bookriot: Exclusive First Look at The Expanse Book-To-Screen Video!
Second look at the Roci(nante) - formerly the MCRN 158 torpedo frigate Tachi - this time at velocity with lit Epstein drive and bristling with at least four PDC. Pew pew pew. And some writer’s stuff. 
WhooHoo, great clip.
unitednationsearth.com
outerplanetsalliance.com
mcrnavy.com
are updated. Emails sent. Registration not needed to view site content, at least not yet. First look at an Earth U.N.M.C. ship with two hangar bays. Nice MCRN concept art for the Rocinante that Ty Franck was teasing everyone about last November. I tried to find out the concept artist’s name as I can’t make out the signature. Earth uses periods in its acronyms. Mars doesn’t. 
A scathing, withering review of the first four (screener) episodes by Maureen “Mo” Ryan and someotherguynamed Ryan:
Talking TV with Ryan and Ryan: Episode 168: Jessica’s Castle Expanse 11/18
Once upon a time, Maureen Ryan, then of the Chicago Tribune, was the critic darling of the Battlestar Galactica production. I always considered her a friend of the show. Then her and Hit Fix’s Alan Sepinwall watched a three episode screener of Caprica season 1.5. They tag team hated it and triumphantly declared they would not watch the rest of Caprica. I thought they were fickle and almost irresponsible, egging as they were for Caprica’s audience to stop watching the show. And this was in the context of Caprica stopping production at mid-season hiatus, hiring a new show runner, retooling the show, and trying to come back swinging. I felt like they made a concerted effort, together, to sabotage the show.
Here, she gives The Expanse a gracious two more episodes to totally change her mind or she’s not watching the rest of The Expanse either. Just like days before the premiere of Caprica season 1.5, she’s sniping at The Expanse days before the public has its first chance to watch it. To be fair, she hails back to a newspaper columnist critic era that believes they have an obligation to their readership to helpfully suggest what entertainment offerings can safely be bypassed altogether. So in her mind, in this day and golden age of way too much television, she is continuing to provide an invaluable service. Watch that show but don’t watch this show. Or she’s an ambitious demagogue that hopped from The Trib’s TV critic, to AOL’s TV critic, to Variety’s latest critic. See, now I’m name calling.
First up, selected barbs from someotherguynamed Ryan, the minority voice during the fifteen minute review:
Basically my review of the expanse is go watch Killjoys. (Steven Strait) looks like the love child of Jay Berenchal and James Franco. I’m trying to be nice. There’s nothing much to really recommend. I think there’s enough of a track record of you and I talking about sci-fi that long time listeners can have a good assessment of the show before they see it and decide if they want to watch it for themselves.
He’s basically asking readers/isteners to trust his judgement without stating many reasons while letting Maureen pull the real weight of the review.
Maureen is more specific in her subjective impressions as to how the show instilled confusion and apathy in her. She describes The Expanse as attempting to be both Killjoys (funny and fun to watch) and Battlestar Galactica (issues driven drama) and failing.
This show feels like its trying to do both of that and its kind of falling between the stools and I think in large part because a lot of things happen, and things are being told to me, and what I should know about, and pay attention to and what matters and where it’s happening and why. It’s a little hard to follow. It’s kind of not laid out in a way that feels elegant or intriguing. And then I don’t necessarily care who those things are happening to.
…it’s really not character driven and I think these were based on a series of books and I have not read the books. Specifically I think I’ve heard of them but I have not read them in part because this show was coming and I hate the comparison thing in my head…
I gotta tell you, I’m really sick of the whole everything is blue and black in space…
Last September, Variety hired Maureen to become their new co-chief television critic. She’s writing Variety’s review of The Expanse right now.
ADD: Variety: TV Review: ‘The Expanse’ 11/23
Just finished re-reading Leviathan Wakes and Caliban’s War.
Even better the second time around. Really enjoyed them.
Such great characters.
#TheExpanse is about to launch. RT if you will be watching the series premiere Monday at 12:01 AM." @ExpanseSyfy
“Who’s staying up til midnight to watch the early preview of #TheExpanse?” @pshaps (Syfy VP)
“What an excellent night you all have! First you can watch @oliverstarkk in @IntotheBadlands and then…little ol me in #TheExpanse ONLINE” @Mi55Tipper
“I’ll be there!!” @weschatham
“Anyone?” @JamesSACorey
“Liftoff soon…very soon…muahahaha” @TheExpanseWR
“More importantly, who’s #livetweeting #AlexKamal? :p” @Casanvar
Unfortunately after IGN plastered all over the internet that their streaming premiere begins at 9AM PT/12PM ET, other VOD sites are going live at the stroke of midnight… in two hours. On demand streaming will remain available until December 14th.
LA Times: Hero Complex: Character portraits from Syfy’s ‘The Expanse’
We got this covered: The Expanse Season 1 Review
“The ultra-slick @ExpanseSyfy debuts its pilot online Monday. It’s Best-Of-The-Year material” @earthTOmitchel
And the second positive review, and second best show of the television season vote (the first was Vox, see earlier post). Mitchel Broussard has read the books, maybe that’s making all the difference for a tightly packed pilot episode.
Also see Vimeo: Breakdown of The Expanse – Opening Titles (Thanks BREEDER!)
[video=vimeo;146590747]https://vimeo.com/146590747[/video]
“As we all await the premiere of the new Star Wars movie, I’d like to indulge in a wee bit of heresy. Maybe — just maybe — something far, far better than The Force Awakens is making its appearance tonight.” - Adam Frank, National Public Radio
“The biggest hurdle from just one episode was finding something to focus on and care about, which is, you know, Television 101.” - Tim Surette, tv.com
Thanks to reddit user drnickv for finding more.
The ecstatically frakking fantastic:
HitFix: ‘The Expanse’ is the show waiting to fill the ‘Battlestar Galactica’ hole in your heart by Geek Girl Diva, 11/23
alwayssometimesvillains: THE EXPANSE: “DULCINEA” (S01E01) REVIEW by Philip Phlam, 11/23
Discovery News: ‘The Expanse’: An Epic Sci-Fi Glimpse into Our Future by Ian O’Neill, 11/23
Den of Geek!: The Expanse Review (Spoiler Free) by Michael Ahr, 11/23
Always Dreaming: THE EXPANSE (2015) PILOT EPISODE PROMISES A STORY… by Sharry Cee, 11/26
Expanse Wikia: The Expanse - Episode 1 review by an avid book fan by AyeCapn, 11/23
IGN: THE EXPANSE: “DULCINEA” REVIEW by Chris Carabott, 11/27
threeifbyspace: ‘The Expanse’ Preview Earthers Belters and Dusters Oh My by Diane Selburg, 12/10
alibi: Idiot Box: Space is the Place “The Expanse” on Syfy by Devin O’Leary, 12/10
National Public Radio: In A Solar System Really Close By, ‘The Expanse’ Comes To TV by Adam Frank, 12/15
A.V. Club: TV Club: The Expanse knows exactly what it is, waiting for a spark by Zack Handlen, 12/14
Salon: “Battlestar Galactica” meets “Game of Thrones”: Syfy’s “The Expanse” captivates with mesmerizing detail and human stakes by Sonia Sarayia, Salon TV critic, 12/14
Vox: The Expanse premiere: this is the most promising, bold, and ambitious new space opera in ages by Todd VanDerWerff, 12/15
io9: The Expanse Delivers the Sci-Fi Political Thriller We’ve All Been Waiting For by Katharine Trendacosta, 12/15
Forbes: SyFy’s New Space Opera ‘The Expanse’ Gets Off To A Terrific Start by Erik Kain, 12/15
The optimistically ambivalent:
Comic Vine: The Expanse #101 - Dulcinea Review by Mat ‘Inferiorego’ Elfring, 11/23
MikesFilmTalk:The Expanse: Space is Dirty and Biased (Review) And Not a Little Confusing by Michael Knox-Smith, 11/28
THR: ‘The Expanse’: TV Review 12/1
Los Angeles Daily News: Syfy’s ‘The Expanse’ may have ‘Battlestar’ power 12/10
Forbes: ‘The Expanse’ Review: A Massive Space Opera Lacking The Human Touch 12/8
Collider: ‘The Expanse’ Review: Syfy’s Interplanetary Series Explores the Darkness 12/9
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Tuned In: Syfy’s ‘The Expanse’ shows promise by Rob Owen, 12/11 (veteran Post-Gazette TV critic Rob Owen reviewed first run Battlestar Galactica in its entirety. Is he the Woodward & Bernstein of dramatic television criticism? He used to be!)
Entertainment Weekly: The Expanse premiere react: Does Syfy’s newest space series land amongst the stars? by Jonathon Dornbush, 12/14
tv.com: The Expanse Series Premiere Review: The Next Great Thing If the Story Ever Gets Started by Tim Surette, 12/15
Too much stuff going on:
Variety: TV Review: The Expanse by Maureen Ryan, 11/23
Deadline: ‘The Expanse’ Review: Space But Not A Lot Of Depth In Syfy Series 12/10
New York Times: Review: ‘The Expanse,’ a Syfy Space Opera Laced With Parables by Mike Hale, NYT Film & Television critic, 12/11
undertheradar: The Expanse by Alee Karim, 12/11
The Washington Post: This series wants to be your new ‘Battlestar Galactica’ by Alyssa Rosenberg, 12/14
Looks like Syfy anticipated some pilot episode confusion because they’ve revealed a zoomable, rotatable, motion blurry interactive solar system map. Buried within you can find the locations of characters, ships, ship destinations, and places of importance with descriptions of each. The site will track their movements on a season timeline as each episode airs. Double click to expand. Items can be nested several levels deep. Gnarly.
www.syfy.com/theexpanse/enterthefuture/
Canada’s SPACE channel has streaming video region locked for Canada: YouTube: Space: THE EXPANSE | Episode One: Dulcinea | Space
Deadline: Syfy’s ‘The Expanse’ Sampled By 1.5 Million Viewers In Digital Launch 12/1
Now 4.4 million views from all streaming and demand platforms as of December 14th per Deadline 12/16
Geek’s Guide to the Galaxy: GGG#180: The Expanse TV Show 12/6
With guests io9 editor Andrew Liptak, Rocket Talk podcast host and Tor Books contributing editor Justin Lanton, and IndieWire’s TV editor and podcast host Liz Shannon Miller. All have seen the four episode screeners. All have read the books, some years ago as they were published, although Liz devoured Leviathan Wakes after watching the shows. Some serious watercooler pow wow over how well the show succeeds as television entertainment, choices in casting, how well does the show adapt the novels, the potential future of the series, and a big Bobbie Draper fan club love fest. No spoilers for episodes 2-4. 51 minutes.
Highly related: Syfy’s still newish EVP of original scripted development Bill McGoldrick (the replacement of BSG evangelist Mark Stern) will be the guest on GGG podcast 181 due out December 19th. By then we should all have The Expanse’s Monday and Tuesday night fast Nielsen ratings
The first four episodes are now available for streaming at www.syfy.com/theexpanse/episodes Update: cable subscribers should check their on demand listings, at least ComCast and Verizon also have the episodes tonight
tvbtn: Monday cable ratings: ‘The Expanse’ premiere not thatexpansive, ‘Monday Night Football’ leads 12/15
Fast overnight Nielsen ratings 1.19 million viewers, 0.3 share. That’s pretty bad. The premiere was directly opposite the end of ESPN Monday Night Football and, far worse, NBC’s Adele Live in New York City which drew a whopping 11 million eyeballs and a 10 share. Adele came, she sang, she conquered.
Ordinarily I’d be worried. After watching episode four, I’m not worried anymore. Episode four is the best word of mouth to represent the entire season.
I LOVE IT !!!
On Syfy, night two of “Childhood’s End” drew a 0.3, down a tenth from Monday. “The Expanse” was just out of the Top 100 — it drew a 0.3, even with Monday’s premiere, but not quite as many viewers in the 18-49 demo as the shows listed below.
tvbtn: Tuesday cable ratings: Republican debate delivers big numbers for CNN
As little as two years ago, The Expanse would be in real danger of being abruptly removed mid-season from Syfy’s schedule. But this is the present, where Netflix or HBO was the second highest bidder for the series, while the lower bidders still remain unknown. There was speculation some time ago Syfy would have to fight its way back onto the dramatic series cable landscape. That fight will now be costlier than expected. Either way, I hope the show is selling well in other markets for Alcon TV’s sake.
We are in a transitional era where the on demand digital audience is over five times greater than the television broadcast audience.
Headline Planet reporting Nielsen Live+SD A18-49 0.15, 676K viewers for episode 3, Remember the Cant. tvbtn confirming noting that The Expanse again failed to reach Tuesday night’s Nielsen cable top 100 with a “0.2” (rounded up). In 2010, Caprica’s last episode ratings before immediate cancellation were A18-49 0.3, 718K viewers. But in today’s incredibly shrunken cable audience about the bottom third of all cable shows average a 0.3.
Normally, in 2010, 2015, or any year, this ratings free fall would warrant cancellation and a swift removal from a network’s current schedule. Yet Syfy can’t know anything about audience retention from the millions who watched the free streams, until The Expanse goes “free-less” with episode 5, Back to the Butcher premiering January 5th. It will all come down to what happens on January 5th.
Some good news:
IMDb: 8.4 with 3000 voting. Rotten Tomatoes: THE EXPANSE (2015 - ): 74% critics with +26/-9 reviews, 87% audience score 108 voting. That’s one of the best post-fall ratings for any post-fall show premiere and qualifies as a ‘certified fresh’ for a TV show (if the still new RT television section handed out those for TV shows).
Reddit’s /r/TheExpanse channel has seen an over ten fold increase in subscriptions and unique page views since the show started on Syfy, actually trending on Reddit’s coveted front page for one day. Twitter #theexpanse traffic remains steady with tweets on the hour, every hour.
Today u/turd-polish (what’s in a name?) set up a Reddit war room. Things you can do to help get the word out. Trending #3 topic in seven hours.
Reddit: The Expanse: crossposted to Television: SyFy’s “The Expanse” - Poor ratings and the dangers of early cancelation.
RENEWED
[SIZE=2]13 in 2017
[/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]Variety: [/SIZE]‘The Expanse’ Gets Season 2 on Syfy 12/31
THR: Syfy’s ‘The Expanse’ Renewed for Second Season 12/31
I might become scarce around here for the indeterminable future, so this is just in case. I hope all the GWC’ers, all the lurkers, and all the search spiders, are enjoying the show.
I do have some news. The Expanse writing team is currently breaking season two episodes of extreme interest to Caliban’s War fans.
“Gunnery Sergeant Roberta “Bobbie” W. Draper is a Martian Marine of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force. She was stationed on Ganymede during the Ganymede incident. She is a little over two meters tall and a muscular hundred kilos at one g. She is of Polynesian ancestry. She has been described as highly attractive. At the time of her being stationed on Ganymede she has served in the Martian Marine Corps for twelve years.” - Expanse Wiki
No actor cast at this time. Kick ass women in space operas will never be the same. 
The Expanse - Season 2 - Jan 2017.
Great, great news !
Swiper no swiping! She’ll still be in season two.
Deadline: Shohreh Aghdashloo Has Boarded ‘Star Trek Beyond’ 3/11/16