Upcoming Space Show From The Expanse Creators Gives Prime Video Its Next Sci-Fi Hit

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A new space-themed show from the team behind The Expanse could be Prime Video’s next big sci-fi success, attracting a broad audience. Prime hasn’t released a live-action science fiction series of comparable quality since The Expanse ended four years ago.

Prime Video’s sci-fi shows aren’t bad at all – Fallout is really fun, The Devil’s Hour is a gripping thriller, and Gen V is ideal if you love superheroes. However, each of these shows is quite different from the others, or faces the challenge of following up the success of The Expanse.

Fortunately, several new science fiction shows have the potential to be as good as The Expanse. The most promising one comes from the same team behind that show – Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck. Their next space-based series could be Prime Video’s next big sci-fi success, matching the popularity of their previous work.

Prime Video’s The Captive’s War Sounds Incredibly Exciting

Prime Video is developing a TV series based on the trilogy The Captive’s War by S.A. Corey (the authors Abraham and Franck). Currently, only the first book, The Mercy of Gods, and a short story called Livesuit have been released. I’ve read both, and I found the story and characters completely engaging—no pun intended!

A team of scientists from a distant planet have been captured by the Carryx Empire, an alien race that’s been taking over worlds. The scientists are only spared if the Carryx find them valuable, but a resistance movement is starting to fight back against the empire’s harsh rule.

Book # Title Release Date
#1 The Mercy of Gods August 6, 2024
#1.5 Livesuit October 1, 2024
#2 The Faith of Beasts April 14, 2026
#2.5 Untitled novella TBA
#3 Untitled book TBA

The Carryx are incredibly dangerous science fiction enemies, as threatening as iconic villains like the Xenomorphs, the Borg, and the Daleks. They are ruthlessly efficient and driven by practicality above all else. Even after losses in the story Livesuit, the Carryx maintain an aura of invincibility, inspiring genuine terror in those they enslave.

The second book in the series, The Faith of Beasts, will be released on April 14, 2026, and the summary hints at a more action-packed story. I’ll share a link to its page on Barnes & Noble, but be warned – it contains spoilers! If the upcoming Prime Video show is as well-written as the books, I think it has the potential to become the streamer’s next major science fiction success.

How The Captive’s War Will Be Different From The Expanse

As a huge sci-fi fan, I’ve been thinking about how The Captive’s War and The Expanse, while having some character and story similarities, really take different paths. The Captive’s War feels very much like Dune – someone described it as a space opera take on the Book of Daniel, and I totally get that! The Expanse, on the other hand, is more reminiscent of Battlestar Galactica; it’s much more realistic and down-to-earth in its approach to space and the future. They both offer compelling stories, but in vastly different ways when it comes to the science and overall feel of the universe.

The science fiction series The Expanse realistically portrays space travel by incorporating accurate physics, how things move in orbit, and the effects on the human body. The story focuses on human characters living in the near future within our solar system.

S.A. Corey’s The Captive’s War blends elements of sociology, the study of alien life, and biological warfare. This second series in The Expanse universe features multiple alien species and is set on a grand, galactic scale in the distant future. However, the first part of The Captive’s War trilogy starts slower than the original The Expanse series.

Can The Captive’s War Be As Good As The Expanse?

Given how highly regarded The Expanse is as one of the best sci-fi shows of recent years, it’s a tall order for The Captive’s War to be as good. But the team behind the new show is largely the same one that made The Expanse a success, and they’re experts at crafting compelling space operas.

To succeed, The Captive’s War needs a talented cast who truly connect with their characters. It’s also important to avoid relying too heavily on special effects, and to ensure the Carryx are as frightening on screen as they are in the novel.

I’m really excited about The Captive’s War, and honestly, I think it has the potential to be just as good as The Expanse! Right now, we’re just waiting for news on when it will actually be made and released, but I have a good feeling about this one.

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2026-01-30 23:50