‘The Expanse’ Hits A Ratings Peak For Second Straight Week Amid Fan-Led Effort To Save Show From Cancelation

The Expanse continues to see a boost in the ratings as fans rally to save the beloved space drama from cancelation.

Earlier this month, Syfy made the surprising announcement that it would not be renewing the show that at one point had been the cornerstone of the network’s shift back toward science-fiction based programming. The Expanse amassed a very dedicated fan base, one that has now sprung into action in an attempt to save the show. The show’s ratings are now reflecting those efforts.

Overnight numbers published on Thursday by Showbuzz Daily show that The Expanse reached 625,000 viewers with its episode on Wednesday, one of the highest totals in two years. Combined with the 609,000 who watched the previous two weeks, it is the highest two-week total for the show since the launch of Season 2 in early 2017.

Aside from the boost in ratings, The Expanse has also been earning critical acclaim for its recent stretch of episodes. A review from io9 noted that The Expanse has “recharged all of its storylines” and that the show is now better than it has ever been before.

Fans have also launched a petition in order to get the attention of Netflix or Amazon, one that has gained close to 140,000 signatures.

The cancelation of The Expanse was not a straightforward decision for Syfy, TVLine noted. Though the show brought in relatively strong ratings, Syfy owned only the show’s first-run linear rights to air. The digital and streaming rights, which could sometimes be just as lucrative given the show’s audience, did not belong to the network.

The cancelation of The Expanse initially drew little attention in comparison to high-profile shows that were axed, including Brooklyn Nine-Nine. But the fan-led campaign has steadily gained attention and found some high-profile backers, including the author of The Expanse books, Daniel Abraham (who also serves as a producer on the show).

The show’s production company, Alcorn Television Group, announced almost immediately after the cancelation that it would be seeking a new home for the show.

“We are very disappointed the show will not be returning to Syfy,” Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson, Alcon Entertainment CEOs, said. “We respect Syfy’s decision to end this partnership but given the commercial and critical success of the show, we fully plan to pursue other opportunities for this terrific and original IP.”

The campaign to save The Expanse might be working. This week, Variety reported that Amazon is in talks to pick up the space drama for what would be its fourth season.