It’s a real shame The Expanse season 7 is an installment that viewers are still desperately hoping for. Sadly, it seems unlikely it’ll come back, but it doesn’t mean audiences can’t get invested in other brilliant sci-fi titles.
Some of the best written sci-fi TV shows of all time are from the last five years or so, and many of these titles continuously prove why they’re good enough to be compared to The Expanse. The sci-fi genre is so widely expanded now that many types of stories can be considered such, and if you’re missing The Expanse like I am, you should watch these other TV shows from your favorite streaming services.
5 For All Mankind (2019-Present)
4 Seasons - Available To Stream On Apple TV+
For All Mankind
- Release Date
- November 1, 2019
- Showrunner
- Ronald D. Moore
- Writers
- Ronald D. Moore, Matt Wolpert, Ben Nedivi
Cast
Michaela Conlin
Jodi Balfour
WHERE TO WATCH
Imagine a world where the global space race never ended - For All Mankind is a thrilling "what if" take on history that explores what would have happened in the race to the moon between the Soviet Union and the United States, as well as the space programs and the race's effects on the astronauts and their families in the aftermath. The Apple TV+ series hails from Ronald D. Moore and stars Joel Kinnaman as a NASA astronaut. For All Mankind also features historical astronauts like Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong.
- Creator(s)
- Ronald D. Moore, Matt Wolpert, Ben Nedivi
- Seasons
- 4
For All Mankind as a spiritual successor to The Expanse for several reasons, like the ensemble cast and a story focused on humanity’s journey to the stars.
10 Best Cold War TV Shows
Many iconic TV shows have explored the Cold War. These series typically touch upon espionage and utilize exciting action to appeal to audiences.
While The Expanse leans further into fiction, For All Mankind takes historical facts and alters them in an enthralling way. The time jumps between each season makes the stories of every character easy to invest in, and audiences feel like they’re present for each crucial moment that occurs. The ultimate link between these two shows, however, is that they both center on how humanity progresses when they gain access to space travel.
4 Silo (2023-Present)
2 Seasons - Available To Stream On Apple TV+
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In a dystopian future, men and women reside in a vast underground silo governed by strict regulations, believed to shield them from the hazardous world above. The series delves into the complex social order within the silo and the mysteries surrounding their subterranean existence.
- Seasons
- 2
- Story By
- Hugh Howey
Silo is another gripping title from Apple TV+ that more and more people are checking out every day. The show is based on the Silo book trilogy by Hugh Howey, although it typically follows the events of the first installment, Wool. Silo is set in a dystopian future and centers on a community living in a massive underground silo, including Rebecca Ferguson’s Juliette, an engineer who is thrown into a mystery surrounding the titular location’s past and present.
Silo’s mystery is more of a slow burn compared to The Expanse, but the change in pace makes it a great palette cleanser, too.
With Silo season 3 on the way, now is a good time to get into the show. Juliette’s purpose is initially to work on the generators on the bottom levels of the silos, but over time, she becomes wrapped up in the complexities of the government’s strict rules. Silo’s mystery is more of a slow burn compared to The Expanse, but the change in pace makes it a great palette cleanser, too. However, both shows are fantastic at world-building, and it’s easy to be drawn in by Silo’s fascinating narrative.
3 Altered Carbon (2018-2020)
2 Seasons - Available To Stream On Netflix
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Altered Carbon
- Release Date
- 2018 - 2020-00-00
- Showrunner
- Anthony Mackie
- Writers
- Laeta Kalogridis
Cast
Kristin Lehman
Martha Higareda
WHERE TO WATCH
Altered Carbon is set in the far future, at a time when a human's consciousness can be stored in a device called a Stack and transferred into different bodies, allowing people who have the means to become functionally immortal. Takeshi Kovacs (Joel Kinnaman and Anthony Mackie), the former member of a rebellion against Stack technology, is awakened and released from prison so that he can be employed by a wealthy man to solve the man's own murder. The Netflix original series is based on the 2002 novel of the same name by Richard K. Morgan.
- Seasons
- 2
- Story By
- laeta kalogridis
While Altered Carbon season 2 isn’t as well-received as the first, and is a short watch in general, it’s still an incredible detective sci-fi TV show worth taking a look at. In the year 2384, humanity lives in a world with memory-retaining devices implanted in their bodies and cohabit Earth with androids. While this isn’t a new concept, Altered Carbon tackles it in an interesting way. The main character, Takeshi Kovacs, wears different “sleeves,” which give him a completely different appearance.
This allows Altered Carbon to cast three different actors as the character, which shakes things up.
Altered Carbon leans into cyberpunk visuals and delves into an intriguing mystery story, much like The Expanse season 1’s search for the missing Julie Mao. Technological advancements are at the forefront of Altered Carbon, too, and the show’s narrative is partly driven by how it impacts the day-to-day lives of humanity.
2 3 Body Problem (2024-Present)
1 Season - Available To Stream On Netflix
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3 Body Problem
- Release Date
- March 21, 2024
- Directors
- Minkie Spiro, Derek Tsang
- Writers
- David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, Alexander Woo
Cast
Jovan Adepo
Liam Cunningham
WHERE TO WATCH
3 Body Problem is a Netflix original series from Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, along with Alexander Woo. Based on the novel of the same name by Liu Cixin, 3 Body Problem centers on a detective who s forces with a group of scientists after an unknown force begins killing scientists around the world.
- Creator(s)
- David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, Alexander Woo
- Main Genre
- Sci-Fi
- Seasons
- 1
3 Body Problem is a Netflix adaptation of Liu Cixin’s book The Three-Body Problem and delves into humanity’s first with aliens during the Cold War. The show jumps between two timelines: one that focuses on Rosalind Chao’s Ye Wenjie, an astrophysicist who plays a significant role in the first , and one that centers on the Oxford Five scientists in the present-day, and their attempts to investigate an extraterrestrial origin.
3 Body Problem is a beautiful blend of the sci-fi and political thriller genres, and the Netflix show is generally considered an improvement on the source material.
Like The Expanse, 3 Body Problem has a deep mystery that continuously unfolds throughout. 3 Body Problem’s season 1 ending features a gripping cliffhanger that makes audiences want to keep watching, and it’s around this point that the comparisons between the show and The Expanse become clearer. 3 Body Problem is a beautiful blend of the sci-fi and political thriller genres, and the Netflix show is generally considered an improvement on the source material.
1 Foundation (2021-Present)
2 Seasons - Available To Stream On Apple TV+
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Foundation
- Release Date
- September 24, 2021
- Network
- Apple TV+
- Showrunner
- David S. Goyer
Cast
Jared HarrisHari Seldon
Lee PaceBrother Day
WHERE TO WATCH
Foundation is a science fiction series released in 2021, based on Isaac Asimov's groundbreaking novels, depicting a group of exiles attempting to save humanity and reconstruct civilization as the Galactic Empire collapses. The narrative unfolds through epic events and complex storylines spanning the universe.
- Directors
- Alex Graves, Roxann Dawson, Jennifer Phang, Mark Tonderai, Andrew Bernstein
- Writers
- Jane Espenson, Leigh Dana Jackson, Liz Phang, Eric Carrasco, David Kob, Addie Manis, Marcus Gardley, Lauren Bello, Olivia Purnell
- Seasons
- 3
Foundation is loosely based on Isaac Asimov’s books and is set in the far future. In a galaxy dictated by a group of Emperor Cleon’s clones, young mathematician Gaal finds himself in a situation that predicts a breakdown between the empire and its people that will be catastrophic. The classic good vs. evil story works in Foundation, and while it isn’t new, it’s definitely a unique take.
The Expanse and Foundation both rely on human exploration to drive their respective narratives, but Foundation throws viewers even further into the future and introduces them to an array of new alien worlds. While Foundation may not see as many actual spaceships as The Expanse, both shows heavily feature space travel, aliens, and discussions of complicated technology. Foundation’s imagery is nothing short of stunning, and it’s easy to be gripped by the incredible visuals throughout.
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The Expanse
- Release Date
- 2015 - 2022-00-00
- Network
- SyFy
- Showrunner
- Naren Shankar, Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby
Cast
Dominique Tipper
WHERE TO WATCH
The Expanse is a sci-fi series set in the distant future where humanity has spread out across the solar system, but the alliances between the three most potent governing bodies have reached a state of the cold war. In the series, a mixed crew finds themselves at the center of a dangerous intergalactic conspiracy that threatens to bring war to the colonized worlds.
- Writers
- Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby
- Seasons
- 6
- Story By
- James S.A. Corey
- Streaming Service(s)
- Prime Video
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