Is ‘The Expanse’ out yet? All you need to know about S4
Fans of The Expanse don’t have to worry about their beloved show being in danger of cancellation again. After Syfy canceled The Expanse after three seasons, Amazon swooped in with the save and then, before season four even aired, renewed it for a fifth season.
If you’ve been waiting for The Expanse’s 10-episode fourth season, then wait no longer. All 10 episodes are no available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video. Hooray! If fact, eagle-eyed fans will realize that Amazon released The Expanse hours ahead of schedule. The hype is high, people.
If you’re thinking about checking out The Expanse, then here’s everything you need to know about the show’s hard-won fourth season.
Is The Expanse out yet on Amazon?
If you skipped over the opening, then let’s repeat it again. The Expanse’s fourth season is available for streaming on Amazon Prime. Much like the premiere for season two of Jack Ryan, Amazon has released The Expanse hours ahead of schedule to capitalize on the hype from the fans.
This will be a 10-episode season, which is shorter than what was on Syfy. Hopefully, the shorter season will allow for quicker action and a tighter story overall.
What’s The Expanse about?
The Expanse is adapted from the novels of James S. A. Corey. The basic rundown is hundreds of years in the future, humans have colonized the Solar System. They are divided by Earth, Mars, and the asteroid belt (Earthers, Martians, Belters). Everyone is pretty much on the brink of war.
In the first season, three very different people: United Nations Security Council member Chrisjen Avasarala (Shohreh Aghdashloo), police detective Josephus Miller (Thomas Jane), and Executive Officer of the tragically doomed ice hauler Canterbury James Holden (Steven Strait) slowly unravel a conspiracy involving a missing woman and the ice hauler’s face that could put humanity at risk.
From that first season, The Expanse has grown into a sprawling space opera that explores politics, classism, social justice, hubris, and more. Critics praise The Expanse for its nuanced character development, political thriller narrative, and the stunning production values.
What is happening in The Expanses season four?
The Expanse’s fourth season takes us away from the solar system. James Holden and the crew of the Rocinante accept a special mission from Chrisjen Avasarala to go to an alien world called “New Terra”. Basically, there are these rings left by aliens to allow for easy travel. Yes, we know that you’re thinking of Stargate and you’re not wrong there.
“New Terra”, however, is not a sanctioned colony. A group of Belters refugees went through a ring, found a planet, and claimed it as their own. Of course, this won’t due for the megacorporations and shady government agencies who have their own plans for the planets and the rings.
Showrunner Naren Shankar said of The Expanse season four: “One of the things that seems pretty clear: it’s going to be another blood-soaked gold rush that’s about to happen because you’ve got an entire species and several societies that have defined themselves on the fact that the solar system is all they’ve got, that those resources are what they have.”
If you’re a fan of The Expanse novels, then season four will follow the events of Cibola Burn. So you can brush up on that before bingeing the new season if you want.
What are the critics saying?
The Expanse has been somewhat of a critical darling in its later seasons with seasons two and three scoring 95% and 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. The critics appear to love the show just as much as The Expanse season four also has a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
The critical consensus reads, “Smart and thrilling as ever, The Expanse’s fourth season doesn’t miss a beat, successfully navigating network changes without losing any of its rich character work or narrative complexities.”
If fans were worried about how The Expanse would survive the move to streaming, then it sounds like series is just as smart, sharp, and emotionally affecting as ever. If you need a break from the endless deluge on holiday entertainment, then definitely check out The Expanse’s fourth season.
