The Expanse gets sixth and final season renewal at Amazon

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

The Expanse takes place two-hundred years in future when humanity has colonized the Solar System, but a conspiracy soon threatens the peace of the system as well as the survival of humanity. After airing for three seasons, SyFy cancelled the series, but thankfully Amazon came to the rescue, much to the delight of fans. The fifth season of The Expanse is slated to debut next month and Deadline has announced that Amazon Studios has already renewed the series for a sixth season, but unfortunately, it will also be its last.

"From the moment we committed to bringing this show to life up until this final season, we have worked tirelessly to honor the vision of the writers," said Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson, co-CEOs and co-Founders of Alcon Television Group and executive producers of The Expanse. "We have prided ourselves on having one of the most diverse casts on television and giving a platform to stories that matter. A special thanks to Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck, the writers of both the books and series, and to Naren Shankar, the series showrunner and executive producer. It continues to be an honor and privilege to work with this team. We also would like to thank Amazon for their continuing support to help us tell this story in its fullest and to bring The Expanse to a global audience." Naren Shankar added, "The dedication and artistry of everyone who helps bring The Expanse to the screen is incredible. Our fans are awesome, and we cannot wait to get rolling on Season 6." The cast are all expected to return for the sixth and final season, with the exception of Cas Anvar, who plays Martian pilot Alex Kamal. Anvar has found himself facing multiple allegations of sexual harassment and assault, which likely has something to do with why he won't be back for the final season. Production on the sixth and final season is tentatively slated to kick off on January 20th, but that date could easily change due to the pandemic.

While speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Naren Shankar teased that the upcoming fifth season "really is about the sins of the past," adding, "To one extent or another, that's every single story line, whether it is Naomi [Dominique Tipper] personally confronting the fact that she had a son with this very charismatic, and now quite violent, revolutionary-type leader. Whether it's Amos [Wes Chatham] connecting to his past, or going back to Earth for reasons that we're not quite sure of. Whether it's Holden's [Steven Strait] past with unleashing the protomolecule. Whether it is the past geopolitical history of the Belt, and its relationship with the inner planets, which we see through Avasarala." The fifth season of The Expanse will launch on Amazon Prime Video on December 16, 2020.