With a bunch of fan-favorite broadcast series like Lucifer and Designated Survivor facing disappointing cancellations recently, it was potentially easy for many TV viewers to miss out on The Expanse getting cancelled at Syfy. But the hard sci-fi drama's most dedicated fans were fully aware, and they've been fighting for a new season ever since Syfy dropped the bomb. Now, the cosmos look a little brighter, as streaming giant Amazon has stepped in and saved The Expanse from the ethers, renewing the highly acclaimed drama for Season 4.
Amazon is currently in the process of working out a deal with Alcon Television Group, which produced The Expanse, to formulate all the Season 4 details that will no doubt have fans all the more appreciative for Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, whose personal fandom is a large factor in The Expanse's positive-leaning future. Because things haven't yet been confirmed, THR reports that Amazon hasn't unveiled any key details just yet, such as episode counts or time windows for production and release. And considering Season 3 isn't even half over yet on Syfy, it might be a while before it becomes clear how the current story will wrap, which will allow all the Season 4 speculation to begin in earnest.
While the cancellation understandably might have put a damper on fans' enjoyment of the third season, the renewal on Amazon could make what remains of the third season all the more entertaining. If the third season ends on a killer cliffhanger, fans won't have to despair that they'll never get any closure. The big question might be when that closure could possibly come. Since details are still being hammered out, we can't predict a premiere window for the fourth season. Viewers who have stuck with the series so far are accustomed to long waits, as there was a break of almost an entire year between each of the seasons to date. The break might have to be longer with a move to a new platform, but we'll have to wait and see.
As disappointing as the cancellation was, it may not have come as much of a surprise to any who were paying attention to how many people regularly tune in to the series. The Expanse was a winner for Syfy in its first season, debuting to critical acclaim and winning an average of 581,000 viewers in the key 18-49 age demographic, with a total of 1.4 million viewers in Live+3 day calculations. The show experienced a big drop in Season 2, with an average of only 456,000 and a fall of 24%. For Season 3, overall viewership dropped by 5% and key demo viewership dropped by an alarming 12%. Even though cable networks like Syfy don't require anywhere near the same numbers required by shows on the major networks, that viewership just wasn't enough to guarantee a fourth season. Perhaps The Expanse will fare better on a streaming service.
You can catch new episodes of The Expanse Season 3 on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET on Syfy. While waiting to hear more about The Expanse's big move to Amazon, head to our 2018 Amazon schedule to see what's on the way, and then our summer premiere schedule will clue viewers in on everything else that's yet to hit the small screen.
