The Expanse Season 1

The Expanse Season 1 has built a real following on and among viewers who want their sci-fi to think as hard as it looks. The show says what it needs to say in a single season, no filler. With 2,854 viewer ratings on TMDB, this is not a title flying under the radar. Steven Strait's performance is the anchor the more ambitious scenes need. There is no real reason to keep putting it off.

Part of the current wave of titles people are actually watching, The Expanse Season 1 earns its spot. What makes The Expanse Season 1 work is that the ideas never crowd out the people having them. In season one, the disappearance of rich-girl-turned-political-activist Julie Mao linked the lives of Ceres' detective Joe Miller, accidental ship captain James Holden and U.N. Politician Chrisjen Avasarala. Amidst political tension between Earth, Mars and the Asteroid Belt, these three individuals unravel the single greatest conspiracy of all time. Steven Strait and Dominique Tipper lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was aired in 2015. The Expanse Season 1 resists the temptation to explain everything, trusting the audience to sit with ambiguity. It rarely drops the ball, and when it does, it recovers fast.

For late-night viewing or a proper weekend binge, The Expanse Season 1 fits the bill. It rewards viewers regardless of what else is in their watch history. A contained run means every episode is doing real work. Steven Strait's performance is the anchor the more ambitious moments need. The world-building pays off in ways you will not anticipate on a first watch.