Over the past week, I've watched the first five episodes of The Expanse, and I just today watched the premiere of The Magicians. I've enjoyed both, and that makes this a first for my experience with the SyFy Channel - that there are multiple shows that I actually enjoy on it.
Last decade, SyFy (then the far more appropriate SciFi, because, you know, they did Science Fiction, which is often shortened to "Sci-Fi") had a shot at greatness, with the excellent (even if it didn't really stick the landing) remake of Battlestar Galactica. But while I think a lot of us expected the network to follow that up by investing in other smart shows with good production values, they... well, I think they did try, like with Caprica, but pretty quickly that momentum was lost. The change of name happened some time either late in BSG's run or shortly thereafter, supposedly because the president of the company was worried "SciFi" came off too nerdy. Not only has the culture embraced the idea of nerdiness over the last decade, but also - you're the freaking SciFi channel. You're where nerds are supposed to go!
So color me excited with two new shows that seem to be aiming at that level of prestige/quality that we had with BSG.
The Expanse is actually similar to a pilot script I wrote, in that it's a space-based thriller that involves lots of political intrigue and crazy space action. The show has been compared with Game of Thrones, in that there are a lot of plots taking place between characters in very different situations, though at least for now they all seem to center around the same issues.
Essentially, the state of the Expanse is that humans have colonized the Solar System. Earth is run by the UN, and is relatively prosperous, but also severely overcrowded (I believe it's at something like 30 billion people.) Earth thrives, even as it deals with the effects of climate change (the Statue of Liberty is protected by tall flood walls) thanks to resources they've been able to bring in from elsewhere.
Mars is independent, governed by the Martian Congressional Republic, and for now seems to have a more spartan ethos. In fairness, we've only really been exposed to their military, but they definitely seem to pride themselves on a kind of warrior/honor culture. The Martians dream of terraforming their planet, but they are in a cold war with Earth, seeking to secure some of the Solar System's resources for themselves.
Meanwhile, the third world equivalent are the Belters living mostly in the Asteroid Belt, who are generally under UN jurisdiction, but do not benefit from the riches of Earth's society. The Belters tried to gain independence under the banner of the OPA (Outer Planets Alliance,) but their rebellion failed and now the OPA is seen as a terrorist organization. They've been out there long enough that there's even a new language and culture developing in places like Ceres.
The plot kicks off with the disappearance of the daughter of a prominent Earth businessman. A detective on Ceres tries to investigate where she might have gone while a ice-hauling crew comes across her ship (abandoned) and is attacked by a mysterious foe. There's mystery and definitely a lot on intrigue that is all layered on top of a very thoroughly constructed fictional world.
The other show, the Magicians, appears to be a example of the "magical school" fantasy subgenre (of which Harry Potter is certainly the most popular.) A depressed Columbia student is recruited to a magical university for grad school - seemingly the dream for a guy who's always felt out of place with "normal" people. But from the start, it becomes very clear that the kind of magic they're dealing with is incredibly dangerous, and there's some kind of apocalyptic fate bearing down on them.
In this case, we're only at the pilot, and so I can only really say that it teases a lot of really interesting plot threads and ends on one hell of a creepy moment.
Both of these shows have a kind of confidence and really solid production values that I haven't associated with SyFy in a long time. I suspect that part of the reason they're willing to throw such support behind the shows is that both are based on existing book series. Knowing that there's a solid story to be told helps negate some of the risk that serialized genre television often holds. While Game of Thrones is now stepping into the great unknown given that the Winds of Winter will not be coming out before season 6, the HBO's crown jewel has still proven that a series of novels can provide a really solid backbone for a television show.
I'm really eager to see more of both of these. You might even find me posting more about them.
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