Join us on Mastodon (theexpan.se) and Discord (discord.gg/the-expanse)! Subreddit for the sci fi space Opera franchise, The Expanse. Which include the Prime video TV series, the book series by James S.A Corey, Comics, and Games.
All Show Spoilers (Book Spoilers Must Be Tagged)
Just for fun! Been trying to get my brothers (who ARE scifi fans) and my partner (who likes it but wouldn't call himself a fan) to watch the series, but they still haven't.
How do you/would you recommend it? What would be your hook, line and sinker?
Sort by:
Best
Open comment sort options
Best
Top
New
Controversial
Old
Q&A
![r/MoviePosterPorn - Original Star Wars Trilogy (1977-1983) [1593x786]](https://b.thumbs.redditmedia.com/NYb7PMcOjycOMZ9L-1NJn1EuP5Un7mejNcLJJxtJJ-Q.jpg)
Convince then to come over and watch just the 1st episode. Pay them a reasonable amount of money if you have to.
Sit them down Close the curtains, Turn off lights Turn on subtitles Get them popcorn, drinks, snacks, etc.
Then after the first episode ask them what they thought of it and also if they'd consider watching the next episode. Answer any non-Spoilery questions they have.
If they do wanna watch the next one great!! If they don't, lock the doors, tie them up, and hit "Next episode".
Agreed, but if you start on 1 you'd better lock the doors until 4. We lose a lot of people on those first few.
Agreed. I had to wrestler through the first episodes. The whole introduction of Miller as a character just screamed B series to me. I absolutely loved the series, but the first few episodes Arent the best part...
I say explain how the investment is worth it. How absolutely mindblowing the world building and character development is, the cinematography etc.
Honestly his intro in the book kind of sucks too, but he rapidly becomes my favorite character toward the end of his arc.
Is 4 when the dude from Road Trip gets his head blown off? That was where I changed my opinion from "I will continue watching this" to "I am fully committed to this show"
Thats the one. The Donnanger fight.
This is the way.
I Kinda don't anymore. I love it. You guys love it. But i guess I overhyped the show enough times to enough uninterested people that they were really let down by it instead. Ppl gotta find it on their own, or at least be looking.
Pretty much. It doesn't help that the first season isn't really representative of the entire show and has some budget looking CGI moments.
I usually say "you have to get past the first season then it gets really good" but few make it that far.
You also can't skip the first season since it sets up all the main characters. It's not even that S1 is bad it's just not on the level or budget of later ones.
Reminds me of that sketch “The first four seasons are really hard to get through, but the last two episodes of the series really pays off and if you finish the show you get a free t shirt”
People used the tagline "Game of Thrones in Space" when the show first came out. I don't think that line still applies.
Now it’s “Game of Thrones in space without the shitty ending”.
And a less shitty fandom. At least, based on the number of protest subreddits we formed.
Jon Snow, James Holden
White Walkers, Protomolecule
Round table meeting in the finale that didn't suck.
The only remotely similar things I can think of.
I always thought of it more as "The Wire" in space. I never thought the Game of Thrones comparison made much sense.
It’s probably more evident in the books. POV chapters in both creates a similar narrative effect. Also while both are fantastical, they focus heavily on politics and power struggles that are more relatable for non-die hard genre fans. Also, both the authors being friends with and one a former assistant of GRRM invites more comparison.
Holden does have a bit of Omar in him and there certainly are themes of individual vs. institution. Chad Coleman and Frankie Faison being in the show as well as Timmy’s ties to Baltimore also helps.
I always felt like the POV chapters in The Expanse were a significantly refined version of the narrative style used in GOT, primarily because JSAC constrained the POV chapters in each book to a very tight cast, only including the characters necessary to tell that book's story from a few different perspectives.
While GRRM was all "I know you wanted to know more about what's happening in King's landing, but we're going to check in with someone you've never heard of in Braavos. It'll be important - trust me."
The comparison I always saw between The Expanse and the Wire was the idea that no one character in wholly good, or wholly bad. Everyone is wearing shades of grey and operating more or less by their own internal code as well as the ethos that there is never a simple or tidy solution to complicated problems, and that the outcomes, while good, are often unsatisfying, and there's always another problem on the horizon. The progress is the product.
Ouch. No. Please no. I mean, yes, it's a series... it has several main characters, one of them being a cute yet manly dark-haired man. That's about it. Otherwise it's completely different from GOT (which is a good series as well btw).
Well, the authors worked for and met while being a part of GRRM’s team, so it makes sense for the comparisons to exist.
It really isn’t GoT in space. If any scifi series fits that description instead, it’s Red Rising, not The Expanse.
Hold a gun to their head probably
I tell them it’s really good. If they watch it, cool, if they don’t, cool. If someone repeatedly and intensely tries to get me to watch something it honestly makes me less likely to want to watch it, not more. I don’t want to be that guy to someone else.
Waterboarding.
Political thriller with some serious world building. Scifi enough for us nerds, but gripping enough for the novice.
I recommend it by saying "I think you would like this." If they don't give it a chance then there's nothing you can do, go on with your life.
My dad kept telling me I should watch the Expanse until December I saw a clip of Avasarala and binged the whole series then the books. I’m sad I didn’t listen sooner to help the ratings. I love Chrissie!
It’s a political drama
I don't. If someone is specifically not a fan of scifi, The Expanse is very much not the first scifi I would recommend they read or watch. I normally go with Flowers for Algernon and then maybe Connie Willis' Oxford Time Travel series or maybe some Harlan Ellison. Frankly though, by the time they are ready for The Expanse, I'm probably recommending Dune first. I've honestly never gotten that far with someone who specifically does not like scifi.
Interesting. I'd actually recommend Dune to someone who's read or watched quite a lot of scifi already. It's so dense and slow it really didn't hook me in. I only read it years ago after binging all Ender/Shadow books, The Martian, Foundation, and Starship Troopers. I was looking for my next fix and read Dune, where I felt like I hit a wall because it was doing so much. I like it, don't get me wrong, but it's definitely not an intro to scifi for me.
I don't mean it's intro level scifi. I mean that it's not and neither is The Expanse. They are both fully committed to the genre. But Dune has the advantage of being written in '65 and being the most sold book on the genre. (How that is true with Frankenstein and 1984 being taught in most high schools, I don't know.)
I would say it's the best thing that has ever happened to sci-fi fans and a very very good show about politics, humanity, dealing with the unknown and cool action for the others.
I mention how it has a lot of realism and real science, along with a great story
Some aren't too fond of sci fi because they think it's often like star wars
It’s like Game of Thrones, in space, it doesn’t get shit like GoT does and the books are complete.
You have the drama of a small team interwoven into an epic story that spans entire systems.
I say it's a political thriller.
"It's like Game of Thrones in space, only better"
One of the authors argued in an interview that Sci-Fi isn’t a genre in itself, and that Sci-Fi can be anything. The expanse books go from noir detective to survival to exploration to heist to political drama and more.
Whatever type of novels they like, there’s probably going to be that style within the series
My mom has been asking me what show to binge next and I keep wanting to recommend this show but honestly I feel like the Belter dialect will make her lose interest. Honestly it would probably throw me off a bit if I hadn’t read the book and known generally what they’re saying already
"it's good, watch it"
Ain't gonna beg people, it's their loss
Noir detective mystery in space set amidst political intrigue and increasingly amazing special effects space battles with a core of interesting, well-developed and evolving characters supplemented with interesting and well-developed side characters that were all very well cast.
I just made that up, I've never said that to anyone! Well I did say the noir detective mystery in space part to my nephew. It didn't grab him. He did eventually watch it and enjoy it anyway since he had many other people hyping it to him, though!
"it's a delivery system for funny accents"
My friend saw a clip of the "I am That Guy" scene and he said "oh hell I need to watch that!"
Lol
Tie them to the couch and force them to watch it, all while saying ”Do you see?? Do you see now??” over and over until they understand the magnificence that is the Expanse.
i wouldnt. Honestly its a pretty hard show to get into if you are not into scifi. My wife tried watching the first season with me. I had read the books, but she was confused, and i had to keep pausing to explain what was going on. I'm honestly not even sure how most people who didnt read the books got past the first season at all.
Love the show, but its pretty rough in the beginning.
By watching and paying attention? Admittedly, it's a very information-dense show, but everything you need to understand what's going on is right there on the screen.
That said, I've given up recommending it to folks - I'd had a pretty disappointing chain of recommending it to folks who I think would love the story and the series, and they just couldn't get into it. At least now I've found folks who are similarly into it, and others know its one of my favorite series, so if they want to know more, they can ask me.
I watched the show first and loved it. I Didn't start reading the books until I was in season 3. I didn't have any problems following it whatsoever.
Did she try putting her phone down? The show is dense but it’s not that hard to follow. My wife is not interested in sci fi and all and had zero issues comprehending what was going on in the show, probably because she actually watched it
Dude, what the fuck. Try not to make so many asshole assumptions in one post.