Donkeyballs.

News broke late Thursday night, Pacific Time, that Syfy has dropped the amazing, incredible sci-fi series The Expanse. In fact, The Expanse is probably the best sci-fi that’s been on TV since Ron Moore’s Battlestar Galactica reimagining.

This is up there with the cancellation of the vastly underrated Almost Human and yes, Firefly too.

A statement from NBCUniversal exec Chris McCumber frames the break-up as a “difficult decision”:

“Everyone at Syfy is a massive fan of the series, and this was an incredibly difficult decision. We want to sincerely thank The Expanse’s amazing cast, crew and all the dedicated creatives who helped bring James S.A. Corey’s story to life. And to the series’ loyal fans, we thank you most of all.”

However its producer, Alcon Television Group will look for another home. Described by network execs as Syfy’s “most ambitious effort to date” when it was originally announced, the show (based on a series of books by the same name) drove a shift on the network that reinforced the notion that sci-fi is back…and in a big way baby.

Thomas Jane, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Steven Strait – what’s not to love?!

Every major studio is investing in sci-fi…finally: Phlebas at Amazon, Foundation at Apple, Lost in Space and Altered Carbon at Netflix. Apparently, even Marvel has realized sci-fi is back in vogue.

Rolling Stone called it “the best sci-fi TV show you’re not watching” and in fact, everyone said pretty much the same.

Deadline cites broadcast rights as the probable cause for the cancelation, because Syfy can only show The Expanse on a live, first-run basis in the US and has no option for digital or streaming platforms, which would include being able to watch it on-demand later. The article also says that The Expanse’s ratings are below those of other Syfy shows like The Magicians and Krypton.

So, with a bad distribution deal, the high cost of obviously high production values (each episode is rumored to cost between $5 and $7million) perhaps it was only a matter of time…as the Comcast/NBC-owned network simultaneously announces launch dates for a summer slate that includes 12 Monkeys, Wynonna Earp, Killjoys and, for some reason, Sharknado 6.

Hopefully this exceptional series will find a new home that gives it the consideration it deserves. Hulu are you listening?

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