.A. Corey). The show joins a growing slate of genre fare from the network, including The Magicians, Hunters and 12 Monkeys. Beyond that, Syfy also has Incorporated, Brave New World and Krypton in varying states of development.



Are you glad to hear The Expanse will be back next year?