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The Expanse (Amazon Prime)


MillerEP

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now I want to know what is this "Work" being referred to

Also tense last 10 minutes

 

We’re all waiting for that one. Not the first time it was mentioned. In season 2 the lone survivor of a disabled science lab was droning on about the “Work” that had to be completed. The dude appeared to be hive minded and 100% focused on the “work”.

 

Edit: This show is so well made...and I really appreciate that it’s mostly devoid of the usual cheese common to so many other Sci-Fi shows.

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Read the cancellation was a strong possibility as syfy had very limited rights on the show.  I caught onto the show from amazon prime, which in turn paid the production company, not syfy, for those rights.

You can say that syfy didn’t cancel the series other than they decided not to renew their contract.  Opens up the rights for others to take on that role.  My only worry is that streaming services like amazon,  Netflix or Hulu seem to prefer to own many of their shows now given that they quickly build up a free library.

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Amazon should fucking step up and buy the damn rights.  So fucking pissed, its a damn good show, about real sci fi, that is presented intelligently as well as being damn good.

The real problem that comes with this contract non-pickup is the actors are now released from their contracts as well.  So unless another company steps in quickly and buys the rights, the actors are going to start looking for other jobs, which may cause some serious recasting issues.

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On ‎5‎/‎10‎/‎2018 at 2:11 AM, Haphap said:

now I want to know what is this "Work" being referred to

Also tense last 10 minutes

On ‎5‎/‎10‎/‎2018 at 10:33 AM, Texas_Rocks said:

 

We’re all waiting for that one. Not the first time it was mentioned. In season 2 the lone survivor of a disabled science lab was droning on about the “Work” that had to be completed. The dude appeared to be hive minded and 100% focused on the “work”.

 

Edit: This show is so well made...and I really appreciate that it’s mostly devoid of the usual cheese common to so many other Sci-Fi shows.

 

I agree on the last ten minutes.  I love that they can quickly build characters and then kill them off.  There are a lot shows which take the "redshirt" approach of having Private Pointless join the mission, only to be killed off ten minutes later.  Here, they actually give some time and personality to side characters so you think they may roll-up into the overall plot.  That way there is some actual tension on whether they get killed.

As far as the work, I don't think it's the same as what the scientist was referencing.  Mao was trying to figure out what the "work" was, and I believe the scientist was working for Mao.  The scientist wasn't a hybrid, and I think it was the protomolecule side of the hybrid who had some knowledge of the work.  I just think the scientist had been surgically altered to be psychotically focused on the work of figuring out what the alien work is.   

 

 

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Here's some more info on why it was cancelled.....

Quote

The Expanse was one of the first series greenlighted after the change in programming direction at Syfy, signaling a return to the network’s roots with the sweeping space opera series in the vein of Battlestar Galactica. The Expanse,from Alcon and the Sean Daniel Co, which was tipped as a potential successor to BSG, was part of a crop of Syfy series that launched in 2015 along with The Magicians, which was recently renewed for a fourth season, and 12 Monkeys, which was renewed for an upcoming fourth and final season.

The Expanse is one of the most well reviewed sci-fi series on TV, with the current third season scoring 100% on Rotten Tomatoes (vs. 95% for Season 2 and 76% for Season 1).

The cancellation decision by Syfy is said to be linked to the nature of its agreement for the series, which only gives the cable network first-run linear rights in the U.S. That puts an extraordinary amount of emphasis on live, linear viewing, which is inherently challenging for sci-fi/genre series that tend to draw the lion’s share of their audiences from digital/streaming.

The Expanse‘s Live+3 linear ratings started with 581,000 among adults 18-49 and 1.378 million total viewers in Season 1. Season 2 slipped to 457K in 18-49 and 1.05M viewers; Season 3 to date is running just below the Season 2 averages, at 400K and 1 million, respectively. That is below the performance of Syfy’s top dramas The Magicians and Krypton, as well as comedy Happy!, but in line with a number of co-productions on the network.

“We are very disappointed the show will not be returning to Syfy,” said Alcon Entertainment co-founders and co-CEOs Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson. “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.”

Co-created and written by Oscar-nominated screenwriting duo Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby (Children of Men), the series is based on the bestselling book series by Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck (under the pen name James S. A. Corey). The cast includes Steven Strait, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Dominique Tipper, Cas Anvar, Wes Chatham, Frankie Adams and Thomas Jane.

Indeed it looks like the nature of the deal with Syfy made it difficult for it to continue.  It may find a home somewhere though....

 

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On 5/11/2018 at 5:58 PM, Patrick Bateman said:

Here's some more info on why it was cancelled.....

Indeed it looks like the nature of the deal with Syfy made it difficult for it to continue.  It may find a home somewhere though....

 

SyFy is owned by NBC/Universal/Comcast, who also has a 30% stake in Hulu.  I’m kind of surprised they wouldn’t go to the mat for such a criticially acclaimed series. 

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Problem is that it’s on SyFy. I’m the target market for this but gave up on that network a long time ago. Never watched until I ran across it on Amazon Prime.


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I started watching on Showbox and got hooked. I originally passed because it was on Syfy and I assumed it was another supposed-to-be-serious-but-looks-campy CGI fest snoozer. Was pleasantly surprised after the first episode. Need to finish season 2 and then season 3. Hate that it's going away.
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On ‎5‎/‎13‎/‎2018 at 11:02 AM, HornsOverIthaca said:

Nobody will pick this up.  Too expensive to produce.

Atleast we have the books.

There is a lot of expensive content on Netflix and Amazon.  Altered Carbon seems to have comparable special effects and a what is, I assume, a more expensive cast.  You've got shows with some star power.  You've got shows that are historicals.  I would be surprised if someone didn't pick up a show that already has a following.  Particularly now that you'd have some more flexibility on content - nudity, swearing, violence.   

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It's an okay show. It has great production values. But it feels like the show is happening at warp speed. The books actually did a great job of showing just how far apart everything is in space (at sub-light speeds). More than anything, that is why I won't miss it.

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I have to think it will be picked up by a streaming service.  They don't rely on advertisement, but subscriptions.  It's not a question of how many people view, but how many people will decide to subscribe.  A cult following will subscribe.  Maybe the will go cheaper on the effects, but really, I don't necessarily need to see the zero g stuff or the mediocre CGI to enjoy the show.  Unfortunately, it might take a couple years to play out. 

That last episode certainly felt like a season finale.  I was surprised when I saw previews for next week.

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I hope so, love this show.  The points about the costs being too high for it to be picked up I'm not sure are the most relevant, b/c it is about subs now.  Also, the costs are 100% taken on by the production company, this isn't a funded show like some others - I think the bigger hangup is on rights negotiations.  I'm guessing that the owners made money on both sides since the SyFy deal was only for direct viewing/linear rights, and S1 and 2 were streaming on Prime, so they were making money on the backend for that syndication - it wasn't going to SyFy.  Amazon is probably the best candidate to pick it up now, since they have the earlier seasons.  I'm kind of surprised the viewership is so low, considering the quality.  I think that's a function of how it was measured (direct/linear viewing on SyFy only, not counting streamers via Amazon or delayed watchers).

Edited by Horn of Gabriel
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7 hours ago, Radical Larry said:

It's not official yet, but they're in talks to pick it up. Definitely a good sign, and I hope they get it done. 

With Bezos really liking the novels and losing the original bidding war with NBC/SyFy, he will probably make it happen just to show them up. Plus it’s got the critical acclaim and loyal fan base already built in. I’d imagine that being first-run on Prime will greatly expand the audience. 

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On 5/22/2018 at 8:37 AM, atomheartbevo said:

With Bezos really liking the novels and losing the original bidding war with NBC/SyFy, he will probably make it happen just to show them up. Plus it’s got the critical acclaim and loyal fan base already built in. I’d imagine that being first-run on Prime will greatly expand the audience. 

I'm just sort of vibbing on Bezos being a fan boy and wanting to own the property and throw money at it.  This pleases me greatly.

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I have to spoiler this because it brings up some questions about the books:

Spoiler

I'm questioning some of the changes in this episode. I can get the replacement of Michio Pa with  Drummer, since I like Drummer's character, but why is Hector Cortez a scarred up OPA man instead of the sleezy  preacher? Is he replacing Baca? If so then where is the Cortez stuff going to land? Is Anna going to pull double duty?  Also, I don't think Melba looks Asain enough. Melba's adrenal implants are brutal, very well done. Other than that...

I like the jump, it makes sense to get straight to the action, but that means they have to explain so much, and it's kind of weird that they did it this close to the end of the season. That is usually a tactic reserved for season openings. Miller is back! I like the dynamic of the new OPA Navy trying to figure shit out. I also really enjoyed the slingshot pilot's reaction to his last transmission, and of course his final scene. Still holding out hope it gets picked up to finish out these new storylines. Also, I have a thing for Monica.

Edited by MillerEP
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8 hours ago, Queen Bitch said:

Strathairn is Ashford.

Yeah, the more I think about it, Drummer is Sam and Pa. Naomi is Baca, Hector Cortez is Ashford, and Anna is the original Hector and herself.

Edited by MillerEP
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As much as the previous episode seemed like a season finale, this seemed like the beginning of a new season.  Kind of weird, but I'd rather see them compress two stories into one season than drag one out to make it fit.

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